On Episode 117 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and guest co-host Isaac Arthur talk with Evan Jensen of ICON Build about 3D printing habitats on the moon and one day Mars. For decades we’ve seen images of huge glass domes on the moon and Mars, but the reality of building settlements off-Earth is likely to look much different. This week we’re joined by Evan Jensen of ICON Build, a company that, in just a few years, has created housing across Texas via 3D printing. Now, in association with…
Read MoreCategory: Solar System
Our solar system
Why do some planets have moons? A physics expert explains why Earth has only one moon while other planets have hundreds
On Earth, you can look up at night and see the moon shining bright from hundreds of thousands of miles away. But if you went to Venus, that wouldn’t be the case. Not every planet has a moon – so why do some planets have several moons, while others have none? I’m a physics instructor who has followed the current theories that describe why some planets have moons and some don’t. First, a moon is called a natural satellite. Astronomers refer to satellites as objects in space that orbit larger bodies. Since a…
Read MoreThe gorgeous Ring Nebula makes a stunning skywatching sight this week
I would suppose that just about any good book on astronomy would contain a photograph of what might best be described as the “smoke ring” of the sky. Others might call it a doughnut or a cosmic bagel, but the popular name for this object is simply the Ring Nebula, located in the constellation of Lyra, the Lyre. Although generally considered a summer constellation, Lyra, it is still very well placed for viewing, now more than two weeks into the autumn season. Head outside this week at around 10 p.m.…
Read MoreListen live today as NASA, Boeing discuss Starliner return, spacewalk issues
NASA and Boeing will discuss their next plans and a possible landing schedule for the first Starliner spacecraft mission with astronauts later today (June 28), and you can listen in live. Boeing Starliner launched on June 5 for what was supposed to be a 10-day mission, but the test effort with astronauts needed extra time to address helium leaks and thruster issues uncovered during the June 6 docking with the International Space Station (ISS). The team will provide an update to reporters at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), which you…
Read More16 best places to see the 2026 total solar eclipse
On Aug. 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible from within a broad path sweeping from remote Russian Siberia to eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon drifts in front of the sun while it’s slightly larger in apparent size so that the moon completely covers the sun’s disk. Peaking at 2 minutes, 18 seconds, the Aug. 12, 2026, total solar eclipse will be the first time mainland Europe has experienced totality in the 21st century. Related: What’s the difference…
Read MoreThe moon on Earth: Astrobotic unveils ‘proving ground’ for future lunar missions
Astrobotic has unveiled a lunar testing ground to help prepare for a range of coming moon missions. The roughly 330-by-330-foot (100 by 100 meters) Lunar Surface Proving Ground (LSPG) in Mojave, California, is a high-fidelity 3D test field that replicates conditions on the moon. The LSPG, modeled using Astrobotic’s LunaRay tools, simulates lunar topography and the extreme lighting conditions at the lunar south pole. It will be used for testing precision lunar landing technologies, such as LiDAR scanners, as well as driving rovers and other robotic systems. “Our Lunar Surface…
Read MoreNASA astronaut gives tips to Baseball Hall of Fame from ISS (video)
Curveballs could be even tougher to hit in space than they are here on Earth. International Space Station (ISS) astronaut Jeanette Epps says baseballs could have more spin in space, based on her NASA experience. She shared gameplay tips live with the Baseball Hall of Fame, during a live conversation on Tuesday (June 25). “The biggest difference is that we just don’t have gravity, so everything floats, but you can swing a bat as hard as you can swing it,” Epps said during the conversation, which was broadcast on NASA…
Read MoreISS astronauts take shelter in Boeing Starliner and other return spacecraft after June 26 satellite breakup
Nine astronauts on the space station briefly moved to their docked return spacecraft late Wednesday (June 26) as a satellite broke up in low Earth orbit. The Expedition 71 crew on the International Space Station (ISS) went to their three spacecraft, including Boeing Starliner, shortly after 9 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT), according to a brief NASA update on X, formerly known as Twitter. As the ISS follows a time zone identical to GMT, according to the European Space Agency, the astronauts were likely in their sleep period when the incident…
Read MoreTake a deep dive into UFO history in ‘After the Flying Saucers Came’ by Greg Eghigian (exclusive)
Providing an academic lens through which to view the huge interest and hysteria surrounding unidentified flying objects since pilot Kenneth A. Arnold witnessed what he called “flying disks or saucers” while cruising past Mt. Rainier on June 24,1947, a new book titled “After the Flying Saucers Came: A Global History of the UFO Phenomenon” has just been released from Oxford University Press. Author Greg Eghigian is a professor of history and bioethics at Penn State University who spent nearly a decade delving into the subject of UFOs for this project,…
Read MoreWhat happened to China’s Chang’e 6 lander on the moon’s far side?
China’s Chang’e 6 mission has successfully delivered to Earth the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon. But what became of the lander that collected the lunar material? Chang’e 6 launched on May 3. The mission consisted of four spacecraft — an orbiter, lander, ascent vehicle and reentry capsule. The lander touched down in Apollo crater on June 1, with the main task of scooping and drilling for unique samples from the lunar far side and loading them into the ascender to be blasted into lunar orbit. The…
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