NASA and SpaceX have signed a joint agreement to formalize both parties’ strong interest in the sharing of information to maintain and improve space safety.
Read MoreMonth: March 2021
New Studies Agree: The Universe Is Expanding Faster Than Expected
Measurements of elliptical galaxies provide a new way of calculating the current expansion rate of the universe. And the results are adding to a growing controversy. The post New Studies Agree: The Universe Is Expanding Faster Than Expected appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreMarch 18, 1978: Space Shuttle Enterprise Arrives for Vibration Testing
On March 18, 1978, space shuttle Enterprise arrived at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for mated vertical ground vibration testing.
Read MoreNASA will attempt another ‘hot fire’ test of its SLS moon rocket today. Watch it live!
[embedded content] NASA is ready to make another attempt to certify its moon megarocket for spaceflight. The agency plans to do a test of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on Thursday (March 18), during a two-hour window that opens at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT or 2 p.m. local time at Stennis). Live coverage of the test should start on NASA Television roughly half an hour before the hot fire test, although the agency says it will…
Read MoreJupiter’s Great Red Spot may survive by gobbling up smaller storms
The most famous storm in the solar system is an apex predator. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot feasted on numerous smaller storms that wandered into its neighborhood recently, possibly even gaining sustenance from these meals, a new study suggests. Astronomers have been observing the Great Red Spot continuously since the late 19th century. The storm has shrunk considerably during that stretch, going from 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) wide in the 1870s to about 10,000 miles (16,000 km) wide today. (For perspective: Earth is a little more than 7,900 miles, or 12,700…
Read MoreNASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei could spend a year in space
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei may spend a year in space after his launch in April — and if that’s the case, he’ll welcome the opportunity, Vande Hei said Monday (March 15) in his first news conference since NASA announced his flight last week. Typically, astronauts spend about six and a half months on the International Space Station, living and working in orbit. But a separate project of NASA’s Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, could mean that Vande Hei must remain in space longer before he can catch a ride back to…
Read MoreIngenuity Helicopter on Mars (Illustration)
An illustration of NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter flying on Mars.
Read MoreNASA to Host Briefing to Preview First Mars Helicopter Flights
NASA will hold a virtual media briefing at 1:30 p.m. EDT (10:30 a.m. PDT) Tuesday, March 23, to discuss upcoming activities for the agency’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter.
Read MoreExploring Bright Galaxy Groups in Leo
Leo, the Lion, stands high in the southern sky during the early spring. We visit some of the constellation’s brighter galaxy clumps then go asteroid hunting. The post Exploring Bright Galaxy Groups in Leo appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreMars dust storms may cause mysterious ‘zodiacal light’ in Earth’s night sky
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has detected interplanetary particles that suggest Martian storms fill the solar system with dust, causing a strange haze known as zodiacal light to be seen from Earth. Zodiacal light is a faint column of light extending up from the horizon after dusk and before dawn. Its luminous glow is caused by sunlight that is scattered by an interplanetary cloud of tiny dust particles orbiting the sun, and reflected toward Earth. Originally, the dust particles were believed to be remnants of asteroids or comets that traveled through the…
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