In this Dec. 1993, onboard view from Space Shuttle mission STS-61 shows astronauts Story Musgrave and Jeffrey Hoffman’s Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
Read MoreMonth: December 2022
Watch Mars at opposition pass behind the moon this week in these free webcasts
This week offers multiple opportunities to get a great look at the Red Planet. On Wednesday (Dec. 7), the full moon will be in close proximity to a bright Mars during an event known as a lunar occultation. And on Thursday (Dec. 8), Mars will be at opposition, meaning that in Earth‘s skies, it will be found directly opposite the sun. These events also happen to coincide with Mars being close to perigee (its closest point to Earth), which occurred on Nov. 30. The perfect storm of astronomical events means…
Read MoreArtemis 1 Orion spacecraft suffered power blip hours before its close lunar flyby
NASA’s Orion spacecraft had a brief power problem on Sunday (Dec. 4) just hours before successfully completing a crucial engine burn near the moon. A power unit on board the Orion spacecraft turned off four devices “responsible for downstream power” that connect to the Artemis 1 vehicle’s propulsion and heating subsystems, NASA officials wrote in a statement (opens in new tab). But mission personnel swiftly put a fix in place and the mission is carrying on, the statement emphasized. “Teams confirmed the system was healthy and successfully repowered the downstream…
Read More‘Andor’ sound and VFX wizards on bringing a grittier ‘Star Wars’ to life (exclusive)
The turbulent season finale of “Andor” came and went and we’re still basking in the afterglow of this sensational 12-episode “Star Wars” series on Disney+. Using a minimalist style that operates within the “less is more” arena of filmmaking, creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy have accomplished a Herculean task of conjuring fresh magic within the “Star Wars” universe. Filming for Season 2 has recently started on this triumphant spy thriller chronicling the nascent days of the Rebel Alliance and its renegade assassin Cassian Andor and how he enters the resistance’s fold…
Read MoreOrion Approaches Moon Before Return Flyby
On the 19th day of the Artemis I mission, Dec. 4, 2022, a camera mounted on the Orion spacecraft captured the Moon just in frame as Orion prepared for its return powered flyby on Dec. 5, when it passed approximately 79 miles above the lunar surface.
Read MoreNASA Administrator Names New Leadership at Two Agency Centers
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has named Bradley Flick director of the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, effective immediately. The administrator also has named Dave Mitchell to fill the role as acting director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, effective Jan. 1.
Read MoreBlown away! Watch NASA’s Artemis 1 Launch Abort System blast off into space (video)
Rage against the dying of the light in this new video. NASA’s Orion spacecraft cockpit shines in pink from the glow of its Launch Abort System (LAS) tower, ripping away from the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and spacecraft stack. This all happened as planned during the epic launch of the Artemis 1 mission to the moon Nov. 16. The movie-like moment, which looks like a scene from “Interstellar” or “Star Wars,” shows the LAS flying away from the cockpit within sight of a mannequin astronaut that is testing out…
Read MoreVeteran astronaut Tom Marshburn retires from NASA
NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn is bringing his 337 days of spaceflight experience to a private company. Marshburn flew to the International Space Station (ISS) three separate times, in 2009, 2012-2013 and 2021-2022. He rode to and from the ISS on a different vehicle each time, making orbital journeys aboard NASA’s space shuttle, a Russian Soyuz and a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The former flight surgeon announced his retirement from NASA on Thursday (Dec. 1). Marshburn is moving on to Sierra Space; he will be chief medical officer for its human spaceflight…
Read MoreNeutrons: Facts about the influential subatomic particles
Neutrons are tiny subatomic particles that — along with protons — form the nucleus of an atom. While the number of protons defines what element an atom is, the number of neutrons in the nucleus can vary, resulting in different isotopes of an element. For example, ordinary hydrogen contains one proton and no neutrons, but the isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium and tritium, have one and two neutrons, respectively, alongside the proton. Neutrons are composite particles made up of three smaller, elementary particles called quarks, held together by the Strong Force.…
Read MoreFortnite’s Chapter 3 finale event ‘Fracture’ just launched players to space to reforge the island
Houston, we have a new island. Epic Games’ Fortnite Chapter 3 finale event “Fracture” destroyed the battle royale game’s island home on Saturday (Dec. 3), then launched players into space where they worked together to piece together a new battleground. Like its company’s namesake, the event was epic in length, running nearly an hour — Fortnite’s longest yet — sandwiching a half-hour minigame between two cinematic cutscenes. For those just tuning in, Fortnite’s Chapter 3 finale marked the end of the current chapter’s Season 4, which pit players against a…
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