The space fan’s guide to the US midterm elections 2022

The U.S. midterm elections of 2022 are on Tuesday (Nov. 8), and several key races have the potential to influence space policy for years to come. In the United States, space policy is largely contingent upon the legislation of the two houses of Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives. While the executive branch, which includes the president and vice president, can draft space legislation, it is the U.S. Congress that ultimately votes on the funding for NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense’s space programs. Two committees in…

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Celestron Travel Scope 70 portable telescope now on sale for under $100

If you’re looking to try your hand at astronomy or you know a budding stargazer, this deal on the Celestron 70mm Travel Scope could be exactly what you’re looking for.  Save up to $27 on the Celestron Travel Scope 70mm (opens in new tab), a telescope best suited for beginners by applying the $10 coupon on top of the 16% discount. It’s on sale for under $100 and although it won’t compete with the power of some of the fancy models on our best telescopes guide, it does offer good…

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On This Day In Space: Oct. 27, 1961: NASA launches 1st Saturn rocket test flight

On Oct. 27, 1961, NASA launched the first test flight of its new Saturn I space launch vehicle.  The Saturn I was the United States’ first heavy-lift rocket designed to launch big payloads beyond low Earth orbit. This was also the first test flight of any rocket in the Saturn family of rockets, which includes the Saturn V that was used to launch astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program. NASA’s Mighty Saturn V Moon Rocket: 10 Surprising Facts  The Saturn I rocket launches on its first test flight…

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Private space mission to study how solar flares kill exoplanet life

A private space mission will study how solar flares generated by nearby stars can affect habitability of exoplanets in their orbit.  The mission, called Mauve, will be launched in 2024 by the private company Blue Sky Space, which is also developing a commercial exoplanet-watching satellite called Twinkle. Mauve will carry an ultraviolet spectrometer and a 6-inch (15-centimeter) telescope to observe the activity of stars close to the sun. Stars such as the sun commonly expel huge amounts of energized particles in the form of coronal mass ejections and generate powerful…

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On This Day In Space: Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini spacecraft takes 1st closeups of Titan

On Oct. 26, 2004, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft took the first close-up images of Saturn’s largest moon Titan.  The Cassini spacecraft would later drop off a probe on Titan named Huygens, which was a European spacecraft that hitched a ride to the Saturn system with the Cassini mission. But before Cassini dropped off its robotic passenger, it flew by Titan a few times and took some amazing photos.   A near-infrared, color view of Titan shows sun glistening off the moon’s north polar seas (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. Arizona/Univ. Idaho) Related Stories…

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Best telescopes for beginners: Top budget-friendly picks for viewing the planets, galaxies and more

We’ve scoped out all the best telescopes for beginners and put them in this handy guide. Searching for the right telescope can be a little daunting given the number of models, manufacturers and retailers out there, but we’ve come up with this guide to include the best telescopes for those without much astronomy experience. There are also plenty of telescope deals, and we are constantly keeping our eye on the market to share the best, genuine, money-saving offers. It’s worth noting the models in this guide will suit different astronomers…

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