Author: NeRD

SpaceX Crew-10 astronauts depart for launch pad ahead of liftoff (video, photos)

NeRD

Update for 7:50 pm ET: SpaceX called off its planned launch of the Crew-10 astronaut mission for NASA due to a hydraulics issue with a clamp device on ground equipment securing the crew’s Falcon 9 rocket to the launch pad. Read our wrap story on today’s launch attempt. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Members of the SpaceX Crew-10 mission are bound for the launch pad ahead of their journey to space. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, as well as JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos…

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NASA’s Record-Shattering, Theory-Breaking MMS Mission Turns 10

NeRD

5 min read NASA’s Record-Shattering, Theory-Breaking MMS Mission Turns 10 Since its launch on March 12, 2015, NASA’s MMS, or Magnetospheric Multiscale, mission has been rewriting our understanding of a key physical process that is important across the universe, from black holes to the Sun to Earth’s protective magnetic field. This process, called magnetic reconnection, occurs when magnetic field lines tangle and explosively realign, flinging away nearby particles. Around Earth, a single magnetic reconnection event can release as much energy in a couple of hours as the entire United States…

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We found 6 Easter eggs in the ‘Alien: Earth’ shorts revealed at SXSW 2025… at least we hope they’re just Easter eggs

NeRD

FX’s Alien: Earth makes impact at SXSW | FX – YouTube Watch On The Easter Bunny might not be quite ready for his annual springtime romp, but it’s not too early to check out a cool basket of Easter eggs for the upcoming sci-fi TV series from executive producer/showrunner Noah Hawley (“Fargo”) titled “Alien: Earth.“ Case in point is “The Wreckage,” an interactive promotional installation set up by FX Networks at the SXSW 2025 Film Festival in Austin, Texas over this past weekend to help stir up excitement for this…

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NASA-ISRO Mission Will Map Farmland From Planting to Harvest

NeRD

The NISAR mission will help map crops and track their development through the entire growing season. Using synthetic aperture radar, the satellite will be able to observe both small plots of farmland and monitor trends across broad regions, gathering data to in-form agricultural decision making. Adobe Stock/Greg Kelton Data from the NISAR satellite will be used to map crop growth, track plant health, and monitor soil moisture — offering detailed, timely information for decision making. When it launches this year, the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite will provide a…

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NASA Invites Media to Annual FIRST Robotics Rocket City Competition 

NeRD

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Rocket City Regional – Alabama’s annual For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Regional Competition – is scheduled for Friday, March 14, through Saturday, March 15, at the Von Braun Center South Hall in Huntsville, Alabama.  FIRST Robotics is a global robotics competition for students in grades 9-12. Teams are challenged to raise funds, design a team brand, hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-sized robots to play a difficult field game against competitors. …

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Sun Rises on Crew-10 at Launch Pad

NeRD

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen during sunrise on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, ahead of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-10 launch. Crew-10 is the 10th crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff is targeted for 7:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.

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SpaceX rocket launches NASA SPHEREx space telescope and PUNCH solar probes (video)

NeRD

There was a glimmer in the air tonight at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and it wasn’t only because a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took to the skies carrying precious NASA cargo. As the agency’s SPHEREx space telescope and PUNCH solar mission rode toward their orbital stations tonight (March 11) at 11:10 p.m. EST (0310 March 12 GMT), members of mission control appeared elated, onlookers who caught a peek at the liftoff cheered, and the scientists who built these missions exuded a blend of relief and excitement. “I am…

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Sols 4475-4476: Even the Best-Laid Plans

NeRD

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Sols 4475-4476: Even the Best-Laid Plans NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image of “Gould Mesa,” named for a hill near NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, using its Right Navigation Camera on March…

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NASA Continues BioNutrients Space-Fermented Food Research

NeRD

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams displays a set of BioNutrients production packs during an experiment aboard the International Space Station. The experiment uses engineered yeast to produce nutrients and vitamins to support future astronaut health. NASA NASA’s BioNutrients series of experiments is testing ways to use microorganisms to make nutrients that will be needed for human health during future long-duration deep space exploration missions. Some vital nutrients lack the shelf-life needed to span multi-year human missions,…

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Human System Risk Board

NeRD

6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Risks Concept Risk is inherent in human spaceflight. However, specific risks can and should be understood, managed, and mitigated to reduce threats posed to astronauts. Risk management in the context of human spaceflight can be viewed as a trade-based system. The relevant evidence in life sciences, medicine, and engineering is tracked and evaluated to identify ways to minimize overall risk to the astronauts and to ensure mission success. The Human System Risk Board (HSRB) manages the process by which…

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