Space

The Hand In Space!

NASA’s Chandra Observatory colored the X-rays emanating from a nebula around the pulsar PSR B1509-58 blue, to reveal a ghostly hand, reaching for a cosmic light (coming from neighboring gas cloud RCW 89.) [Space.com]

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 7

ISS Astronaut Mike Fincke Gives Us a Tour Of His Space Crib

Ever wonder what it’s really like to live and work in the ISS? Get a load of astronaut Mike Fincke’s sleeping quarters. “This is where the magic happens,” as they say. I highly doubt that any “magic” is happening up there, but he does have a computer—so it seems the sex life of nerds is…

Space & Spaceflight Sean Fallon Apr 7

Newly-Discovered Meteorite From An Otherworldly Rock Formation

A micrometeorite found in Antarctica was shed from rock formations like this one. They look too regular to be natural. Is this tiny space rock part of an ancient alien castle? Nope – it’s just a tiny chunk of basalt. Yesterday an international group of researchers announced their discovery in the Proceedings of the National…

io9 Annalee Newitz Apr 7

A Wounded Galaxy Sings With Light

Another galaxy smashed through the heart of the Cartwheel Galaxy 100 million years ago, and today the Cartwheel remains one of the most powerful UV-emitting galaxies near us, as that blue outer ring shows. This false-color composite image consists of images from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (blue), the Hubble Space Telescope (green), the Spitzer Space…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 6

NASA Testing Next Generation Firefighting Gear for Fires… In Spaaace!

In space, no one can hear you scream “Fire.” Not that it’d matter, as few people could recognize a microgravity fire anyway. This means space firefighting gear needs to be special. NASA is on it. First, a primer. Fire in microgravity isn’t the flickering kind that happened when you set the house ablaze with your…

Space & Spaceflight Jack Loftus Apr 5

Russians Will Announce Soyuz Replacement Spaceship Monday

The BBC reports that a long overdue replacement for the Soyuz spaceship will be announced Monday. For now dubbed PPTS—Prospective Piloted Transport System—the moon-reachable ship should look like the one above. Commissioned by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, this PPTS would go into duty sometime towards 2020. Instead of having a measly three seats like…

Space & Spaceflight Wilson Rothman Apr 3

Andromeda’s Lovely Shimmer, Plus A Lunar Makeover

Astrophotographer Tyler Allred took this amazing new image of the Andromeda Galaxy, which just appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune. Today’s new space porn also includes Jupiter’s shrinking spot, digitally-restored moon pics, and an exoplanet. Here’s an old picture of Jupiter’s famous red spot, taken by the Voyager spacecraft. According to scientists at U.C. Berkeley,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 3

How Did The U.S. Ending To Life On Mars Compare To The BBC Version?

I still can’t decide whether the U.S. Life On Mars ending was awesome or horrible. Please help me make up my mind! (Spoilers ahead.) How does the Life On Mars U.S. finale compare to the U.K. version? ( online polls)

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 3

6 Astronauts Subjected to Brutal Psychological Experiment in Preparation for Mars Mission

Today 6 men will be locked in a small space capsule together for three months to test the psychological effects of a prolonged space flight. Because a trip to Mars might take a year and a half to three years, this test just scrapes the surface of the potentially harrowing experience of living in a…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 31

First Look at the Spacecraft That Will Take Humans to Mars

Yesterday NASA gave the world a first look at the Orion, a space vessel that will take humans back to the Moon in 2020, and then onward to Mars in the 2030s. If this saucer shape looks familiar, that’s not because this vehicle is based on something hidden in Area 51. Orion is based on…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 31

Explosion Over Virginia Was a Russian Rocket

A massive explosion seen over Virginia in the US over the weekend was probably the second stage from a Russian Soyuz rocket, used to boost satellites and supplies up into space for residents of the International Space Station. According to experts, it was probably the second stage of the rocket, jettisoned into the atmosphere after…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 30

Imagine You Are a Solid Rocket Booster

Would you like to feel like our furry hero Spacebat? Here’s your opportunity: Jump on board the solid rocket boosters as they separate from the Space Shuttle Discovery during its March 15 launch. https://gizmodo.com/shuttle-riding-bat-dies-the-most-glorious-death-imagina-5173385 NASA has just made this footage available, taken using digital cameras mounted in the spaceship’s rockets. What a ride indeed.

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz Mar 27

Timeline: The Evolution of the International Space Station

The ISS looked this way—with the fourth and final solar panel truss—as the space shuttle Discovery undocked yesterday. It’s almost as big as a Corellian corvette, but there’s still a long to do list: https://gizmodo.com/how-big-is-the-iss-compared-to-science-fiction-spaceshi-5099175 As you can see, it’s still not entirely done. This photo timeline shows how the ISS has evolved since assembly…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz Mar 26

Charles Simonyi, Creator of MS Office, Becomes First Repeat Space Tourist

I imagine the first thing on everyone’s mind when they return from space is “When the f%&@ can I go back!?” Today, Charles Simonyi became the first space tourist to make a second paid flight. Just short of two years ago, Simonyi spent two weeks aboard the ISS as the fifth private visitor to the…

Space & Spaceflight John Mahoney Mar 26

Colbert Might Get a Space Toilet Named After Him as a Consolation Prize

Stephen Colbert may have won NASA’s poll to rename a module on the International Space Station, but NASA doesn’t really want to go through with it. Instead, they might just name a toilet after him. https://gizmodo.com/colbert-wins-space-race-5181303 Despite beating out Serenity by more than 40,000 votes, NASA still has the right to choose the name on…

Space & Spaceflight Adam Frucci Mar 26

NASA’s Enormous Stir Welder Assembles Rockets With Friction Instead of Fire

Crocodile Dundee once said: “That’s not an Ares I rocket welder. This is an Ares I rocket welder.” He was obviously referring to this toy in NASA’s garage, which fuses aluminum-lithium 2195 alloy via friction. Wired’s Bob Parks, toolman extraordinaire, describes the process far better than I ever could: Stir welding plunges a rapidly rotating…

Space & Spaceflight John Mahoney Mar 26

Stephen Colbert Outsmarts NASA, Gets Personalized Room In Space Station

This is why you don v10_small”/>Stephen Colbert and his mob of fans helped clinch the final votes for naming NASA’s brand new Space Station room, beating our favorite, “Serenity.” NASA held an online contest to determine the name of their new international space station room. After urging his audience to write in, Stephen Colbert swept…

io9 Meredith Woerner Mar 25

Spacebat RIP: Here’s Who Else We’d Launch Into Space

For this week’s Photoshop Contest, we asked you to depict more people and things being tossed into space in honor of Spacebat. You didn’t disappoint. https://gizmodo.com/send-someone-or-some-thing-into-space-5176885 First Place — Greg Gatarz Second Place — Chariot is drawn by a horse Third Place — Howard Suissa

Space & Spaceflight Adam Frucci Mar 24

People Skydiving to See Space Shuttle Launch

People go to Florida to see the space shuttle launch live, but these guys totally own everyone: They fly next to the launch site and jump from the plane in their wingsuits to watch it. In the video it looks like it’s far away, but take into account that those are very wide lenses. Of…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz Mar 24

Sitting In a Tin Can High Above the World

Over the weekend, space shuttle astronaut Steve Swanson climbed outside the International Space Station to do some repair work and inspections. Here he floats beneath one section of the growing space structure. The ISS is growing another section, which will allow more astronauts to live and do research for months at a time in space.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Mar 24

The Hand In Space!

ISS Astronaut Mike Fincke Gives Us a Tour Of His Space Crib

Newly-Discovered Meteorite From An Otherworldly Rock Formation

A Wounded Galaxy Sings With Light

NASA Testing Next Generation Firefighting Gear for Fires… In Spaaace!

Russians Will Announce Soyuz Replacement Spaceship Monday

Andromeda’s Lovely Shimmer, Plus A Lunar Makeover

How Did The U.S. Ending To Life On Mars Compare To The BBC Version?

6 Astronauts Subjected to Brutal Psychological Experiment in Preparation for Mars Mission

First Look at the Spacecraft That Will Take Humans to Mars

Explosion Over Virginia Was a Russian Rocket

Imagine You Are a Solid Rocket Booster

Timeline: The Evolution of the International Space Station

Charles Simonyi, Creator of MS Office, Becomes First Repeat Space Tourist

Colbert Might Get a Space Toilet Named After Him as a Consolation Prize

NASA’s Enormous Stir Welder Assembles Rockets With Friction Instead of Fire

Stephen Colbert Outsmarts NASA, Gets Personalized Room In Space Station

Spacebat RIP: Here’s Who Else We’d Launch Into Space

People Skydiving to See Space Shuttle Launch

Sitting In a Tin Can High Above the World

Bitdefender Total Security Now Costs Less than Your Coffee Order — Covers Up to 5 Devices With One Subscription

10 Cursed Islands to Visit Ahead of ‘Widow’s Bay’

NASA Sets the Record Straight on That ‘Missing Chunk’ of Artemis 2’s Heat Shield

Beats Solo 4 Falls Back to All-Time Low, Now Emerging as a Cheaper Alternative to AirPods Max in Apple’s Headphone Lineup

‘The Meta Brand Is Not Something People Want to Put Anywhere Near Their Face,’ Says Snapchat CEO

DNA From 1,500-Year-Old Korean Mass Grave Exposes a Brutal Ancient Ritual

Intel May Have an Answer to AMD’s Most Powerful Gaming CPUs

Google Nest Cam (Wired, 3rd Gen) Hits Its Lowest Price as 2025 Gemini Indoor Security Cameras Go on Clearance

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

This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF

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?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

Let us help find what you are looking for...