When spacecraft land on the Moon, their exhaust strikes the powdery regolith on the lunar surface. The Moon has low gravity and no atmosphere, so the dust is thrown up in a huge plume. The dust cloud could possibly interfere with the navigation and science instruments or cause visual obstructions. Additionally, the dust could even be propelled into orbit, risking other spacecraft nearby.
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
It’s Time for the Mars Rovers to Hunker Down and Wait for the Earth to Return
If you’ve noticed a slowdown in Mars news lately, it’s because of the Sun. Or, rather, it’s because the Sun is temporarily blocking our “view” of the Red Planet, which is on the other side of the Sun from Earth, in what’s called “Mars Solar Conjunction.”
1st black hole ever imaged by humanity is losing huge amount of energy through 'lightsaber' jets
The first black hole ever imaged by humanity, M87*, appears to be losing energy like a spinning top decelerating over time.
Save $200 on this Sony A7 IV bundle at Adorama in this Black Friday deal
Sony A7 IV bundle is now reduced to $2298 at Adorama for Black Friday — includes a backpack, 128GB card and extra battery. Snap up this deal while you can!
After Chandrayaan-3 success, India gearing up for moon sample-return mission
India plans to bring moon samples back to Earth later in the 2020s with its Chandrayaan-4 mission.
Mercury is home to exotic glaciers of salt, and they may host life beneath them
Salt glaciers uncovered on Mercury, the second planet from the sun, could have implications for the habitability of this tiny planet and similar worlds beyond the solar system.
Save over $400 on the DJI Avata Pro-View this Black Friday
This Black Friday drone deal saves you over $400 on the DJI Avata Pro-View combo, one of the best FPV drones on the market.
'Devil Comet' 12P/Pons-Brooks is approaching Earth. Why is it flaring up, 'horns' and all?
The exact cause of 'Devil Comet' 12P/Pons-Brooks' flare-ups is unknown, though the best guess is that perhaps a fissure has developed on the comet's nucleus due to a build-up of gas.
James Webb Space Telescope sees major star factory near the Milky Way's black hole (image)
The JWST has imaged an intense region of star-formation near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, making findings that could be key to understanding the earliest galaxies.
Cairt and Wivern Earth Explorer candidates go forward
ESA has reached a significant milestone in its commitment towards a deeper understanding of Earth's dynamic processes and addressing pressing environmental challenges with the selection of two new candidates – Cairt and Wivern – to progress to the next development phase as part of the process of realising the Agency’s eleventh Earth Explorer satellite mission.
Tom Hanks visits Artemis 2 moon astronauts and NASA Mission Control
'Apollo 13' actor Tom Hanks, who flew to the moon on film in 1995, just went to NASA in Houston. There, he visited the four Artemis 2 astronauts who will make the journey for real.
Insane $1000 saving on this Canon EOS R3 Black Friday camera deal!
Save a huge $1000 on the Canon EOS R3 at Amazon in their amazing Black Friday deal — now down to $4999! We've never seen it cheaper!
Saturn’s Rings will Disappear in 2025. Don’t Worry, They’ll Return Soon Enough
The rings of Saturn are some of the most well-known and captivating spectacles in the night sky, which are so large they can easily be observed with amateur telescopes or even a pair of high-powered binoculars. However, from time to time, Saturn’s rings “disappear” from view, a phenomenon known ring-plane crossing, with the rings being observed as a flat line running straight through the massive gas giant. Ring-plane crossing occurs approximately every 15 years and is slated to happen next in March 2025, with the rings slowly getting “larger” in the months afterwards before “disappearing” again in November 2025. But what causes ring-plane crossing?
DJI Osmo Action 4 review
The DJI Osmo Action 4 is an impressive performer in all areas making it an excellent choice for professional and enthusiast FPV drone video capture.
SpaceX's epic Starship liftoff didn't damage launch pad, Elon Musk says
The second-ever launch of SpaceX's huge Starship rocket this weekend didn't appreciably damage the pad, according to company founder and CEO Elon Musk.
Watch all the Star Trek you want and save 67% on 3 months of Paramount Plus in this early Black Friday deal
You can get your first 3 months of Paramount Plus for just $1.99/month in this early Black Friday deal to beam up all the Trek you want!
HoverAir X1 review
The HoverAir X1 breaks the mold by delivering excellent subject tracking capabilities in a palm-sized autonomous drone that’s easy to use for capturing yourself in photos and videos.
Distant 'teenage galaxies' surprise astronomers with unexpected heavy elements
Significant amounts of nickel observed in galaxies only two-to-three billion years after the Big Bang.
Gaze Into the Heart of the Milky Way in This Latest JWST Image
Thanks to its infrared capabilities, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) allows astronomers to peer through the gas and dust clogging the Milky Way’s center, revealing never-before-seen features. One of the biggest mysteries is the star forming region called Sagittarius C, located about 300 light-years from the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole. An estimated 500,000 stars are forming in this region that’s being blasted by radiation from the densely packed stars. How can they form in such an intense environment?
A Robotic Chemist Could Whip up the Perfect Batch of Oxygen on Mars
Humans on Mars will need oxygen, and Mars’ atmosphere is pretty anemic when it comes to the life-sustaining element. NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully extracted oxygen from CO2 in Mars’ atmosphere, but there are other ways to acquire it. There seem to be vast amounts of water buried under the Martian surface, and oxygen in the water is just waiting to be set free from its bonds with hydrogen.
Europe's JUICE probe will be 1st to use gravity of Earth and moon to slingshot to Jupiter
The spacecraft recently burned 10 percent of its total fuel in a single 43-minute maneuver as preparation for the double gravity assist.
