There are several ways that exoplanet discoveries are made. The most obvious way to find an exoplanet is to see it directly using a telescope. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, because distant planets are so faint they are usually lost in the bright glare of their host stars. Nevertheless, this approach has been successful in some cases. The majority of exoplanets have been found by transit, which involves looking for a slight dimming of the host star as the planet passes in front of it. However, this can…
Read MoreMonth: March 2022
Quantum entanglement: A simple explanation
Quantum entanglement is a bizarre, counterintuitive phenomenon that explains how two subatomic particles can be intimately linked to each other even if separated by billions of light-years of space. Despite their vast separation, a change induced in one will affect the other. Related: How quantum entanglement works (infographic) In 1964, physicist John Bell posited that such changes can be induced and occur instantaneously, even if the particles are very far apart. Bell’s Theorem is regarded as an important idea in modern physics, but it conflicts with other well-established principles of…
Read MoreNASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity to keep flying through September (at least)
Ingenuity‘s flying days have been extended once again. The miniature Martian chopper now has clearance to continue flying until at least September, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced today (March 15). As part of this extension, Ingenuity will also sport some special upgrades that will allow the 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) drone to do even more daring flights in support of the Perseverance rover mission that landed with it in February 2021. “I remember thinking when this all started, we’d be lucky to have three [flight] entries and immensely fortunate to…
Read MoreNASA Astronaut Breaks American Space Record
In this image from August 2021, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei sits and reads while on the International Space Station.
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Read MoreRecord-Breaking NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei’s Contributions to Human Research Studies
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei spent the most consecutive days in space by an American explorer. His work advanced studies of how humans adapt to life in space.
Read More2 NASA astronauts performing spacewalk early Tuesday: Watch it live
Two NASA astronauts will conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Tuesday morning (March 15), and you can watch it live. Kayla Barron and Raja Chari are scheduled to step outside the orbiting lab Tuesday at 8:05 a.m. EDT (1205 GMT), kicking off a roughly 6.5-hour spacewalk designed to help pave the way for upcoming solar array upgrades. You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or directly via the agency. Coverage will begin at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 GMT). Spacewalks: How they work and…
Read MoreAstra scrubs return-to-flight rocket launch due to lightning risk
The private spaceflight startup Astra on Monday called off its first attempt to launch a rocket since a failed flight last month due to the risk of lightning at its Alaska liftoff site. Astra scrubbed the attempted launch of its Astra-1 mission Monday (March 14) at Pad LP-3B at the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Alaska’s Kodiak Island after the foul weather thwarted a liftoff during a 27-minute window that opened at 12:22 p.m. EDT (9:22 a.m. PDT/1622 GMT). The next launch attempt is set for Tuesday, March 15, at the…
Read MoreAll systems go for rollout of NASA’s Artemis 1 moon rocket this week
The rollout for NASA’s Artemis 1 mission is right on track for this Thursday (March 17), agency officials said today (March 14). In just a few days, NASA’s immense Crawler-Transporter 2 vehicle will carry the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket and Orion spacecraft on a 4-mile (6.4 kilometers) journey to Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This rollout will deliver the rocket and Orion to the pad where they will prepare to launch on a moonbound mission, currently set for no earlier than May of this…
Read MoreFive Tips from NASA Crew on Emerging from Isolation
Meta: Around the globe, societies are grappling with how life will move forward in the face of COVID-19. What insights can we gain from astronauts’ experiences?
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