Category: Space Stations

Space stations in orbit or planned

‘Dune: Prophecy’ stars talk weird haircuts and hairy coats (exclusive)

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HBO’s “Dune: Prophecy” is lurching towards its season finale on Dec. 22, but before we’re further embroiled in the heated court politics of House Corrino and Valya Harkonnen’s vengeful thirst for power and Sisterhood control comes to a head, fans were treated to some intimate time with the two brooding patriarchs, Evgeny Harkonnen (Mark Addy) and the younger Baron Harrow Harkonnen (Edward Davis) in this past Sunday night’s fourth episode, “Twice Born.” In the cheerless confines of their stone and steel abode on Salusa Secundus, the grizzled, wheezing Uncle Evgeny…

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This Week In Space podcast: Episode 140 —University Rocketeers

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University Rocketeers – USC’s Rocket Lab Smash the Amateur Altitude Record – YouTube Watch On On Episode 140 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Dan Erwin and student Ryan Kraemer about amateur rocketry. Many of us flew model rockets as young people, but USC Rocket Propulsion Lab takes amateur rocketry to a whole new level–in this case, 470,000 feet!  Meet Erwin and Kraemer, who, along with a very talented team of other undergrads, built and flew Aftershock II, a 14-foot, 330-pound “amateur” rocket…

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86 years after infamous ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast, visitors in the sky have New Jersey panicking again

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The panic in New Jersey and across the nation is very real as there is still no explanation for the multiple drone sightings over the state. Reports of these drones have poured in nightly after the first sighting on Nov. 18, 2024, and the source of the drones is still a mystery. The drones have been seen over reservoirs, the U.S. military’s Picatinny Arsenal facility, President-elect Trump’s Bedminster golf course, and were even reported following a U.S. Coast Guard vessel. Almost 100 years ago on Oct. 30, 1938, many of…

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SpaceX launching 22 Starlink internet satellites from California today

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SpaceX plans to launch yet another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites today (Dec. 13). A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 22 Starlink spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base today during a 3.5-hour window that opens at 2:28 p.m. EDT (1928 GMT; 11:28 a.m. local time in California). SpaceX will webcast the action via X, beginning about five minutes before launch. If all goes to plan, the Falcon 9’s first stage will come back to Earth for a vertical touchdown on the drone ship…

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How to watch the Geminid meteor shower 2024 live online tonight (Dec. 13)

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2024 Geminid Meteor shower: online observation – 13 Dec. 2024 – YouTube Watch On The Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight (Dec. 13) but if you’re unable to catch the prolific shower in person, you can still enjoy this spectacular event from the comfort of your home. Astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project is offering a free livestream of the Geminid meteor shower on Dec. 13, starting at 6:00 p.m. EST (2300 GMT), weather permitting. You can watch all the action unfold here on Space.com courtesy of the Virtual…

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NASA’s Mars exploration plans need ‘paradigm shifts’ to succeed, report finds

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NASA has released a new document that highlights planned programmatic paradigm shifts in Mars exploration over the next 20 years. This plan was prepared for the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Mars Exploration Program (MEP). The report is titled “Expanding the Horizons of Mars Science: A Plan for a Sustainable Science Program at Mars — Mars Exploration Program 2024-2044.” Core questions Highlighted in the document are several “paradigm shift” prospects to further address several core questions, which include: You may like How has the habitability of Mars evolved over the history…

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‘SALLY’ at Sundance: NatGeo film to reveal ‘hidden love’ of 1st US woman in space

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A new documentary about the life and love of America’s first woman in space will premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. “SALLY,” from National Geographic and director Cristina Costantini, reveals the legacy of NASA astronaut Sally Ride. Featuring archival footage filmed both on the ground and in space, along with new interviews with Ride’s close friends and colleagues, the documentary allows access to the “real Ride,” who struggled with the “limits and sacrifices true heroism demands.” “‘SALLY’ is the story of pioneering astronaut Sally Ride, who was the first…

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‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ brings back fan-favorite characters for ‘Multiverse of Madness’-style hijinks in latest episode

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Ever wondered what happened to Bradward Boimler’s transporter duplicate? We already knew his death was faked by Section 31 and now we know the reason why: he’s leaping between multiverses as if he’s Doctor Strange, trying to stop whatever — or whoever — is tearing rifts between dimensions. And who else to accompany him on this mission but a crack team of operatives plucked from previous “Star Trek”s, alternative universe duplicates who bring their own unique set of skills to the job in hand. “Fissure Quest” is the latest super-smart…

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What causes volcanic eruptions on Jupiter’s moon Io? Scientists aren’t so sure anymore

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Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io doesn’t appear to have a subsurface ocean of magma, resolving some issues about how Io’s volcanoes erupt and raising broader questions about similar magma oceans within other moons and planets. Data from previous missions had made planetary scientists wonder whether, rather than just pockets of melt, Io contained a 31-mile (50-kilometer) deep layer of magma: a moon-wide ocean of molten rock. In the 1990s, NASA’s Galileo mission performed magnetic induction measurements that suggested there was such a layer, while more recently, the distribution of volcanoes on…

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Science Photo Album Showcases Space Station Research in 2024

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NASA Astronauts (from left) Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Loral O’Hara take photographs of Earth from inside the cupola aboard space station. Credit: NASA That’s a wrap! Astronauts aboard the International Space Station conducted hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations during 2024. Crew members participated in research across a variety of scientific disciplines and accomplished milestones demonstrating benefits for future missions and humanity back on Earth. Their work included snapping thousands of images of Earth to understand our planet’s changing landscape, bioprinting cardiac tissues to validate technology for organ…

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