“The Flies” are ready to fly, so NASA is again in need of some new flyboys (and gals). On the same day that the space agency welcomed its latest class of astronauts, nicknamed “The Flies,” into its corps, NASA announced it is again accepting applications for its next group of candidates for flights to the International Space Station, the moon and, eventually, missions to Mars. “The breadth and depth of experience that this class brings to our space program is nothing short of amazing,” Shannon Walker, deputy chief of NASA’s…
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‘Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection’ blasts its way into our galaxy on March 14
Don’t kid yourselves, LucasArts’ “Star Wars: Battlefront” and “Star Wars Battlefront II” are some of the most beloved “Star Wars” video games of the last two decades, with plenty of enjoyable space opera action for your hard-earned dollars and now they’re charging back for a 20th anniversary salute beginning on Mar. 14, 2024. As recently reported by StarWars.com, Nintendo Direct, Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games have just revealed details regarding their upcoming “Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection,” which presents classic sci-fi shooters “Star Wars Battlefront” (2004) and “Star Wars Battlefront II”…
Read MoreSpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites tonight during 3rd launch in under 24 hours
SpaceX is keeping its rapid launch cadence going. The company plans to launch yet another batch of 23 Starlink internet satellites at 6:56 p.m. ET (2356 GMT) on Monday (March 4) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Some eight minutes after liftoff, the flight’s booster will return to the planet, landing on SpaceX’s droneship dubbed “A Shortfall of Gravitas.” The ship will be waiting offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. If the mission lifts off on time, and if SpaceX launches the Transporter-10…
Read MoreSpaceX fuels up massive Starship megarocket in test for 3rd launch (photos)
SpaceX’s next Starship to fly has passed a critical fueling test, setting the stage for a highly anticipated third launch attempt of the world’s biggest rocket. The gleaming, stainless-steel Starship rocket and its Super Heavy booster, which together stand 400 feet tall (122 meters), were filled with more than 10 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen propellant during the recent launch dress rehearsal, which was performed at SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach in southern Texas. “Starship Flight 3 preparing for launch,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote…
Read MorePhotographing the northern lights with the Sony A7R V
Armed with my Sony A7R V camera and the FE 12-24mm f/4 G lens, I set off in search of the northern lights in Abisko National Park. Located in the heart of Swedish Lapland, 121 miles (195 kilometers) within the Arctic Circle, Abisko National Park is the perfect place to photograph the northern lights. All you need are the right conditions, a lot of patience and of course a little bit of luck. Before I left I had never photographed the northern lights on anything other than a smartphone and…
Read MoreThis iPhone app can find the Milky Way’s monster black hole from anywhere
A new iPhone app allows you to find the center of the Milky Way simply by using your smartphone — and it was made with ChatGPT. The free app, called Galactic Compass, was developed by Matthew Webb and released on the Apple App Store on Feb. 15. It’s designed to always point users in the direction of the Galactic Center, no matter Earth’s position in the cosmos. Webb’s inspiration for the app stems from years of teaching himself to always know where to look for the Galactic Center, which shifts…
Read MoreNASA’s ice-hunting VIPER moon rover getting ready to slither to the launch pad
NASA’s next moon rover is one step closer to starting its lunar mission. The rolling robot, known as VIPER (“Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover”), is set to launch toward the moon later this year. And it just notched a milestone along that path. “All of VIPER’s flight instruments are installed, and the rover is more than 80% built!” VIPER Project Manager Dan Andrews wrote in a NASA blog post on Wednesday (Feb. 28). “This is a major accomplishment and shows the great progress being made by the dedicated VIPER…
Read MoreThis Week In Space podcast: Episode 100 — Riding to Space on Virgin Galactic
On Episode 100 of This Week In Space, Tariq and Rod welcome back Dr. Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute to share what it’s like to fly on a private spaceplane. Alan, a planetary scientist and principal investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto and beyond, launched on a suborbital spaceflight in November 2023 on Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity space plane. He dishes on what that experience is like, what it promises for future space science, and more. Tariq and Rod also discuss Intuitive Machines’ private Odysseus moon…
Read MoreImmerse yourself in the total eclipse 2024 with ‘The Eclipse App’ from The Eclipse Company
A total solar eclipse is coming on April 8, 2024. It’s time to ensure you maximize your eclipse viewing experience with The Eclipse Company‘s carefully curated “The Eclipse App”. “Experiencing totality is a life-changing event for many people. The splendor is incomparable to anything else. We wanted to build an app that brings clarity around such a spectacular event.” The Eclipse App co-founder Stephen Watkins said in a press statement. The Eclipse App is a great resource for people wanting to connect with local communities that lie within the path…
Read MoreCould tardigrades have colonized the moon?
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Laurent Palka is a microbiologist at France’s National Museum of Natural History. Just over five years ago, on 22 February 2019, an unmanned space probe was placed in orbit around the Moon. Named Beresheet and built by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, it was intended to be the first private spacecraft to perform a soft landing. Among the probe’s payload were tardigrades, renowed for their ability to survive in even the harshest climates.…
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