Category: Space Stations

Space stations in orbit or planned

October’s new moon will bring us a spectacular ‘ring of fire’ eclipse

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LIVE: Annular Solar Eclipse – October 2, 2024 – YouTube Watch On October’s new moon will bring us a spectacular ‘ring of fire’ eclipse The new moon occurs on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 2:49 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (1849 GMT), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, and for observers in the southeastern Pacific islands and southern Chile and Argentina there will be an annular solar eclipse.  A new moon phase happens when the sun and moon are on the same line drawn from one celestial pole to the other. Usually,…

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Annular solar eclipse will turn the sun into a glorious ‘ring of fire’ today. Here’s what you need to know.

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Today (Oct. 2), an annular solar eclipse will begin its journey across parts of the Pacific Ocean, southern Chile and southern Argentina.  If you’re unable to see the eclipse in person, you can watch the annular solar eclipse online here at Space.com, courtesy of TimeandDate, and follow all the action on our solar eclipse live updates page. The annular phase of the eclipse will first be visible from Earth at 12:50 p.m. EDT (1650 GMT); however, the best time to watch livestreams will be from 3:03 to 3:09 p.m. EDT…

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FAA requires investigation of anomaly on SpaceX’s Crew-9 astronaut launch

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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring an investigation of the anomaly a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket experienced during the Crew-9 astronaut launch on Sept. 28. That liftoff successfully sent a Crew Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov toward the International Space Station. However, the Falcon 9‘s upper stage suffered an issue after deploying the capsule, SpaceX revealed on Sept. 29. The issue was an “off-nominal deorbit burn,” which resulted in the upper stage landing in the ocean outside of its target disposal…

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China unveils spacesuit for moonwalking astronauts (video)

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China has strutted out its moon-landing spacesuit, unveiling its design in a ceremony Saturday (Sept. 28) in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. A technician put the spacesuit — which China aims to start using on crewed moon missions by 2030 — through its paces, showcasing various movements and gestures, including climbing the rungs of a ladder.  The overall design of the moon-landing suit is inspired by traditional Chinese armor, underscoring the suit’s rugged and resolute appearance. It also features ribbons, which have always been an important element in the design of Chinese…

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Concludes Space Station Scientific Mission

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6 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are returning to Earth after months aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. The four launched on March 3 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during their mission: Revealing resistant microorganisms NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps extracts DNA for the Genomic Enumeration…

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The Milky Way’s 2 biggest satellite galaxies are oddly lonely, study finds

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The Milky Way’s system of small, orbiting satellite galaxies is quite unusual, a new 12-year study of other galaxies in the local universe has found.  The Satellites Around Galactic Analogs (SAGA) survey is being conducted by a small group of astronomers to learn how the Milky Way and its little retinue of dwarf satellite galaxies compares to other galaxy systems. “The Milky Way’s satellite population is a unique combination of small satellites containing only older stars, and its two largest satellites, which are actively forming new stars,” says Marla Geha,…

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Heart tissues beat half as strongly on the ISS as they do on Earth

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What effects does spaceflight have on an astronaut’s heart? This is exactly the question that prompted scientists from Johns Hopkins University to send 48 bioengineered heart tissue samples to the International Space Station, where they were monitored for 30 days and compared to identical samples on Earth. The team examined how low gravity impacts things like the cells’ strength of contraction, known as twitch forces, and any irregular beating patterns.  The results were concerning — the scientists found that heart cells “really don’t fare well in space,” beating with about…

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Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ surprisingly adheres to the laws of physics, scientists find

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Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” is undoubtedly one of the most famous paintings in the world, instantly recognizable for its vibrant colors and dramatic brushstrokes that create what appears to be a sky in motion. But did you know that its night sky depiction actually follows the real laws of physics?  While the scene does take liberty in terms of what our eyes witness in the sky — we don’t necessarily see eddies dancing between the stars — scientists have determined those eddies indeed adhere to the laws of turbulent flow.…

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NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson to Discuss Science, Station Mission

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NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson works on a computer inside the International Space Station. Credit: NASA NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson will share details of her recent six-month mission aboard the International Space Station in a news conference at 11 a.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 4, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The news conference will air live on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. Media interested in participating in person must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no…

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Station Science Top News: Sept. 27, 2024

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Researchers found that long-duration spaceflight affected the mechanical properties of eye tissues, including reducing the stiffness of tissue around the eyeball. A better understanding of these changes could help researchers prevent, diagnose, and treat the vision impairment often seen in crew members. SANSORI, a Canadian Space Agency investigation, examined whether reduced stiffness of eye tissue contributes to vision impairment in astronauts on long-term missions. This condition, known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, or SANS, includes a range of physical changes to the eyes. This paper suggests that biomechanical changes in the eye…

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