Why the Search for Life in Space Starts With Ancient Earth
[ad_1] Next, they’ll use the spectrograph to try to find key molecules like oxygen or methane. How much they find of each determines what they’ll look for next, like carbon…
Astronomers May Have Just Spotted the Universe’s First Galaxies
[ad_1] Scientists just announced that they’ve detected what might be some of the earliest galaxies to form in the universe, a tantalizing discovery made thanks to NASA’s new flagship James Webb…
Let’s Go to Mars. Let’s Not Live There
[ad_1] Some people would rather invest these resources in solving global problems, not launching astronauts to other worlds. People in the 1960s questioned the Apollo program for similar reasons—it was…
A New NASA Satellite Will Map Earth’s Rising Seas
[ad_1] SWOT could turn out to be a major improvement over measurements by previous satellites. “Instead of a ‘pencil beam’ moving along the Earth’s surface from a satellite, it’s a…
NASA’s Orion Moon Capsule Is Back. What Happens Next?
[ad_1] After circling the moon for the past three weeks, NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down under parachute yesterday morning off the coast of Mexico’s Baja California near Guadalupe Island, marking…
NASA Will Not Change the James Webb Telescope’s Name
[ad_1] James Webb led NASA in the 1950s and 60s, during the Cold War–era “Lavender Scare,” when government agencies often enforced policies that discriminated against gay and lesbian federal workers.…
NASA’s Huge SLS Rocket Finally Launches the Artemis 1 Moon Mission
[ad_1] After years of delays and several false starts, the wait is finally over: NASA’s massive Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule lifted off at 1:48 am Eastern…
Protest Is Risky at Egypt’s COP27. That Won’t Stop Activists
[ad_1] But an altercation that followed the event exemplified the resistance human rights activists face: According to a Washington Post report, Egyptian lawmaker Amr Darwish stood up and yelled at…
The Tiangong Space Station Makes China a Major Space Power
[ad_1] The space program may also attach a robotic telescope to it in the future, although the station itself is not likely to grow much bigger, says Osburg. Tiangong’s T…
Ukraine’s Biggest Nuclear Plant Needs a Safety Zone
[ad_1] Until Ukraine and Russia reach an agreement, the plant remains in danger. “There’s no question: There should not be any military operations at the plant or in the vicinity…
A New 3,200-Megapixel Camera Has Astronomers Salivating
[ad_1] The world’s biggest digital camera is finally coming into focus. While a very powerful personal camera might have megapixel resolution, astronomers have constructed a device that will image the…
How Sci-Fi Changed Who Gets to Go to Space
[ad_1] In the 1930s, three decades before Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon, Buck Rogers had his own Western-like space adventures—in comic books and…
These Sci-Fi Visions for Interstellar Travel Just Might Work
[ad_1] For very long interstellar trips—things that are farther than the closest star—continuous fusion, antimatter, and sails are the only thing that will let you get there. But the better…
Success! NASA Says DART Really Clocked That Asteroid
[ad_1] Two weeks ago, the asteroid Dimorphos was minding its own business, quietly orbiting around its partner Didymos, when suddenly NASA’s DART spacecraft plowed into it at 14,000 miles per…
The FCC’s Rules on Space Junk Just Got Stricter
[ad_1] There’s an international element to the debate, too, as the FCC’s rule could apply to some satellite operators beyond the US. “The FCC is trying to design this so…
Sofia, the Historic Airplane-Borne Telescope, Lands for the Last Time
[ad_1] Over the past eight years, a modified Boeing 747 jetliner has flown hundreds of flights on a unique mission: carrying a 19-ton, 2.5-meter telescope known as Sofia, or the…
NASA’s DART Spacecraft Smashes Into an Asteroid—on Purpose
[ad_1] Dimorphos is on the small side, spanning 525 feet—which is about the size of the Great Pyramid. While it was never a threat to Earth, plenty more asteroids (and…
Hurricane Ian Blows Back NASA’s Artemis Launch
[ad_1] NASA’s team leading the Artemis program of lunar missions really wants to get on with their inaugural spaceflight—which was slated for tomorrow morning. But with a strengthening Hurricane Ian…
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Digs Up Organic Molecules on Mars
[ad_1] After trundling around the Jezero crater for 550 Martian days, NASA’s Perseverance rover has amassed nearly half its planned rock collection—including some containing organic molecules, a possible sign that…
The UN Wants to Curb Anti-Satellite Missile Tests
[ad_1] Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also created challenges for space diplomacy. At the UN meeting, several diplomats expressed support for Ukrainians in their statements. Each time, the Russian delegate…
The Legendary Frank Drake Shaped the Search for Alien Life
[ad_1] Frank Drake, a leading figure in planetary astronomy and astrobiology who inspired the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, died Friday, September 2, at the age of 92. “Frank…
Voyager 1 and 2, Humanity’s Interstellar Envoys, Soldier On at 45
[ad_1] Today is the 45th anniversary of the launch of Voyager 1, one of humanity’s iconic twin emissaries to the cosmos. (Its sibling, Voyager 2, launched a couple of weeks…
NASA Orders a Second Delay for the Artemis Moon-bound Rocket
[ad_1] NASA engineers held the countdown at T-40 minutes while troubleshooting for more than an hour. Finally, launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson called the attempt a scrub. At a press conference…
NASA Delays the Launch of Its Giant Moon-Bound Rocket
[ad_1] NASA has pushed back the launch of its Artemis 1 mission to the moon due to an issue with one of the engines of the giant SLS rocket. With…
Humans Are Revisiting the Moon—and the Rules of Spacefaring
[ad_1] If astronauts need to grab some lunar ice on a future Artemis mission, that won’t be a problem from a legal perspective, says Rossana Deplano, a researcher at the…