Month: February 2022

NASA probe snaps stunning photos of crescent Jupiter and its moon Ganymede

NeRD

Data captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft is revealing incredible new images of Jupiter and its moon Ganymede. In a blog post on Monday (Feb. 14), Juno mission team members shared images of a huge crater on Ganymede as well as a backlit picture of Jupiter that the spacecraft captured during its dips in and out of Jupiter’s radiation-filled environment.  “If you could ride along with NASA’s Juno spacecraft as it approaches Jupiter during one of its regular close passes by the giant planet, you would be treated to a striking…

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Marvel Comics profiles the legendary Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in new ‘Star Wars’ miniseries

NeRD

Adding to the anticipation of the new Disney Plus “Star Wars” live-action series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” premiering May 25, a new companion comic book series titled “Star Wars: Obi-Wan” seeks to fill in more facets of the Jedi Master’s eventful life through his personal journals.   Written by Christopher Cantwell (“Iron Man,” “Halt and Catch Fire”) and adorned with lush artwork by Indonesian illustrator Ario Anindito (“Star Wars: The High Republic,” “House of M”), each installment of this five-issue limited run explores a different time in Obi-Wan’s youth and adulthood. It…

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Booster Set to Hit the Moon Turns Out to be Chinese Rocket — Not SpaceX

NeRD

The booster previously identified as SpaceX hardware turns out to be from the Chang’e 5-T1 mission. The timing and site of the impact remain the same. The post Booster Set to Hit the Moon Turns Out to be Chinese Rocket — Not SpaceX appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

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Astronauts spot an ancient heart-shaped oasis in Egypt just in time for Valentine’s Day

NeRD

Soaring 250 miles (400 kilometers) over Earth, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) looked down on our planet last May and saw a heart-shaped oasis blooming in the Egyptian desert. Today (Feb. 14), our friends in space are sharing the striking image as a special Valentine for the whole planet, courtesy of NASA’s Earth Observatory website. Known as the Faiyum Oasis, this lush heart in the desert is actually a broad wetland basin that extends over 450 square miles (1,200 square km) – about one and a half times…

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Hope for the future of space exploration lies at the heart of SpaceX’s new ‘Polaris’ missions

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SpaceX aims to make progress in space and on Earth with its new venture, the Polaris Program. And the team behind it couldn’t be more excited.  The Polaris Program is a joint effort involving SpaceX and Jared Isaacman, the tech entrepreneur and billionaire who funded and commanded the Inspiration4 orbital crewed mission to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in September 2021. Polaris aims to launch three crewed missions to space, ultimately culminating in the first crewed flight of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle. The program will also see the first SpaceX…

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FAA pushes back review of SpaceX’s Starship to March 28

NeRD

The first orbital launch of SpaceX’s Starship Mars rocket has been pushed back by at least another month. SpaceX aims to launch that milestone test mission shortly after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wraps up an environmental assessment of Starbase, the South Texas site where the company builds, tests and launches Starship vehicles. That review was initially supposed to be done by Dec. 31. But a few days before the deadline, the FAA pushed the estimated completion date back to Feb. 28, citing the need to consult further with…

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