NASA has awarded $1.2 million to nine universities and organizations across the country for research and technology development projects in areas critical to the agency’s mission, including studying radiation effects and growing food for long-duration space travel.
Read MoreMonth: June 2021
Space Station Science Highlights: Week of May 31, 2021
Scientific investigations conducted aboard the International Space Station the week of May 31 included studies of cotton plant root systems, testing drugs to improve astronaut health, and examining materials used for high-temperature manufacturing.
Read MoreEinstein’s theory of general relativity
General relativity is physicist Albert Einstein‘s understanding of how gravity affects the fabric of space-time. The theory, which Einstein published in 1915, expanded the theory of special relativity that he had published 10 years earlier. Special relativity argued that space and time are inextricably connected, but that theory didn’t acknowledge the existence of gravity. Einstein spent the decade between the two publications determining that particularly massive objects warp the fabric of space-time, a distortion that manifests as gravity, according to NASA. How does general relativity work? To understand general relativity,…
Read MoreNASA Administrator Statement on Meeting with Roscosmos
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released the following statement after an introductory call Friday with Roscosmos General Director Dmitry Rogozin:
Read MoreThis week on the Space.com forums: Ancient climate, plastic rocket fuel and alien life!
Welcome back to your weekly review of the Space.com forums. Our growing community loves nothing more than chatting about science and exploration of the great beyond. Join the community today and sign up to be part of the conversations! Oh, and if you hurry, you might be in time to enter a very special giveaway. This week, the community buzzes about a Space.com story concerning Earth’s ancient climate. Then, we see one community member ask a pair of intriguing questions. Ancient Earth The history of CO2 on Earth is preserved…
Read MoreSunrise Stunner: Annular Solar Eclipse of June 10th
Two weeks after a total eclipse of the Moon, skywatchers in some parts of North America will witness an annular or partial eclipse of the Sun. The post Sunrise Stunner: Annular Solar Eclipse of June 10th appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreWe’re Heading to Venus! NASA Selects Discovery-class Missions
After a hiatus of several decades, NASA is about to return to Venus in a big way. The post We're Heading to Venus! NASA Selects Discovery-class Missions appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreDetecting X-Rays From Uranus
Astronomers have detected X-rays from Uranus for the first time, using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, as shown in this image from March 2021.
Read MoreThis Week’s Sky at a Glance, June 4 – 12
Pollux and Castor slide down past Mars in the west, while Venus, shining brightly below, tries to hog attention. On the other side of the sky, the enormous arch of the Milky Way hoves into view after dark behind the Summer Triangle. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, June 4 – 12 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreSpaceX launches new solar arrays to space station, nails rocket landing at sea
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched its 17th rocket of the year today (June 3), sending a robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station before nailing a landing at sea. A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Pad 39A here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 1:29 p.m. EDT (1729 GMT), kicking off the company’s 22nd resupply mission to the orbiting lab for NASA. The Dragon is packed with more than 7,300 lbs. (3,311 kilograms) of supplies, scientific experiments and hardware, including two new solar arrays for…
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