Space & Spaceflight

A Collision With a Dwarf Planet Likely Caused Our Moon to Become Lopsided

Our Moon features a nearside and far side with dramatically different geological features. This anomaly has puzzled scientists for years, but new computer simulations suggest the Moon’s asymmetric disposition can be traced back to an ancient collision with another object—possibly a dwarf planet. For thousands and thousands of years, humanity had no idea what the…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky May 21

Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute, National Optical Astronomy Observator

We’re Finally Learning More about MU69, the Strange, Flat Rock in the Outer Solar System

New Horizons mission scientists have released the first peer-reviewed results from their study of 2014 MU69, demonstrating just how “pristine” this object is. (486958) 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, appears to be a pair of rocks squished together, each around 10 miles across. It orbits the Sun at a distance of around 4 billion miles…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum May 16

China’s Lunar Mission Has Found Mantle Material on the Far Side of the Moon

Scientists in China have released an important first set of results from the Chang’e 4 lunar lander, revealing what appears to be material from the Moon’s mantle on its far side. There’s a surprising amount that scientists don’t know about our Moon—specifically the composition of its interior and how it came to look the way…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum May 15

NASA Wants $1.6 Billion to Send First Woman to the Moon By 2024

NASA is requesting an additional $1.6 billion in funding for next year to accelerate its manned mission to the Moon by 2024, which the agency revealed will be titled Artemis, the New York Times reported on Monday. Per CNN, NASA emphasized that the agency plans to have the first female astronaut to set foot on…

Space & Spaceflight Tom McKay May 14

Photo: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

New Analysis of Apollo-Era Moonquakes Shows the Moon Could Be Tectonically Active

Astronauts and Jeff Bezos-types hoping to set up shop on the Moon might have another challenge to worry about: moonquakes caused by tectonic activity. Apollo mission seismometers measured 28 shallow moonquakes between 1969 and 1977 that seemed to lack origin. Researchers re-calculated the epicenters of these quakes and found that eight of them occurred near…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum May 13

You’ll Soon Be Able to See a Twice-Flown SpaceX Falcon 9 Up-Close in Houston

An upcoming exhibit at Space Center Houston will feature the core section of the Falcon 9 rocket used in two NASA missions. Space Center Houston, the museum of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, announced the new exhibit on Thursday, CollectSpace reports. The twice-flown SpaceX rocket core will go on display later this summer. “The future of…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky May 10

Here’s Everything Jeff Bezos Said to Convince Humanity That Space Colonies Are the Future

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest man on the planet, gave an hour-long presentation yesterday about his plans for humanity’s future living on the moon and in space colonies. It was a bit like watching a monologue from a sci-fi movie in a lot of ways. And now you can finally view the entire presentation…

Space & Spaceflight Matt Novak May 10

Jeff Bezos Reveals Lunar Lander Designed for ‘Sustained Human Presence on the Moon’

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin announced its first lunar lander, Blue Moon, at a press conference today. The lander has been “years in development,” according to the company’s new project webpage, and can reportedly land “multiple metric tons” of payload onto the Moon’s surface. “Its capability to provide precise and soft landings will enable a sustained…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum May 9

Failed SpaceX Parachute Test Is Yet Another Setback for NASA’s Crew Program

A recent parachute test of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule “was not satisfactory,” a NASA official said during a House subcommittee hearing yesterday. Few details were disclosed, but it’s now looking even less likely that NASA will have the capability to fly astronauts to space anytime soon. The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky May 9

NASA Accidentally Destroys NYC in Attempt to Save Denver (Thankfully It Was Just a Simulation)

If you really want to prepare for an asteroid impact, you might as well simulate some of the worst possible outcomes—like an asteroid blasting into the heart of New York City. Last week, NASA, FEMA, and space agencies around the world simulated an impending asteroid strike and how they’d respond during the annual IAA Planetary…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum May 8

A Martian Dust Devil Swept Right Over NASA’s InSight Lander

The InSight lander seems to have been hit by one of Mars’ famous dust devils, but don’t worry—the NASA probe is just fine. If anything, the sudden blast of wind helped to clear off some annoying dust that had been collecting on the probe’s solar panels. The passing wind vortex also produced some cool science. Measurements…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky May 7

Nanoparticle ISS Experiment Could Lead to New Anti-Aging Therapies

An upcoming experiment aboard the International Space Station will test the effects of microgravity on living cells mixed with tiny ceramic particles. The test could result in powerful new antioxidants to treat the deleterious effects of prolonged exposure to space as well as various age-related diseases. The raw materials for the research, called the Nano…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky May 6

Interstellar Technologies Becomes First Private Japanese Firm to Reach Space With Momo-3 Launch

Aerospace company Interstellar Technologies Inc. became the first private firm in Japan to launch a rocket into space on Saturday, per the Japan Times, by sending an unmanned, 10-meter, one-ton Momo-3 rocket some 68 miles (110 kilometers) upwards on a brief but milestone hitting journey. This is the third launch attempt by Interstellar. A 2017…

Space & Spaceflight Tom McKay May 5

NASA Says Fraudulent Supplier Caused It to Lose Two Climate Satellites, Wasting Over $700 Million

NASA has found its loss of two 92-foot Taurus rockets—as well as the climate-monitoring satellites they were carrying—in 2009 and 2011 was due to a supplier that falsified test data about frangible joints that were supposed to split and release the rockets’ fairings, according to Quartz. According to a NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) report…

Space & Spaceflight Tom McKay May 3

Yep, That SpaceX Crew Capsule Was Definitely Destroyed During Failed Ground Test, Company Confirms

After weeks of speculation, SpaceX has finally admitted that a Crew Dragon capsule was destroyed during a test of system’s abort thrusters on April 20. No cause was given for the anomaly, nor were any new details disclosed about possible delays to NASA’s languishing Commercial Crew Program. Speaking to reporters at a NASA briefing held…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky May 3

Scientists Locate Neutron Star Collision That Could Have Created Our Solar System’s Plutonium

In 2017, observatories around the world observed a high-energy collision between a pair of dense objects, each slightly more massive than the Sun but only the size of a city. A similar collision closer to home could have been responsible for producing some of the heaviest elements in our own solar system—and scientists think they…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum May 1

It’s Hard to Believe How Close This Asteroid Is Going to Get to Earth

While space agencies simulate an asteroid impact this week at the 2019 Planetary Defense Conference, there’s a real asteroid they’re monitoring that will make a close appearance in just 10 years. 99942 Apophis is among the most infamous near-Earth objects. When astronomers at Kitt Peak National Observatory discovered it in 2004, they initially calculated a…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum May 1

Lunar Eclipse Meteorite Briefly Created a Spot on the Moon as Hot as the Sun

This past January, astronomers managed to capture the moment a space rock struck the Moon during a total lunar eclipse. Now we’re learning more about this unprecedented event, including the speed of the offending object and the intense temperatures reached during the impact. Our Moon gets struck by bits of debris left over from the…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky Apr 30

Image: ESA/Hubble and NASA, F Göttgens (IAG

Chinese Astronomers Saw an Exploding Star 2,000 Years Ago. Scientists May Have Just Found the Remains

Scientists think that they’ve stumbled upon the remains of a stellar explosion first observed by Chinese astronomers over 2,000 years ago, according to a new paper. Novae are explosions that occur on the surface of white dwarf stars sucking up matter from a partner in a binary system. After the blast, they leave behind clouds…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum Apr 30

Water Worlds Could Have Mind-Bogglingly Deep Oceans, New Models Suggest

Scientists have good reason to believe that so-called water worlds—exoplanets with surfaces covered entirely by a single gigantic ocean—are common in the galaxy. But a new computer simulation suggests that not only are water worlds prevalent, they’re also teeming with water—and at mind-boggling scales. Imagine oceans that are hundreds, and even thousands, of kilometers deep. New…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky Apr 29

A Collision With a Dwarf Planet Likely Caused Our Moon to Become Lopsided

We’re Finally Learning More about MU69, the Strange, Flat Rock in the Outer Solar System

China’s Lunar Mission Has Found Mantle Material on the Far Side of the Moon

NASA Wants $1.6 Billion to Send First Woman to the Moon By 2024

New Analysis of Apollo-Era Moonquakes Shows the Moon Could Be Tectonically Active

You’ll Soon Be Able to See a Twice-Flown SpaceX Falcon 9 Up-Close in Houston

Here’s Everything Jeff Bezos Said to Convince Humanity That Space Colonies Are the Future

Jeff Bezos Reveals Lunar Lander Designed for ‘Sustained Human Presence on the Moon’

Failed SpaceX Parachute Test Is Yet Another Setback for NASA’s Crew Program

NASA Accidentally Destroys NYC in Attempt to Save Denver (Thankfully It Was Just a Simulation)

A Martian Dust Devil Swept Right Over NASA’s InSight Lander

Nanoparticle ISS Experiment Could Lead to New Anti-Aging Therapies

Interstellar Technologies Becomes First Private Japanese Firm to Reach Space With Momo-3 Launch

NASA Says Fraudulent Supplier Caused It to Lose Two Climate Satellites, Wasting Over $700 Million

Yep, That SpaceX Crew Capsule Was Definitely Destroyed During Failed Ground Test, Company Confirms

Scientists Locate Neutron Star Collision That Could Have Created Our Solar System’s Plutonium

It’s Hard to Believe How Close This Asteroid Is Going to Get to Earth

Lunar Eclipse Meteorite Briefly Created a Spot on the Moon as Hot as the Sun

Chinese Astronomers Saw an Exploding Star 2,000 Years Ago. Scientists May Have Just Found the Remains

Water Worlds Could Have Mind-Bogglingly Deep Oceans, New Models Suggest

FCC Exempts Netgear from Foreign-Made Router Ban for Some Reason

Jamie Dornan Is Your New Aragorn in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Trump’s Fed Pick Is Knee Deep in Tech and Crypto Investments

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

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