Month: July 2024

Signs of life could survive on solar system moons Enceladus and Europa

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If life exists on the icy ocean moons of Enceladus and Europa, detectable trace molecules could survive just below their frozen surfaces.  Scientists have long theorized that both Enceladus, one of Saturn’s 146 known moons, and Europa, one of Jupiter‘s four large Galilean moons among its total 95 moons, could host vast liquid water oceans that harbor life. If this is the case, then complex organic molecules like amino acids and nucleic acids, the building blocks of life as we know it, could serve as “biosignatures” of life on the…

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New ‘Star Trek’ novel calls back Dr. Gillian Taylor of ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’

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New York Times bestselling novelist Greg Cox is a household name within the Trekkie literary community who’s penned dozens of “Star Trek” universe novels and short stories over the years. Now he’s back with “Star Trek: The Original Series: Lost to Eternity,” a new 400-page trifecta of “Star Trek” movie-era tales arriving July 23, 2024, tied together with the common theme of an ancient extraterrestrial civilization and the reappearance of a fan favorite character from “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” Remember the sassy, pizza loving whale biologist named Dr.…

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United Nations marks Apollo 11 55th with international moon missions stamps

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Photos of the moon captured by American, Russian, European, Japanese, Indian, Korean and Chinese spacecraft are the subject of new United Nations (UN) postage stamps commemorating the 55th anniversary of the NASA‘s Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. The UN Postal Administration (UNPA) will release six se-tenant postage stamps and three souvenir sheets on Saturday (July 20) to celebrate International Moon Day. Since 2021, the UN has recognized the day that astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon “to raise awareness about the commitment to sustainable lunar exploration…

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This Week In Space podcast: Episode 120 —Remembering Apollo 11 & Looking Ahead

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Remembering Apollo 11 & Looking Ahead – Plus Artemis II and Starship 5 – YouTube Watch On On Episode 120 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik dive into the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, discussing the mission’s highlights, challenges, and historical significance. They also cover recent space news, including Elon Musk’s plans to move SpaceX‘s headquarters to Texas, the Falcon 9 upper stage failure, and the cancellation of NASA‘s VIPER rover mission. Looking ahead, the hosts speculate on the future of the Artemis…

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What became of the flags Apollo astronauts left on the moon?

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55 years ago today, Apollo 11’s flag raising on the ancient lunar surface took all of 10 minutes during Neil Armstrong’s and Buzz Aldrin’s two-and-a-half hour moonwalking adventure in July 1969.  But that seminal event in vexillological history was not without a lot of debate, discussion and early worries that were run up the policy flagpole about “who owns the moon?” (Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags.) Matthew Ward is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Dundee in Scotland. He notes…

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NASA to Host Panels, Forums, and More at Oshkosh 2024

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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s pavilion as it will look at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 is seen in this illustration, Flying into the graphic, clockwise from upper left: the X-66 sustainable flight demonstrator, X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator, Saab 340B, a small drone, an air taxi concept, and a DeHavillland “Dash 7.” Both the Saaab and Dash 7 are part of the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project. NASA / Maria Werries Each summer, aviation enthusiasts and experts from around the planet – including NASA’s…

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Exploring the Moon: Episode Previews

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2 Min Read Exploring the Moon: Episode Previews Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program Discover. Learn. Explore. NASA’s video series, Exploring the Moon, takes a “behind-the-scenes” look at humanity’s next steps on the Moon. Here is your first look at some of the key moments from the upcoming series! Scroll down or navigate through CONTENTS, to the side, to explore! To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How… How many small steps…

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I am Artemis: John Campbell

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John Campbell, a logistics engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, stands on NASA’s Pegasus barge July 15. NASA How do you move NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s massive 212-foot-long core stage across the country? You do it with a 300-foot-long barge. However, NASA’s Pegasus barge isn’t just any barge. It’s a vessel with a history, and John Campbell, a logistics engineer for the agency based at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is one of the few people who get to be a part of its…

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NASA’s Juno Mission Captures the Colorful and Chaotic Clouds of Jupiter

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Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSImage processing by Gary Eason © CC BY During its 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced view of the giant planet’s northern hemisphere. It provides a detailed view of chaotic clouds and cyclonic storms in an area known to scientists as a folded filamentary region. In these regions, the zonal jets that create the familiar banded patterns in Jupiter’s clouds break down, leading to turbulent patterns and cloud structures that rapidly evolve over the course of only a few…

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Polaris Dawn crew shows off new SpaceX spacesuits for 1st private spacewalk (photos)

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This first ever private spacewalk will be bringing some serious style to outer space. SpaceX‘s privately-funded crewed mission, Polaris Dawn, is moving toward a launch sometime this summer. The four-person crew, which includes the mission’s funder, billionaire philanthropist Jared Isaacman, recently completed acceptance testing for SpaceX’s new extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, which they will wear as they become the first private citizens to perform a spacewalk on orbit. In addition to Isaacman, the crew includes two lead operations engineers at SpaceX, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, serving as mission specialists,…

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