A Russian-made video posted on Telegram a week ago is causing some anxiety about the status of a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS). As shared by NASA Watch on Saturday (March 5), the video by Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti shows NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei being left behind on the ISS rather than departing on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft as planned. Making things worse are recent comments by Dmitry Rogozin, director-general of the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos. Rogozin has posted many fiery tweets lately…
Read MoreMonth: March 2022
Space station telescope sees X-ray hot spots merge on supermagnetic star corpse
For the first time, a powerful NASA telescope aboard the International Space Station observed merging “hot spots” on a weird star, known as a magnetar. The telescope is called the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), and seeks to understand more about the extreme conditions present in super-dense, city-sized neutron stars and their variants. (Magnetars, for example, are a type of neutron star with a strong magnetic field.) “NICER tracked how three bright, X-ray-emitting hot spots slowly wandered across the object’s surface while also decreasing in size, providing the best…
Read MoreMission Update: Mars and the Moon
Mission teams presenting at this week’s Lunar and Planetary Science Conference provided updates on the Perseverance and Zhurong rovers at Mars, Chang’e 5’s lunar sample return, and more. The post Mission Update: Mars and the Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreSpace Station Science Highlights: Week of March 7, 2022
Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of March 7 that included testing of an artificial intelligence assistant, a device for imaging the retinas of crew members, and antimicrobial materials for high-touch surfaces on spacecraft.
Read MoreThis Week’s Sky at a Glance, March 11 – 19
Sirius, bright dogtag of Canis Major, offers observing challenges day and night. The Big Dipper balances Cassiopeia, and the nearly full Moon occults a Leo star. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, March 11 – 19 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreHubble Views an Infant Star’s Outburst
An energetic outburst from an infant star streaks across this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
Read MoreEdward Ashton discusses his new sci-fi novel headed for Hollywood, ‘Mickey7’ (exclusive)
Existential themes of identity and immortality are carefully explored in Edward Ashton’s engaging new sci-fi novel “Mickey7” (St. Martin’s Press, 2022), a witty book filled with a refreshing dose of clever humor and old-fashioned planetary adventure. Billed as “The Martian” meets “Multiplicity” (with a touch of Duncan Jones’ “Moon“), “Mickey7” introduces readers to an Expendable human worker drone named Mickey who is tasked with carrying out dangerous tasks on the frozen world of Niflheim. These disposable employees are subject to a variety of ignoble deaths before they’re regenerated as clones,…
Read MoreHow Apollo 17 Is Preparing Artemis for a Return to the Moon
Researchers gear up for Artemis and a new generation of lunar exploration, with a look at samples from the final crewed mission to the Moon. The post How Apollo 17 Is Preparing Artemis for a Return to the Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreVirgin Orbit targeting this summer for 1st-ever orbital launch from UK soil
On the heels of a third straight successful launch from California earlier this year, Virgin Orbit plans to extend its liftoffs to the United Kingdom. The company aims to launch for the first time this summer from Spaceport Cornwall, in the western United Kingdom, Virgin Orbit announced on Wednesday (March 9). The mission will loft a satellite for Space Forge, an in-space manufacturing startup based in Wales. The coming flight will be the first orbital mission ever to launch from the UK and the first to carry a satellite developed…
Read MoreCoverage, Activities Set for First Rollout of NASA’s Mega Moon Rocket
NASA will hold a media teleconference on Monday, March 14 to discuss the upcoming debut of the agency’s Mega Moon rocket and integrated spacecraft for the uncrewed Artemis I lunar mission.
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