Moon mystery: Who launched the rocket that will slam into the lunar far side?

There’s an ongoing saga about the object that will smash into the far side of the moon early next month. First thought to be the upper stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that launched the DSCOVR Earth-observation spacecraft in February 2015, it was then tagged as a leftover from the launch of China’s Chang’e 5-T1 lunar mission in 2014. During a press briefing on Feb. 21, however, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that cannot be the case, as the Chang’e 5-T1 upper stage burned up completely in…

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‘Tatooine-like’ planet spotted from Earth points to future discoveries

A ground-based telescope’s detection of a known Tatooine-like planet could herald new discoveries of similar planets, researchers say. Observers spotted Kepler-16b — an exoplanet that orbits two stars, similar to a world portrayed in the original series of “Star Wars” — using a relatively modest 75-inch (193-centimeter) telescope. The telescope is situated at Observatoire de Haute-Provence, roughly 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Marseilles, France. The University of Birmingham-led research team said that the detection shows the value of using a ground-based telescope “at greater efficiency and lower cost than…

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The European Space Agency wants to be able to launch its own astronauts

The European Space Agency (ESA) is pushing for its members to back a program to allow it to independently send astronauts to space and set ambitious, long-term human exploration goals. While Europeans have been flying to space since the 1970s, only three countries — the Soviet Union (now Russia), the United States and China — have so far been able to independently launch astronauts into space.  But this could change, if ESA’s leader and its astronauts get their way, as Europe looks to both seize new opportunities and not fall…

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Space board games deals 2022

We’ve got all the best space board games deals all in one place, as we’ve searched the universe for the best discounts and put them in this handy guide. There’s a galactic space board game deal to suit everyone and every budget, so be sure to check out the interstellar haul below. You’ll be sure to find a space board game deal below, whether you like deep-space adventure or if you’re just looking for a galactic twist on a classic. Some of these space board game deals include Terraforming Mars…

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