Research on the International Space Station is helping scientists to understand how fire spreads and behaves in different environments and learn how to prevent and extinguish fires in space. Combustion investigations contribute to the safety of crew members, equipment, and spacecraft by guiding selection of spacecraft cabin materials, improving understanding of fire growth, and identifying optimal fire suppression techniques. This research also contributes to fire safety on Earth and some studies improve our understanding of combustion for uses such as producing electricity and powering vehicles on the ground. Microgravity dramatically…
Read MoreMonth: December 2023
Ringing in the Holidays
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI The ice giant Uranus and its rings steal the show in this Dec. 18, 2023, image from the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope captured new images of Uranus, revealing detailed features of the planet’s rings and seasonal north polar cap, as well as bright storms near and below the southern border of the cap. This Webb image also shows 14 of the planet’s 27 moons: Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, Juliet, Perdita, Rosalind, Puck, Belinda, Desdemona, Cressida, Ariel, Miranda, Bianca, and Portia. Webb’s extreme sensitivity also picks…
Read MoreJapan’s SLIM ‘moon sniper’ lander arrives in lunar orbit for Christmas
A Japanese spacecraft just took a huge step toward pulling off the nation’s first-ever moon landing. Japan’s robotic SLIM moon lander arrived in lunar orbit on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit at 2:51 a.m. EDT (4:51 p.m. Japan Standard Time, 0751 GMT). “The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is pleased to announce that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) was successfully inserted into lunar orbit at 16:51 (Japan Standard Time, JST) on December 25, 2023,” JAXA officials…
Read MoreHow to watch ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas special: Stream ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ from anywhere
‘Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road’: Key information • Airs at 5:55pm GMT, 12:55pm EST and 9:55am PST on Christmas Day• UK: Watch for FREE on BBC One and BBC iPlayer• Away from home: Use a VPN such as ExpressVPN to watch your usual service from anywhere• US, Canada and Australia: Disney Plus has the rights to stream “Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road” internationally We saw much more of Ncuti Gatwa’s new Doctor than we were expecting in the last of the “Doctor Who” 60th anniversary episodes. Now, after that…
Read MoreAstronauts in space beam holiday wishes to Earth for Christmas (video)
Astronauts on the International Space Station are sending holiday cheer to Earth with a festive video just in time for Christmas. Clad in red and green Santa hats, NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara joined the station’s Expedition 70 commander Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency and Satoshi Furukawa of Japan to share what it’s like to spend the holidays off Earth. Related: The Christmas Night Sky 2023: What to see in the holiday sky “For me personally, the holidays have evolved in a very beautiful way over…
Read More12 out-of-this-world exoplanet discoveries in 2023
This year saw planetary scientists add a number of exciting new worlds to our growing 5,000+ catalog of exoplanets. Among them are planets like we have never seen before. Here is a look back at some of the standout exoplanet discoveries of 2023. 1. JWST Identifies Heavy Elements in Distant Gas Giant’s Atmosphere The James Webb Space Telescope found that exoplanet Smertrios has an atmosphere that defies expectations. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Earlier in the year, observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed the presence of heavy elements…
Read MoreThis light-bending tech will let scientists see the sun like never before
To truly understand what makes the solar wind tick, heliophysicists must analyze the minuscule features on the sun‘s surface that help accelerate the star’s charged particles out through the solar system. And to perform that task with better precision, they need better ways of seeing in ultraviolet. Enter a technology called the photon sieve: a sort of lens that helps subtly bend ultraviolet light toward a camera. To be clear, a photon sieve is no ordinary lens; it is a cutting-edge work of engineering only possible with the most modern…
Read MoreArtemis 2 moon crew invited to visit SpaceX to talk Starship (exclusive)
The commander of humanity’s first moon mission in half a century has a special invite from SpaceX in his pocket. Reid Wiseman, the NASA astronaut leading the four Artemis 2 crew members, told Space.com in a Dec. 18 exclusive that SpaceX wants to talk to his crew about Starship. That’s no coincidence, given that SpaceX is developing Starship for Artemis 3, which intends to land humans on the moon for the first time since 1972. When and how that all comes together is not known yet. Artemis 2 is expected…
Read MoreHome (Alone) on Mars: Actor Daniel Stern on leading NASA in ‘For All Mankind’
If there is indeed a multiverse where in every possible outcome happens, then in one of those universes Marv Murchins, one half of the “Wet Bandits” from “Home Alone,” is serving as NASA administrator. As unlikely as that might seem, such a thing is sort of playing out in the current season of “For All Mankind.” Actor Daniel Stern, who is perhaps best known for his role as Marv from the 1990 Christmas comedy film, has taken on the part of the space agency’s chief in the Apple TV+ alternate…
Read MoreWatch giant loop of plasma dance above the sun in stunning video
Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory Photo Ambassador and member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical “Skyscapes” that connect both Earth and the night sky. A huge loop of plasma dances above the surface of the sun in a stunning timelapse captured by astrophotographer Miguel Claro. The feature, known as a solar prominence, was visible on…
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