Category: Space Stations

Space stations in orbit or planned

Space isn’t all about the ‘race’ – rival superpowers must work together for a better future

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This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Art Cotterell is Research Associate at the School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University. In recent years, a new “space race” has intensified between the United States and China. At a campaign rally last weekend, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump invoked this rivalry when declaring the US will “lead the world in space,” echoing Democratic counterpart Vice President Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, the president of China, Xi Jinping, has…

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Black holes that form in ‘reverse Big Bang replays’ could account for dark energy

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Scientists have strengthened the potential connection between dark energy and black holes. New research suggests that as more black holes were born in “little Big Bang reverse replays” in the 14.6 billion-year-old cosmos, the strength of dark energy grew to dominance and continues to change to this day. Dark energy is the placeholder name given to the mysterious force driving the acceleration of the universe’s expansion in its current epoch. It is troubling because scientists have no idea what dark energy is, yet it dominates our universe, accounting for around…

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‘Boo Deng’ steals the show at NASA JPL’s annual pumpkin carving contest (photos)

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Who says NASA scientists and engineers don’t know how to have fun?! Every year the fiendishly clever folks at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California hold their annual pumpkin carving contest where brilliant brains concoct all manner of strange and interesting artworks using a fresh supply of seasonal orange squash to deliver some truly fantastic fabrications. The special judged event is meant to not only celebrate the Halloween holiday, but also the anniversary of the founding of the Jet Propulsion Lab, which was first opened on Oct. 31, 1936…

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China’s Shenzhou 19 astronauts take the reins of Tiangong space station (video)

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China’s Shenzhou 18 crew have passed the keys to the Tiangong space station to its new occupants. The Shenzhou 19 mission launched on a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China on Oct. 29 and arrived at the Tiangong space station 6.5 hours later.  Shortly thereafter, at 12:51 a.m. EDT (0451 GMT) on Oct. 30, the hatch between the Shenzhou 19 spacecraft and Tiangong was opened, allowing the three Shenzhou 18 mission astronauts to greet the trio of new arrivals aboard. The formal handover of the station…

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Station Nation: Meet Carlos Fontanot, the Imagery Manager Leaving a Legacy of Visual Storytelling 

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Born and raised in Mexico City, Carlos Fontanot has dedicated 34 years to NASA. He supports the International Space Station Mission Integration and Operations Office, ensuring that high-quality imagery enhances mission objectives and operations.   Fontanot is known for conceiving and leading the High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) project, which has brought stunning live visuals of Earth to millions around the globe. As he approaches his well-deserved retirement, we are excited to spotlight Fontanot’s remarkable career, celebrating his contributions to NASA and the lasting impact he has made on the agency’s…

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Astronauts to Discuss Science Mission

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pictured left to right, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps. Credit: SpaceX After spending 235 days in space, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts will discuss their science mission aboard the International Space Station during a post-flight news conference at 3:15 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 8, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps will answer questions about their mission. The three crew members, along…

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NASA Offers Virtual Activities for 31st SpaceX Resupply Mission

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Creating a golden streak in the night sky, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars upward after liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 14, 2023, on the company’s 27th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. SpaceX NASA invites the public to participate in virtual activities ahead of the launch of SpaceX’s 31st commercial resupply services mission for the agency. NASA and SpaceX are targeting 9:29 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 4, for the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to launch…

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Small moon of Uranus may have once had a subsurface liquid water ocean

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Over the last few decades, planetary scientists have been steadily adding to the list of moons in our solar system that may harbor interior oceans either currently or at some point in their past. For the most part, these moons (such as Europa or Enceladus) have been gravitationally bound to the gas giants Jupiter or Saturn.  Recently, though, planetary scientists have been turning their attention further afield, towards the ice giant Uranus, the coldest planet in the solar system. And now, new research based on images taken by the Voyager…

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Boeing can recover from its Starliner troubles, but it can’t afford any other misfires

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This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Loizos Heracleous is a Professor of Strategy at the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick. SpaceX has launched its Crew Dragon spacecraft on a “rescue mission” to bring back two astronauts stranded at the International Space Station (ISS) since June. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams travelled to the space station on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which was on its first mission with a human crew. But several engines malfunctioned once in…

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Earth sure looks spooky in these ‘hyperspectral’ images from Europe’s Hera asteroid probe

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A strange Earth shines in new imagery captured by a European asteroid mission. The Hera spacecraft, which launched this month to study a binary asteroid system up close. turned its gaze back at our planet to capture spooky views of Earth in multiple wavelengths of light. The imagery was captured fro roughly 1.25 million miles (2 million kilometers) away, using Hera’s HyperScout H hyperspectral imager. Besides being beautiful space art, the imagery “allows us to observe cloud patterns on our planet”, instrument team member Marcel Popescu of Romania’s University of…

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