Category: Space Stations

Space stations in orbit or planned

Spot the Station Frequently Asked Questions

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An augmented reality interface makes it easier for users to locate the International Space Station and provides options for capturing and sharing pictures and videos of their sightings in real-time (Credit: NASA). 1. Why is the International Space Station up there? The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth for the benefit of humanity. For more than 25 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the station, through which astronauts have learned to live and…

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Quantum Sensing via Matter-Wave Interferometry Aboard the International Space Station

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6 min read Quantum Sensing via Matter-Wave Interferometry Aboard the International Space Station Future space missions could use quantum technologies to help us understand the physical laws that govern the universe, explore the composition of other planets and their moons, gain insights into unexplained cosmological phenomena, or monitor ice sheet thickness and the amount of water in underground aquafers on Earth. Upgraded hardware being prepared at Jet Propulsion Lab for launch and install into the Cold Atom Lab on the International Space Station. The Science Module in the background enables…

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‘Right now, we are in what has to be a Golden Age of asteroid exploration.’ Scientists celebrate NASA’s latest space rock flyby

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BOULDER, Colorado — Asteroid experts are pondering the scientific output from the NASA Lucy spacecraft after it shot by its celestial destination — the main belt asteroid named Donaldjohanson. Here at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), lead organization for the Lucy mission, Hal Levison, principal investigator of the Lucy mission, said the spacecraft flyby of Donaldjohanson yielded a host of “don’t know” factors about the object. As for its shape, Levison said that Donaldjohanson and the other Lucy targets are providing hints about how planets formed. “These small body populations…

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NASA’s Artemis 2 moon rocket gets 2nd stage even as Trump tries to scrap Space Launch System (photos)

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The Artemis 2 megarocket set to launch NASA’s next astronauts to the moon in 2026 is almost completely assembled. The giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket continues to grow inside the NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, stacked the rocket’s second stage onto the launch vehicle Thursday (May 1). The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) is responsible for carrying the Orion spacecraft and crew the rest of the way into orbit around the Earth, and then sending them on their way to…

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20 years ago, ‘Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’ hit theaters… but 2 weeks earlier, the tie-in game had already spoiled the ending

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The year is 2005. I’m eagerly awaiting Revenge of the Sith, the Star Wars chapter that completes Anakin Skywalker’s journey. I don’t know that Episode VII will happen ten years later, so for me, this could be the final Star Wars movie I’ll get to see in theaters. There’s a twist, though; the tie-in video game adaptation arrives roughly two weeks before Episode III hits theaters, and it ruins the whole plot. What went wrong? Nothing, actually, as George Lucas didn’t care about spoilers getting out well in advance of…

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What time is it on the moon? US House space committee wants a standard lunar clock

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We are one step closer to getting a lunar time zone this week, as a bill passed out of the US House Science, Space and Technology committee directs the administrator of NASA to develop a way to coordinate and measure time on the moon. The bill is titled The Celestial Time Standardization Act (or HR 2313), and was passed out of committee by a voice vote on Tuesday (April 29). It now goes to the full House for a future floor vote. If it passes the House (and then the…

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Scientists chased a falling spacecraft with a plane to understand satellite air pollution

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A dramatic aircraft chase of a falling spacecraft has provided new insights into the fiery processes that accompany the atmospheric demise of retired satellites. The measurements will help scientists better understand how satellite air pollution affects Earth’s atmosphere. In early September last year, a team of European scientists boarded a rented business jet on Easter Island to trace the atmospheric reentry of Salsa, one of the European Space Agency‘s (ESA) four identical Cluster satellites. The aircraft was fitted with 26 cameras to capture the brief occurrence in different wavelengths of…

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10 must-have ‘Star Wars’ books and novels coming soon to your galaxy

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Close down the airlocks and batten all hull hatches for a veritable meteor storm of new “Star Wars” books coming to us over the next year. These magnificent titles were recently announced at the official Lucasfilm Publishing panel “Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away” during this past month’s Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025. Physical media is making a major comeback these days, whether it’s remastered premium vinyl soundtracks of your favorite films or special edition 4K UHD Blu-ray releases of indie gems and Hollywood classics. Star Wars fanatics are…

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What would it be like living on Tatooine from ‘Star Wars’? This exoplanet orbiting twin suns could tell us

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A Tatooine-like world with a key difference from the desert planet in “Star Wars” has been serendipitously discovered orbiting not two stars, but a pair of brown dwarfs. What’s more, this wacky planet doesn’t orbit around the brown dwarfs’ equator, but instead up and down over their poles. In the “Star Wars” universe, Luke Skywalker famously came from the planet of Tatooine, which had two suns and double sunsets. Tatooine is in a circumbinary orbit, which means that it doesn’t orbit one star, but instead orbits both stars of a…

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For Star Wars Day, May the 4th, you’ll have to use all your Jedi powers to grab this Lego set — Jango Fett’s Starship WILL sell out fast

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For Star Wars Day, May 4th (‘May the 4th be with you’) Lego has dropped what might just become one of the best Lego Star Wars sets of all-time. The incredibly detailed Jango Fett Starship set (75409) is out now at Lego, and is the first new Star Wars UCS sets of 2025. The all-new 2,970-piece Lego set is priced at $299.99 and for a very limited time Lego is gifting buyers of this brilliant new Lego set with three Star Wars Lego themed gifts. Jango Fett’s Starship Key Chain,…

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