Spreading the universal wit and wisdom of celebrity astrophysicist, author, humorist and TV host Neil deGrasse Tyson, StarTalk is one of the most popular educational podcasts in the world. First arriving on Earth back in 2009, the internet show features engaging discussions on NASA and international space missions, time travel, physics, astronomy, planetary science, black holes, the search for life, and how these topics intersect with pop culture and comedy. The National Geographic Channel also aired an Emmy-nominated spinoff StarTalk TV series from 2015-2019 encompassing 76 total episodes. Now the…
Read MoreMonth: February 2024
‘Odd couple’ kissing stars created by unromantic cannibalistic feeding dance
Valentine’s Day won’t be all hearts and flowers for some “kissing stars” — or, in other words, stars that exist in close binaries that have been locked in a waltz that has left one a shrunken husk, and the other a swollen orb. Astronomers have zoomed in on a group of such “odd couple” stars, only to discover the bodies appear to have been created by a voracious and essentially cannibalistic stellar feeding process. How unromantic. The team, led by Georgia State Postdoctoral Research Associate Robert Klement, used the Center…
Read MoreHow to watch ‘The Shuttle That Fell to Earth’ online – from anywhere
‘The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth’: Key information • UK: Watch for FREE on BBC iPlayer• Away from home: Use a VPN such as ExpressVPN to watch your usual service from anywhere• US, Canada and Australia: International release dates TBC “The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth” is a is a new three-part documentary that charts the story of the 2003 Columbia disaster, when NASA’s shuttle disintegrated as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over Texas. Utterly mesmerizing from the start, this documentary combines first-hand testimony with previously unseen video footage to explore…
Read MoreA Floridian Sunset
NASA/Ben Smegelsky A NASA photographer captured the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The iconic building, completed in 1966 and currently used for assembly of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis missions, is still the only building in which rockets were assembled that carried humans to the surface of another world. The VAB stands 525 feet tall and contains 130 million cubic feet of interior space. It sports a large American flag – a 209-foot-tall,…
Read MoreNASA Telescopes Find New Clues About Mysterious Deep Space Signals
6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) In an ejection that would have caused its rotation to slow, a magnetar is depicted losing material into space in this artist’s concept. The magnetar’s strong, twisted magnetic field lines (shown in green) can influence the flow of electrically charged material from the object, which is a type of neutron star. NASA/JPL-Caltech Using two of the agency’s X-ray telescopes, researchers were able to zoom in on a dead star’s erratic behavior as it released a bright, brief burst of…
Read MorePlan de acción para la equidad 2023 de la NASA se centrará en educación STEM/CTIM
La portada del Plan de acción para la equidad 2023. Credits: NASA Read this release in English here. La NASA publicó su Plan de acción para la equidad 2023 el miércoles, en el cual describe los logros clave en el aumento de la diversidad, la equidad, la inclusión y la accesibilidad en toda la agencia, y sus nuevos compromisos para continuar eliminando los obstáculos y retos injustos a los que se enfrentan las comunidades desatendidas. “En la NASA, estamos comprometidos con el avance de la equidad para garantizar que nuestro trabajo…
Read MoreNASA Updates Equity Action Plan, Adds Focus on STEM Education, More
The cover of the 2023 NASA Equity Action Plan. Credits: NASA Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí. NASA published its 2023 Equity Action Plan Wednesday, which outlines key accomplishments in increasing equity across the agency, and new commitments to continue removing inequitable barriers and challenges facing underserved communities. “At NASA, we are committed to advancing equity to ensure our work benefits all humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The Equity Action plan deepens our long-term commitment to recognize and overcome systemic barriers that limit opportunity in underserved and underrepresented…
Read MoreSpaceX to launch Intuitive Machines lander Feb. 14 on 2nd try for NASA’s commercial moon program
Early Wednesday morning (Feb. 14), Intuitive Machines will kick off its quest to become the first private company to make a soft landing on the lunar surface. The Houston-based company is launching its Nova-C lander, named “Odysseus,” to the moon atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is currently scheduled for 12:57 a.m. EST (0557 GMT) on Wednesday, Valentine’s Day. The mission was originally slated to launch in January, but bad weather pushed it to this month. SpaceX has a three-day window in…
Read MoreAstronauts may accidentally threaten Mars missions with their gut bacteria, scientists warn
As space agencies plan for future crewed missions to Mars, with NASA hoping to have humans step foot on the Red Planet as soon as the 2030s, scientists warn that astronauts themselves could be carrying a threat to these missions. This threat may very well live within their bodies. New research using simulated Mars conditions — such as the planet’s lack of water, harsh ultraviolet radiation and exposure to toxic salts — suggests four strains of bacteria that can be carried in the human gut may not only survive in…
Read MoreSpaceX to launch Starship again ‘in about 3 weeks,’ Elon Musk says
The third test flight of SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket could be just around the corner, according to Elon Musk. “Starship were meant to fly and our next one launches in about 3 weeks, but I recommend waiting for a few more test flights before hopping on board,” Musk said Monday (Feb. 12) in a post on X . The billionaire entrepreneur was replying to a post from the rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), who had asked Musk, “Where my rocket ship?” The two moguls have known each other…
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