The Artemis Accords are a set of statements that set out common principles, guidelines, and best practices that are applicable to the safe exploration of the moon and eventually beyond as humanity extends the duration of space missions and its reach to Mars. While NASA is leading the Artemis program, which aims to kick start a new era of space exploration and put the first woman and person of color on the moon in 2024, international partnerships with numerous countries and private companies are vital to its success. Initiated by…
Read MoreMonth: January 2023
Rocket operators can now apply to launch to orbit from Canadian soil
OTTAWA — Canada just lifted a big barrier for rocket launches from the nation’s soil. The government has given a green light to request orbital launch licenses in Canada, clearing a spaceport in rural Nova Scotia to not only apply to host its first suborbital mission in 2023, but to strive for a test orbital launch in 2024. The government announcement (opens in new tab) “signals to the world that Canada is a major player in the commercial space industry,” Nova Scotia spaceport manager Maritime Launch Services (MLS) wrote on…
Read MoreVenus will steal the show in the night sky throughout 2023
The planet Venus is the undisputed star of the night skies this year. Venus, now in our southwest sky for about two hours after sunset, is almost like a stellar sequined showgirl, currently starring nightly in her brilliant performance. Viewed during evening twilight, this planet appears dazzlingly bright to the naked eye and even more so in binoculars. To those who monitor it from week to week in telescopes, it is ever changing and ever fascinating. More on that a little later. Related: Venus: The scorching second planet from the…
Read More5 things we want to see in The Mandalorian Season 3
More than two years after The Mandalorian’s unforgettable Season 2 finale, Din Djarin and Grogu’s journey finally continues. That is, if you haven’t watched “The Book of Boba Fett,” which essentially became “The Mandalorian” Season 2.5 when our favorite bounty hunter hijacked two episodes and a half. Weird creative decisions from “Mandoverse” honchos Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni aside, Din Djarin’s return last year was fantastic and set up an intriguing third season that will put the focus on Mandalorian culture, and that includes a trip to the nomad warriors’…
Read More‘Tron 3’ finally moving forward, with Jared Leto set to star: report
After years of floundering in “development hell,” it looks like the most underutilized franchise in sci-fi cinema history might get another installment. According to The Hollywood Reporter (opens in new tab), “Tron 3” is finally moving forward at Disney, with frequent Disney collaborator Joachim Rønning in talks to direct. Jared Leto, who has championed the project since 2017, is set to star in the movie, which will be a direct sequel to 2010’s “Tron: Legacy.” The project, which currently has the title of “Tron: Ares,” is based on a script…
Read MoreNASA astronaut and 2 cosmonauts may stay on space station for a full year after Soyuz leak
Three astronauts are apparently going to be away from their home planet for twice as long as originally planned. NASA’s Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin launched toward the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on Sept. 21, 2022. The trio was supposed to come home in March on that same Soyuz. But the vehicle, known as MS-22, lost all of its coolant after an apparent micrometeoroid strike last month, rendering it unfit to carry astronauts except in the event of an emergency. So…
Read MoreExperience the Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Mission
Experience the Launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 Mission.
Read MoreThis wild DARPA CRANE X-plane could be a giant leap in aircraft design
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) says it’s time for some airplanes to drop elevators, flaps and rudders for flight control. DARPA‘s new X-plane concept will remove these moving external control surfaces to reduce aerodynamic drag and increase fuel efficiency, contradicting a century of standard aviation design practices. But the advanced-technology branch of the U.S. Department of Defense says it has a workable alternative to keep control in the air at high speeds. Aurora Flight Sciences received a design contract (opens in new tab) from DARPA Tuesday (Jan.…
Read MoreSpace Station Science Highlights: Week of January 16, 2023
Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of Jan. 16 that included supporting student experiments on microgravity, examining fluids on the verge of boiling, and demonstrating technology for passive cooling of heated surfaces.
Read MoreNASA Observes Day of Remembrance Ahead of Columbia 20th Anniversary
The agency will honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, leading up to, and during, the agency’s annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 26. This year’s NASA Day of Remembrance precedes the 20th annivers
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