Space & Spaceflight

Watch Live: NASA Drops an Orion Spacecraft Into a Giant Pool

Update 2:25 p.m. ET: Belly flop success! The cables suspending the Orion capsule above the water disconnected, and the researchers got a great look at how the spacecraft would fall in a real-world setting. Future tests will include a drop from a greater height and a “swing test,” in which the module is launched like…

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz

NASA’s Tiny Helicopter Snaps Its First Color Photo on Mars

Well, we’ve seen better photos of Mars, but this one’s special in that it was taken by NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter. Encouragingly, the craft managed to survive its first frigid night on Mars, bringing us one step closer to its inaugural flight. The low-resolution photo was taken on April 3 when Ingenuity was still standing beneath…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Burnt Chunk of SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Found on a Farmer’s Field in Washington

The failed deorbiting of a SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage late last month produced a spectacular light show over the Pacific Northwest, but the incident resulted in a large part of the rocket crashing onto a farmer’s field. The second stage was supposed to burn up over the Pacific Ocean, far away from populated areas,…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Has Successfully Landed on the Surface of Mars

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter is one step closer to taking its first flight on Mars. On Saturday, the space agency announced that the helicopter had been successfully dropped off on the surface of the planet by the Perseverance rover, which has essentially served as the Ingenuity’s space taxi, charging station, and heater until now. Since arriving…

Space & Spaceflight Jody Serrano

Physicists Think They’ve Spotted a Very Rare Black Hole

On August 30, 1995, 10-billion-year-old light from the early universe finally hit the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory, which was circling in Earth orbit. An Australian research team is now reporting that the gamma-ray burst contained evidence of an exceedingly rare intermediate-mass black hole, the sort that would help fill a hole in our understanding of these…

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz

Image: X-ray: NASA/CXO/University College London/W. Dunn et al; Optical: W.M. Keck Observatory

Astronomers Spot X-Rays Coming From Uranus

Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have detected X-rays coming from Uranus, revealing a previously unknown dimension of this majestic ice giant. The new finding, published in JGR: Physics, means that X-ray emissions have been detected on every planet in the solar system except Neptune. What’s more, the discovery could yield new insights into more…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Check Out NASA’s Martian Helicopter With Its Four Legs Unfurled

A major milestone has been reached on Mars, as the Ingenuity helicopter—still attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover—has fully deployed its four legs in preparation for its upcoming flight. It took about a week, but the $80 million helicopter has finally stretched its four legs. The next step will be for the rover…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

NASA’s ‘Other’ Mars Rover Sends Back a Selfie to Remind Us It Still Exists

The newly landed Perseverance rover is understandably stealing much of the limelight these days, which means Curiosity—after 10 years of faithful service—is suddenly having to play second fiddle. Curiosity’s latest selfie reminds us that the six-wheeled probe is very much still around and doing important scientific work, thank you very much. Curiosity new self-portrait is…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Our Second Interstellar Visitor Was a ‘Dirty Snowball’ With Stories to Tell

New research suggests 2I/Borisov—the second known interstellar visitor to our solar system—had never previously visited a star, not even the one from its home system, prior to zipping past our Sun in 2019. That makes Borisov one of the most pristine—if not the most pristine—comet ever observed by astronomers, in what is a significant scientific…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Watch Live: SpaceX to Attempt Fourth Test of Its Prototype Starship Rocket [Updated]

All eyes will be on the Boca Chica launch facility in Texas today as SpaceX attempts its next high-altitude test of a Starship prototype rocket. You can watch the action live right here. Update: 9:16 a.m. ET: The SN11 test appeared to go well, with launch occurring at 9:00 a.m. ET. All three Raptor engines…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Image: NASA, ESA, and J. Nichols (University of Leicester)

Freaky New Feature Detected in Jupiter’s Northern Lights

A newly detected auroral feature on Jupiter bears a striking resemblance to expanding smoke rings, in a discovery made possible by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. New research published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics describes faint ring-shaped auroral features on Jupiter, the largest of which measure approximately 1,240 miles (2,000 km) across. Expanding rapidly, the…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Earth Is Safe From Infamous Asteroid Apophis for the Next 100 Years, NASA Says

Asteroid Apophis—one of the scariest rocks in the solar system—won’t pose a threat to Earth for at least another century, according to updated NASA calculations. Every 80,000 years or so, an object measuring around three football fields in length smashes into Earth, unleashing the equivalent of over 1,000 megatons of TNT. The discovery of Apophis…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

15 Stunning Videos of the Pacific Northwest’s Mystery Light Show in the Sky

Was it a meteor shower? Space debris burning up in the atmosphere? Could it be aliens finally coming to harvest humans for our vitamins?

Space & Spaceflight Matt Novak

Where Are All the Aliens? Maybe Trapped in Underground Oceans

A planetary scientist says subterranean water worlds are likely common in the galaxy and probably even better for life than Earth-like environments. Should an intelligent species arise beneath the frozen crust, however, they’d find themselves in perpetual isolation, in what is a possible solution to the Fermi Paradox. Several moons in our solar system feature…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Amateur Astronomer Spots a Rare Visible Nova

A new nova, appearing in the northern constellation of Cassiopeia, can be seen with binoculars and small telescopes, but this transient object won’t stick around for long. Here’s how you can spot Nova V1405 Cas before it’s too late. Amateur astronomer Yuji Nakamura from Kameyama City of Japan spotted the nova on March 18 at…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

See a Black Hole’s Magnetic Fields in New Image From the Event Horizon Telescope

In April 2019, the world was spellbound, if only for a moment, by an ominous void encircled by a half-halo of light. It was the first direct image of a black hole; more specifically, a supermassive gravitational abyss at the core of Messier 87, a galaxy in the constellation Virgo some 54 million light-years from…

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz

NASA Reveals Its Plan for First Helicopter Flight on Mars

So far, human exploration on Mars has been measured in the circular motion of orbiters above the planet and the meandering trails of rovers on the ground below. Early next month, NASA will enter the elusive space between those two realms, with the launch of the box-shaped helicopter Ingenuity. Equipped with two 2,400 rpm rotors…

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz

Interstellar Visitor ‘Oumuamua Could Be the Shattered Remnant of a Pluto-like Object

Four years ago, astronomers detected ‘Oumuamua—the first interstellar object known to pass through our solar system. The object featured an array of strange and inexplicable characteristics, some of which are consistent with an icy shard ripped from a Pluto-like object, according to new research. “We suggest ‘Oumuamua was probably thrown out of a young star…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Here’s 16 Minutes of Perseverance Rover Going Kssst, Tiktik, and Pffft

Three weeks ago, Earthlings sat agog by their computers as they heard the first sounds recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover on the Martian surface. Turns out these tracks will be a regularity, as NASA just released another ballad from our new favorite robot. Last week, we heard Perseverance zapping rocks with a laser. Ok, so…

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz

Watch Live as NASA Performs a Second Hotfire Test of Its New Megarocket

The second hotfire test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is scheduled for Thursday. You can watch a livestream of the action right here. The window for today’s test opens at 3:00 p.m. ET and ends sharply two hours later. NASA’s coverage will begin around 30 minutes prior to ignition. The space agency will…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Watch Live: NASA Drops an Orion Spacecraft Into a Giant Pool

NASA’s Tiny Helicopter Snaps Its First Color Photo on Mars

Burnt Chunk of SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Found on a Farmer’s Field in Washington

NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Has Successfully Landed on the Surface of Mars

Physicists Think They’ve Spotted a Very Rare Black Hole

Astronomers Spot X-Rays Coming From Uranus

Check Out NASA’s Martian Helicopter With Its Four Legs Unfurled

NASA’s ‘Other’ Mars Rover Sends Back a Selfie to Remind Us It Still Exists

Our Second Interstellar Visitor Was a ‘Dirty Snowball’ With Stories to Tell

Watch Live: SpaceX to Attempt Fourth Test of Its Prototype Starship Rocket [Updated]

Freaky New Feature Detected in Jupiter’s Northern Lights

Earth Is Safe From Infamous Asteroid Apophis for the Next 100 Years, NASA Says

15 Stunning Videos of the Pacific Northwest’s Mystery Light Show in the Sky

Where Are All the Aliens? Maybe Trapped in Underground Oceans

Amateur Astronomer Spots a Rare Visible Nova

See a Black Hole’s Magnetic Fields in New Image From the Event Horizon Telescope

NASA Reveals Its Plan for First Helicopter Flight on Mars

Interstellar Visitor ‘Oumuamua Could Be the Shattered Remnant of a Pluto-like Object

Here’s 16 Minutes of Perseverance Rover Going Kssst, Tiktik, and Pffft

Watch Live as NASA Performs a Second Hotfire Test of Its New Megarocket

Watch and Follow Live as NASA Launches Its First Crewed Mission to the Moon in 54 Years 🔴

Kia’s EV3 Is Headed to the US This Year With Up to 320 Miles of Range

This Is the Way to Lego’s April Releases

Group Pushing Age Verification Requirements for AI Turns Out to Be Sneakily Backed by OpenAI

Amazon Facilities in Bahrain Hit Again as Iran Follows Through on Threat, Report Says

Why the PS6 Handheld Will Matter More Than the PS6

DNA Study Casts Even More Doubt on Shroud of Turin’s True Origin

Sam Witwer Is Ready for Maul’s Moment

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

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