Space News & Blog Articles

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Mini Earth-observer Proba-1's 20 years in orbit

NASA's Perseverance rover has given us an otherworldly skywatching treat — the minuscule Mars moon Deimos, twinkling in the dusty Red Planet skies.

Fusion experiment smashes record for generating energy, takes us a step closer to a new source of power

Scientists have calculated that Earth is 4.54 billion years old, with an error range of 50 million years.

Chinese astronauts complete second spacewalk at new space station

Chinese astronauts conducted their second spacewalk outside of the country's new space station on Friday, installing a range of equipment including a back-up air-conditioning unit.

Astronomy Jargon 101: R-Process

In this series we are exploring the weird and wonderful world of astronomy jargon! You’ll quickly see what we’re talking about this week: r-process!

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Sodium 'fizz' gives big asteroid Phaethon its weird comet-like appearance

As an asteroid, Phaethon is a ball composed mainly of rock, and it shouldn't have enough water ice to form the glowing fuzzy coma and tail that adorn a comet.

What can we do with a captured asteroid?

Asteroids are packed with gold and other valuable resources. And the best way to harvest those metals may be to bring space rocks to Earth.

Space beer, anyone? Hops flying on SpaceX's private astronaut mission Inspiration4 will be auctioned for charity

Billionaire Jared Isaacman is looking for a brewery to make beer with space-flown hops — for a good cause.

August full moon 2021: The 'Sturgeon Moon' swings by Jupiter this weekend

The full moon of August arrives Sunday (Aug. 22), after it makes a close pass to Jupiter and Saturn.

Japan’s Mission to Phobos Will Also Bring a Sample Home by 2029

Japan’s space agency (JAXA) is gearing up for its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, with plans to have a sample from Mars’ moon Phobos return to Earth by 2029.  Mission scientists say they hope to find clues to the origins of Mars two moons, as well as Mars itself, and possibly even traces of past life.

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NASA halts human moon lander work with SpaceX amid Blue Origin lawsuit

NASA must again stop work on its human moon lander partnership with SpaceX due to a Blue Origin lawsuit, further risking the agency's tight timeline to return astronauts to the moon.

Week in images: 16 - 20 August 2021

Week in images: 16 - 20 August 2021

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Epic radio images give most-detailed views of distant galaxies

The most detailed radio images of galaxies outside the Milky Way have been captured by a network of 70,000 radio antennas spread over nine European countries.

NASA awards $500,000 to develop moon-mining tech

NASA has awarded a total of $500,000 to 13 different teams via its Break the Ice Lunar Challenge, a competition designed to nurture the development of moon-mining tech.

China's Mars rover Zhurong sets completes primary mission, gets life extension

China's Zhurong rover has completed its primary three-month-long expedition on Mars but is set to continue exploring the Red Planet.

Flying on Mars getting tougher as Ingenuity helicopter gears up for 14th hop

Image: New radar images show the A-74 iceberg spinning around the western tip of the Brunt Ice Shelf, brushing slightly against it before continuing southwards.

Stunning image shows galactic dance of stars swirling around a supermassive black hole

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After four months of darkness, it is finally time to rise and shine for the crew at Concordia Research Station in Antarctica. The most-welcome Sun finally made its appearance on 11 August and ESA-sponsored medical doctor Nick Smith was not about to miss it.

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This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 20 – 28

Jupiter ands Saturn are just past opposition, so they dominate the sky all night. They inhabit dim Capricornus, which pushes Sagittarius westward. Venus, even showier, owns the western twilight but sets by full darkness.

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The 12-Year Cycle of Jupiter Oppositions

Jupiter is at opposition on August 19th. If we take the long view — 12 years long — we can watch Jupiter's oppositions as it passes through the zodiac constellations.

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Venus: Thin-skinned and Likely to Blow

Scientists found a strange little volcanic feature on the edge of a Venusian corona, giving further credence to the theory that the planet has a thin outer layer and an active interior.

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Musk Confirms how “Mechazilla” Will Catch and Assemble Starship and Super Heavy for Rapid Reuse

In January of 2021, Elon Musk announced SpaceX’s latest plan to increase the number of flights they can mount by drastically reducing turnaround time. The key to this was a new launch tower that would “catch” first stage boosters after they return to Earth. This would forego the need to install landing legs on future Super Heavy boosters and potentially future Starship returning to Earth.

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