Star Wars Day 2024: ‘Star Wars: Tales of the Empire’ premieres today on Disney+

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May the 4th be with you! Like its animated predecessor, “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi,” that absorbing anthology which first debuted on Disney+ back in October of 2022, a new collection of short animation gems taken from the point-of-view of two characters seduced by dark Imperial influences marches onto the House of Mouse’s streaming platform today as part of the geekiest of holidays, Star Wars Day. Instead of that previous project’s focus on a younger Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku prior to his anointment as a Sith Lord, “Star…

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Virgin Galactic to launch 7th commercial spaceflight on June 8

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Virgin Galactic will fly again next month, if all goes according to plan. The company announced on Wednesday (May 1) that it’s targeting June 8 for its seventh commercial spaceflight, a suborbital jaunt called, fittingly enough, Galactic 07. It will be Virgin Galactic‘s second spaceflight of the year, after the Galactic 06 mission on Jan. 26, and its 12th overall to date. Related: Virgin Galactic launches researchers to suborbital space on 5th commercial flight (video) Virgin Galactic uses an air-launch system that consists of two vehicles: A carrier aircraft called…

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Does a cosmic ‘glitch’ in gravity challenge Albert Einstein’s greatest theory?

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There is no denying the awesome predictive power of Albert Einstein’s 1915 theory of gravity, general relativity — yet, the theory still has inconsistencies when it comes to calculating its effect on vast distances. And new research suggests these inconsistencies could be the result of a “cosmic glitch” in gravity itself. In the 109 years since it was first formulated, general relativity has remained our finest description of gravity on a galactic scale; time and again, experiments have confirmed its accuracy. This theory has also been used to predict aspects…

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Former NASA Center Director, Scientist to Receive Presidential Medals

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Medals of Freedom are displayed Thursday, July 7, 2022, before a ceremony at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith) President Joe Biden will present Dr. Ellen Ochoa, former center director and astronaut at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Dr. Jane Rigby, senior project scientist for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, each with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Friday in a ceremony at the White House in Washington. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor award, and these two NASA…

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Boeing Starliner spacecraft ‘go’ for 1st astronaut launch on May 6, NASA says

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CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA — The new Starliner spacecraft is “go” for its first-ever astronaut launch on Monday (May 6), Boeing and NASA officials announced today (May 3). Barring bad weather or any last-minute technical issues, Starliner was cleared to send two veteran NASA astronauts and former U.S. Navy test pilots to the International Space Station (ISS). On board this mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), will be commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and pilot Suni Williams. The duo are completing last-minute training items and quarantining here at NASA’s Kennedy Space…

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A Moonlit Trio

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NASA/Bill Ingalls The Moon (left), Saturn, and Jupiter (lower right; Saturn is above and to the left of Jupiter) were seen in the sky above the Washington Memorial on Dec. 17, 2020. At the time, Saturn and Jupiter were nearing each other in the sky, culminating in a “great conjunction” on Dec. 21, where they appeared a tenth of a degree apart. Great conjunctions between Jupiter and Saturn happen every 20 years, making the planets appear to be close to one another. This closeness occurs because Jupiter orbits the Sun…

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Hubble Hunts Visible Light Sources of X-Rays

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2 min read Hubble Hunts Visible Light Sources of X-Rays This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf galaxy IC 776. ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Sun This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf galaxy IC 776. This swirling collection of new and old stars is located in the constellation Virgo, in the Virgo galaxy cluster, 100 million light-years from Earth. Although IC 776 is a dwarf galaxy, it’s also classified as a SAB-type or ‘weakly barred’ spiral. This highly detailed Hubble view demonstrates that complexity. IC 776…

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NASA Research Park Public Documents

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3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Economic Benefits Study: 2015 Economic Benefits Study 2010 Economic Benefits Study 2010 Economic Benefits Study – Appendices Development Plans: NASA Ames Development Plan – Dec 2002 Environmental Issues and Management Plan US Fish and Wildlife Service Information Consultations on Proposed Development of NASA Ames Research Center Record of Decision NASA Research Park Environmental Reports: Building 19 Lead, Asbestos, Mold Report – Feb 2002 Lead Impacted Soil Summary – Jul 2002 Lead Impacted Soil Sampling – Jan 2003 Environmental Management…

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Curious asteroid Selam, spotted by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft, is a cosmic toddler

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When NASA’s Lucy mission passed by the near-Earth asteroid Dinkinesh last November, it discovered that Dinkinesh had a companion — a little moonlet that astronomers soon named Selam. And now, scientists have measured Selam’s age. Their estimate suggests that tiny Selam separated from its larger partner Dinkinesh just 2 to 3 million years ago, making Selam a toddler — by solar system standards, of course. “Finding the ages of asteroids is important to understanding them, and this one is remarkably young when compared to the age of the solar system,…

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Astronauts on the moon could stay fit by running in a Wheel of Death

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Any human who spends enough time in a low-gravity environment — such as a future habitat on the moon — will experience bodily changes as their muscles atrophy, their bones lose mass and their control over their whole body itself declines. This is why astronauts who spend time beyond Earth’s atmosphere must exercise on their missions. Without physical fitness, they’ll struggle to function on even a basic level when they return to Earth’s gravity. Now, researchers from the University of Milan have devised a new form of exercise to keep…

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