Space & Spaceflight

Check Out NASA’s Look for the Next Lunar Landing

With NASA’s new line of spacesuits, its next crew of lunar bound astronauts likely won’t look much different from Neil Armstrong et al. while hopping around on the Moon. They’ll be a hell of a lot more comfortable while taking that “one small step for man,” though. That’s because their suits will be custom-fitted via…

Space & Spaceflight Alyse Stanley

NASA Space Weather Satellite Set to Launch Tonight, Finally

NASA is ready to launch its space weather-measuring satellite tonight, following two years of delays. The Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, will measure the highest region of the atmosphere where Earth weather interacts with space weather. Initially scheduled to go up Wednesday, it’s now set to launch Thursday from a Pegasus XL rocket dropped from…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Whoa, Astronomers Just Found 20 News Moons Around Saturn

A survey of Saturn’s outer reaches has resulted in the discovery of no less than 20 new moons. With its 82 natural satellites, Saturn now boasts the most moons of any planet in the solar system, surpassing Jupiter’s 82 moons. It’s always special when astronomers spot new moons, but this is intense—20 new moons confirmed…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Hayabusa2 Spacecraft Releases Its Final Probe for Exploring Asteroid Ryugu

The tiny Minerva-II2 probe is now en route to the surface of the asteroid Ryugu, having been deployed by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft on Thursday. It’s the final phase of this wildly successful mission and the last item on the to-do list before the spacecraft makes its journey back to Earth. Hayabusa2 released the Minerva-II2 probe…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Here’s How NASA Might Rescue InSight’s Extremely Stuck Heat Probe

Back in February, the heat probe of NASA’s InSight lander didn’t get very far while trying to tunnel a hole into Mars. It’s been stuck ever since, but NASA has devised a plan in the hopes of getting the probe moving again. NASA’s InSight lander arrived at Elysium Planitia, a plain near the Martian equator,…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Scientists Uncover New Organic Molecules Coming Off Saturn’s Moon Enceladus

Scientists have discovered nitrogen- and oxygen- containing organic molecules in ice grains blown out by Saturn’s moon Enceladus, according to a new study. Gas giants Saturn and Jupiter are orbited by some moons that almost seem more like planets themselves. One such moon is Saturn’s Enceladus, an icy orb thought to contain a very deep…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Would Finding Life on Mars Really Change Anything?

In a recent interview with the Telegraph, NASA chief scientist Jim Green said it’s possible we’ll soon find evidence of life on Mars but that “we’re not prepared for the results.” Green said the discovery would be as world-shaking as the revelation that the solar system doesn’t revolve around Earth. But while finding our first…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Elon Musk Unveils His Gigantic Starship Prototype, Says It’ll Be Flying Within Months

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the towering Mk1 prototype of his Starship space vehicle on Saturday evening in Boca Chica Village, Texas, announcing that the craft will be ready to fly within the next few months. According to the New York Times, Musk claimed that within one or two months the 164-foot-tall, 200-ton…

Space & Spaceflight Tom McKay

Cool NASA Concept Envisions a Shapeshifting Robot to Explore Saturn’s Moon Titan

Why send one robot to explore a world when you can send a whole bunch all at once? Such is the thinking behind NASA’s highly conceptual Shapeshifter—a modular, morphing, self-assembling robot capable of deploying several smaller machines. The Shapeshifter concept is currently being developed as part of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, which encourages…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

What If Planet Nine Is a Bowling Ball-Size Black Hole?

Some of the most distant rocks in our solar system act in a way that suggests there’s some massive object out there we haven’t been able to see. A planet? Maybe. But why not a small black hole? That’s a scenario a pair of scientists describe in a new paper. Of course, they recognize that…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

We Should Deliberately Contaminate Mars With Our Microbes, Controversial Study Argues

A research team is proposing a major philosophical shift in our thinking about the spread of Earthly microbes in space and on Mars in particular. Believing interplanetary contamination to be “inevitable,” the team argues that future Martian colonists should use microorganisms to reshape the Red Planet—a proposition deemed grossly premature by some experts. In a…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

NASA Is Moving Forward With Space-Based Mission to Hunt for Hazardous Asteroids

NASA will begin developing a space-based telescope to track the asteroids near Earth, according to a statement by NASA’s associate administrator for science, Thomas Zurbuchen. Space News reports that the mission will be based on a previous concept mission called NEOCam. The Near-Earth Object Surveillance Mission will be led by NASA, unlike NEOCam, which would…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Newly Discovered Interstellar Comet Has an Official Name: 2I/Borisov

The second known interstellar visitor to our solar system has been named 2I/Borisov, in honor of the amateur astronomer who first detected the rare object. Gennady Borisov detected the interstellar comet on August 30, 2019 using his custom-built 0.65-meter telescope in Crimea. In the days that followed, other observatories carefully tracked the object to confirm…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Magnetic Field on Mars Mysteriously Pulses at Night, NASA’s InSight Lander Finds

NASA’s Mars InSight lander has observed mysterious nighttime pulses that can last as long as two hours, according to a conference proceeding. National Geographic reports that the InSight team released several new results at the joint meeting of the European Planetary Science Congress and the American Astronomical Society. These results include measurements of the Martian magnetic…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Spooky ‘Black Hole’ on Jupiter Is Just a Big Shadow

NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently caught this ominous view of Jupiter, which shows a massive black spot atop the gas giant’s churning clouds. Looks scary, but there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation: It’s a shadow cast by Jupiter’s extremely volcanic moon, Io. Juno captured this stunning series of images on September 12, while participating in its 22nd…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

U.S. Air Force Warns There’s a Chance an American and Russian Satellite Could Collide Overnight

Earlier today, the private American firm Bigelow Aerospace was notified by the U.S. Air Force that its Genesis II spacecraft has a slim chance of smashing into a dead Russian spy satellite. News of the potential orbital smash-up came via Bigelow Aerospace’s Twitter account. “Today, we were notified by the US Air Force that there…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

The Biggest Volcano on Jupiter’s Molten Moon Io Is Likely to Erupt at Any Moment

Observational data collected over the years suggests the largest volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io—the most geologically active object in the Solar System—will erupt in mid-September, which is pretty much any moment now. When it comes to eruptions, volcanoes tend to operate on their own unpredictable schedules. Such is not the case for Loki, however, the…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Image: NASA / JPL-Caltech / R. Hurt (IPAC)

Wild New Theory Blames a Disintegrating Moon for Star’s Mysterious Dimming

Of the nearly 1 million stars chronicled by the Kepler telescope, few have captured as much attention as KIC 8462852, otherwise known as Boyajian’s Star. New research suggests its sporadic dimming is not caused by swarms of comets or an alien megastructure, but rather an abandoned exomoon caught in the throes of annihilation. Boyajian’s Star,…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Image: Gemini Observatory/NSF/AURA, the William Herschel Telescope

How Does the New Interstellar Object Differ From ‘Oumuamua?

The second interstellar object on record has visited our solar system, according to astronomical observations made in recent week. But how does this new visitor differ from ‘Oumuamua, the first interstellar object? Scientists have been eager to learn more about Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) since amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov first spotted it on August 30.…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Is That White Chocolate or the Surface of Mars?

A new image of dunes on the Martian north pole looks a lot like a candy bar. The European Space Agency/Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter’s CaSSIS instrument captured this image of ice-covered dunes, released by the ESA this week. The dark patches are the result of gas exploding up from the ice, forcing sand to…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Check Out NASA’s Look for the Next Lunar Landing

NASA Space Weather Satellite Set to Launch Tonight, Finally

Whoa, Astronomers Just Found 20 News Moons Around Saturn

Hayabusa2 Spacecraft Releases Its Final Probe for Exploring Asteroid Ryugu

Here’s How NASA Might Rescue InSight’s Extremely Stuck Heat Probe

Scientists Uncover New Organic Molecules Coming Off Saturn’s Moon Enceladus

Would Finding Life on Mars Really Change Anything?

Elon Musk Unveils His Gigantic Starship Prototype, Says It’ll Be Flying Within Months

Cool NASA Concept Envisions a Shapeshifting Robot to Explore Saturn’s Moon Titan

What If Planet Nine Is a Bowling Ball-Size Black Hole?

We Should Deliberately Contaminate Mars With Our Microbes, Controversial Study Argues

NASA Is Moving Forward With Space-Based Mission to Hunt for Hazardous Asteroids

Newly Discovered Interstellar Comet Has an Official Name: 2I/Borisov

Magnetic Field on Mars Mysteriously Pulses at Night, NASA’s InSight Lander Finds

Spooky ‘Black Hole’ on Jupiter Is Just a Big Shadow

U.S. Air Force Warns There’s a Chance an American and Russian Satellite Could Collide Overnight

The Biggest Volcano on Jupiter’s Molten Moon Io Is Likely to Erupt at Any Moment

Wild New Theory Blames a Disintegrating Moon for Star’s Mysterious Dimming

How Does the New Interstellar Object Differ From ‘Oumuamua?

Is That White Chocolate or the Surface of Mars?

Tesla Goes Ahead and Admits Its Robotaxis Are Sometimes Fully Human-Controlled

School Forced to Replace Toilets After Kids Flush Vapes

‘Scream 7’ Just Won’t Stop Making Money as ‘Scream 8’ Gets Started

The Curtain Has Closed on Meta’s Movie Rating-Inspired Content Filters

Good News! You Can Finally Change That Ridiculous Gmail Address

ExpressVPN Just Launched ExpressAI: Your Prompts Are Now Invisible

VR Just Took Another Massive Body Blow

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

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

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