Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter On October 30, 1964, NASA’s Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, or LLRV, took to the skies for the first time. The LLRV was a bizarre, four-legged flying contraption commonly known as the “Flying Bedstead.” NASA used it to simulate moon landings and liftoffs on Earth to prepare for Apollo 11, the first crewed lunar landing. The first person to give it a whirl was the X-15 pilot Joe Walker. During…
Read MoreWatch Virgin Galactic’s new ‘Delta-class’ space plane take to the skies for the 1st time (video)
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Virgin Galactic’s first “Delta-class” space plane just made its maiden voyage. The next-gen suborbital vehicle, named Apeiron (Greek for “Boundless”), lifted off for the first time ever on Thursday (Oct. 28). Flying beneath the wings of its carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, Apeiron traveled from Virgin’s manufacturing site in Mesa, Arizona, to its launch site, Spaceport America in New Mexico. “Seeing the ship fly beneath Eve to Spaceport America was…
Read MoreNovember’s Night Sky Notes: Light-Day Away
2 min read November’s Night Sky Notes: Light-Day Away NASA’s Voyager mission took advantage of a once-every-175-year alignment of the outer planets for a grand tour of the solar system. The twin spacecraft revealed details about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – using each planet’s gravity to send them on to the next destination. Voyager set the stage for such ambitious orbiter missions as Galileo to Jupiter and Cassini to Saturn. Today both Voyager spacecraft continue to return valuable science from the far reaches of our solar system. NASA/JPL-Caltech Twin…
Read MoreAPOD: 2026 October 30 – Haunting the Cepheus Flare
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 30 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Haunting the Cepheus Flare Explanation: Spooky shapes seem to haunt this dusty expanse, drifting through the night in the royal constellation Cepheus. Of course, the shapes are cosmic dust clouds visible in dimly reflected starlight. Far from your…
Read MoreVega Island Frozen in Fright
Earth Observatory Science Earth Observatory Vega Island Frozen in Fright Earth Earth Observatory Image of the Day EO Explorer Topics All Topics Atmosphere Land Heat & Radiation Life on Earth Human Dimensions Natural Events Oceans Remote Sensing Technology Snow & Ice Water More Content Collections Global Maps World of Change Articles Earth Matters Blog Blue Marble: Next Generation EO Kids Mission: Biomes About About Us Subscribe 🛜 RSS Contact Us Search March 22, 2025 October 10, 2026 Part of an ice-covered Antarctic island has the appearance of a grinning…
Read MoreHalloween Aboard the International Space Station
ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano finally gets his wish to fly like Superman aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 37. Although no ghouls, goblins, or trick-or-treaters come knocking at the International Space Station’s front hatch, crew members aboard the orbiting laboratory still like to get in the Halloween spirit. Whether individually or as an entire crew, they dress up in sometimes spooky, sometimes scary, but always creative costumes, often designed from materials available aboard the space station. Take a look at how the station crews have celebrated…
Read MoreNASA’s Hubble Marks Way for Roman Space Telescope
A sinuous spiral galaxy (center) appears in the same field of view as a vivid gravitational lens (right corner) in this Hubble image.
Read MoreThe universe in the eye of a telescope | Space photo of the day for Oct. 29, 2026
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope reflects the stars at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. (Image credit: J. Rodrigues/ESO) Stars shine in the vast aluminum dish of the Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope (SEST) in this photograph captured by astronomer and astrophotographer José Rodrigues during a recent visit to the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. What is it? Rodrigues’ image captures “airglow” infusing the night sky over La Silla…
Read MoreSpaceX fires up Starship upper stage ahead of landmark Flight 15 test launch (video)
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter SpaceX just checked another big box on the path to its 15th Starship test flight, which promises to be pretty epic. The company conducted static-fire tests with Starship‘s Ship upper stage on Monday (Oct. 26) and Tuesday (Oct. 27), igniting its Raptor engines while the vehicle, known as Ship 42, remained anchored to the ground. “Ship 42 static fires complete. The Starship preparing for Flight 15 performed a full…
Read MoreStunning solar eclipse photos reveal giant hole and mysterious ‘smoke rings’ in the sun’s atmosphere
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Newly released photographs of the sun captured during the Aug. 12 total solar eclipse reveal the sun’s outer atmosphere in unprecedented detail. The images, released by researchers working as part of the Solar Wind Sherpas project coordinated by the University of Hawaii, also show rare structures in the solar wind known as smoke rings. Named for their resemblance to the circles blown by smokers, these vortices were first identified…
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