last December when the lander detected a massive quake on Mars. Now, scientists know what caused the red planet to rumble. A meteoroid slammed into Mars 2,174 miles (3,500 kilometers) away from the lander and created a fresh impact crater on the Martian surface. The ground literally moved beneath InSight on December 24, 2021, when Read more about Space rock slams into Mars and reveals buried ice close to equator[…]
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft captured this image (which has been cropped) of the Earth on Oct 15, 2022, as a part of an instrument calibration sequence at a distance of 380,000 miles (620,000 km). The upper left of the image includes a view of Hadar, Ethiopia, home to the 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor fossil for which the Read more about NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Captures Images of Earth and Moon in 1 frame[…]
A new aerospace company reached orbit with its second rocket launch and deployed multiple small satellites on Saturday. Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, in early morning darkness and arced over the Pacific. “100% mission success,” Firefly tweeted later. A day earlier, an attempt to launch abruptly ended when Read more about Firefly Aerospace reaches orbit with new Alpha rocket[…]
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted new rules to address the growing risk of “space junk” or abandoned satellites, rockets and other debris. The new “5-year-rule” will require low-Earth operators to deorbit their satellites within five years following the completion of missions. That’s significantly less time than the previous guideline of 25 years. Read more about FCC rules Satellites must be deorbited within five years of completing missions instead of 25 years[…]
Does the existence of life on Earth tell us anything about the probability of abiogenesis—the origin of life from inorganic substances—arising elsewhere? That’s a question that has confounded scientists, and anyone else inclined to ponder it, for some time. A widely accepted argument from Australian-born astrophysicist Brandon Carter argues that the selection effect of our Read more about New theory concludes that the origin of life on Earth-like planets is likely[…]
Voyager and Lockheed Martin have found a partner to design astronaut facilities for their space station. Hilton will develop suites and sleeping quarters for Starlab, CNBC reports. Under the partnership, Hilton and Voyager will also look at marketing opportunities related to Starlab and trips to what may be one of the first space hotels. NASA Read more about Hilton will design suites and sleeping quarters for Voyager’s private Starlab space station[…]
Space is getting a little too crowded, increasing the risk of orbital collisions. Slingshot Aerospace, a company specializing in space data analytics, is now offering a solution to regulate some of the traffic up there. The company announced on Tuesday that it is rolling out a free version of its space traffic control system to Read more about Slingshot Aerospace Free Software Could Prevent Satellite Collisions[…]
Astronomers have found a baby planet hidden in clouds of gas and dust swirling within a young solar system, by studying the accumulation of material around Lagrange points. That’s according to research published this week in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Studying these protoplanets is difficult. Their stellar nurseries are shrouded in thick, hot clumps of Read more about Astronomers find a baby planet forming[…]
Where are we in the Milky Way? And where is the Milky Way in the Universe? How many galaxies are in the observable Universe? Find answers in this infographic. Source: How Big Is The Universe | Observable Universe: Map, Size | Laniakea Supercluster | Star Walk
Following the titanic mass ejection of a large piece of its visible surface. The escaping material cooled to form a cloud of dust that temporarily made the star look dimmer, as seen from Earth. This unprecedented stellar convulsion disrupted the monster star’s 400-day-long oscillation period that astronomers had measured for more than 200 years. The Read more about Hubble sees supergiant Betelgeuse slowly recovering after blowing its top[…]
A new analysis of seismic data from NASA’s Mars InSight mission has revealed a couple of surprises. The first surprise: the top 300 meters of the subsurface beneath the landing site near the Martian equator contains little or no ice. “We find that Mars’ crust is weak and porous. The sediments are not well-cemented. And Read more about Subsurface water on Mars defy expectations: Physics connects seismic data to properties of rocks and sediments[…]
Australian media has reported that space debris found in New South Wales was indeed junk from a SpaceX mission, including one piece measuring nearly three meters in length. The black shard, found sticking out of the ground, is presumed to be Elon Musk’s take on 2001’s Monolith. The Register asked SpaceX to clarify, but we Read more about SpaceX shows that it too can shower the Earth with debris[…]
As more private astronauts venture out into space, NASA is seeking to better regulate their journeys to Earth orbit. The space agency recently announced some updates to the set of rules required for upcoming private astronaut missions, including the stipulation that all future missions be led by a former NASA astronaut. NASA released the list Read more about NASA Is Changing Its Rules for Private Astronauts[…]
Scientists believe we’ve only discovered about 5% of the universe. Here’s a map of what we’ve found so far, visualized using a log scale. Source: A Logarithmic Map of the Entire Observable Universe
China is claiming that as of Wednesday, its Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter has officially photographed the entire Red Planet. And it’s shown off new photos of the southern polar cap and a volcano to prove it. “It has acquired the medium-resolution image data covering the whole globe of Mars, with all of its scientific payloads realizing Read more about China has photographed all of Mars from orbit[…]
Abstract Determining the extent of bone recovery after prolonged spaceflight is important for understanding risks to astronaut long-term skeletal health. We examined bone strength, density, and microarchitecture in seventeen astronauts (14 males; mean 47 years) using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT; 61 μm). We imaged the tibia and radius before spaceflight, at return to Read more about A few months in space leads to decades worth of bone loss[…]
South Korea conducted its first successful satellite launch using a domestically developed rocket on Tuesday, officials said, boosting its growing aerospace ambitions and demonstrating it has key technologies needed to launch spy satellites and build larger missiles amid tensions with rival North Korea. The three-stage Nuri rocket placed a functioning “performance verification” satellite at a Read more about South Korea Launches First Satellite With Homegrown Rocket[…]
This evening, Boeing’s new passenger spacecraft, the CST-100 Starliner, successfully docked itself to the International Space Station — demonstrating that the vehicle can potentially bring humans to the ISS in the future. It’s a crucial capability that Starliner has finally validated in space after years of delays and failures. Starliner is in the midst of Read more about Boeing’s Starliner successfully docks to the International Space Station for the first time[…]
[…] an international team of astronomers, including a team that I led from the University of Central Lancashire, has unveiled the first image of the object lurking at the centre of the Milky Way – and it is a supermassive black hole. This means there is now overwhelming evidence for the black hole, dubbed Sagittarius Read more about How we captured first image of the supermassive black hole at centre of the Milky Way[…]
The researchers observed unexpected, rapid “electron precipitation” from low-Earth orbit using the ELFIN mission, a pair of tiny satellites built and operated on the UCLA campus by undergraduate and graduate students guided by a small team of staff mentors. By combining the ELFIN data with more distant observations from NASA’s THEMIS spacecraft, the scientists determined Read more about Researchers discover source of super-fast electron rain[…]
On Feb. 3, SpaceX launched 49 small satellites into low earth orbit as a part of its Starlink program, an advanced satellite internet service that, as with many other products and services pioneered by American billionaire Elon Musk, is at least a little controversial. The satellites were carried into the atmosphere without a problem and Read more about Solar Storm Destroys 40 New SpaceX Starlink Satellites[…]
Leicester space scientists have discovered a never-before-seen mechanism fuelling huge planetary aurorae at Saturn. Saturn is unique among planets observed to date in that some of its aurorae are generated by swirling winds within its own atmosphere, and not just from the planet’s surrounding magnetosphere. At all other observed planets, including Earth, aurorae are only Read more about Saturn’s high-altitude winds generate an extraordinary aurorae, tells us more about what they are[…]
Chinese satellite was observed grabbing another satellite and pulling it out of its normal geosynchronous orbit and into a “super-graveyard drift orbit.” The maneuver raises questions about the potential applications of these types of satellites designed to maneuver close to other satellites for inspection or manipulation and adds to growing concerns about China’s space program Read more about A Chinese Satellite Just Grappled Another And Pulled It Out Of Orbit[…]
Just over 1,500 light-years away in the constellation of Hercules there’s a rugby ball-shaped exoplanet orbiting a star. It’s the first time astronomers have been able to detect such an unusual shape of an alien world. Most planets are more or less spherical due to gravitational forces that pull matter equally in from all sides, Read more about Massive rugby ball-shaped exoplanet spotted 1,500 ly away[…]
In a study published today in Nature, they describe an amorphous, 1,000-light-year-wide bubble ensconcing Earth that is responsible for those stars. Called the Local Bubble, the researchers believe it formed from a series of large explosions that blasted energy into space over the last 14 million years. Those explosions were supernovae—spectacular collapses of stars that Read more about Earth Is in a 1,000-Light-Year-Wide Bubble That Cooks Up Stars[…]