SpaceX’s Starship continued to wow onlookers during its third test flight today. On Thursday (March 14), SpaceX launched Starship for the third time from its Starbase manufacturing and launch facility near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. Hundreds of rocket chasers and spectators gathered along the beach to watch the test flight, which saw Starship, or “The Ship,” separate successfully from its Super Heavy booster and reach orbital velocity. Although neither vehicle survived the test flight, SpaceX hailed the flight as a success after several key milestones were met during…
Read MoreCelebrating Pi Day on the International Space Station
NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen holds a small pie that is festively decorated in commemoration of Pi Day aboard the International Space Station.
Read MoreFAA grants license for SpaceX’s March 14 Starship launch
Starship’s third-ever test flight is officially on for Thursday morning (March 14). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today (March 13) that it has awarded a launch license for the mission. “The FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements,” the agency wrote in a post on X this afternoon. Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, is scheduled to lift off on Thursday from SpaceX’s Starbase site in South Texas during a 110-minute window that opens at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT).…
Read MoreThe Marshall Star for March 13, 2024
25 Min Read The Marshall Star for March 13, 2024 Marshall Celebrates Alabama Space Day in Montgomery By Jessica Barnett Team members from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center joined Montgomery-area students, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, NASA’s aerospace partners, and elected officials in celebrating the aerospace industry’s impact in Alabama on March 5. This year’s event kicked off at the state Capitol in Montgomery with a proclamation from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declaring March 5 as Alabama Space Day. Students from the Montgomery area were then invited to take…
Read MoreCanon EOS R8 vs Sony A7C II: Which should you buy?
Making the jump into full-frame camera systems is never a decision to be taken lightly, mainly because, most of the time, it involves investing in a full-frame lens setup as well as purchasing the camera body. For this reason, you want to make sure you’re buying into the right brand to avoid buyer’s regret later down the line. Here we’re looking at Sony and Canon’s smallest full-frame cameras, comparing their specs and how we found them when we tested them. So, if you’re in the market for your first full-frame…
Read MoreDark Energy Camera captures record-breaking image of a dead star’s scattered remains
This billowing mass of dust filaments and gas tendrils stretching across 100 light-years of space like delicate lace is the Vela supernova remnant — scattered ashes of a star that exploded about 11,000 years ago. The image was acquired by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), which is mounted on the Victor M. Blanco 4-Meter Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. DECam was originally designed to conduct a survey of distant galaxies to measure the strength of dark energy as it accelerates the universe’s expansion and draws those…
Read MoreApollo 9 Crew Comes Home
NASA Fifty-five years ago today, NASA astronauts James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart splashed down 4.5 nautical miles from the USS Guadalcanal, concluding a successful 10-day Earth-orbital mission in space. In this image from March 13, 1969, a recovery helicopter hovers above the Apollo 9 spacecraft; the astronauts were still inside the command module. Apollo 9 was the first crewed flight of the command/service module along with the lunar module. The mission’s three-person crew tested several aspects critical to landing on the Moon including the lunar…
Read MoreNASA’s Space Tech Prize Bolsters Diversity, Inclusivity Champions
Credits: NASA NASA selected the first winners of the agency’s Space Tech Catalyst prize to expand engagement with underrepresented and diverse individuals in the space technology sector as part of the agency’s broader commitment to inclusivity and collaboration. The winners are receiving $25,000 each to create more inclusive space technology ecosystems. “As NASA continues to explore the unknown, making the impossible possible, we are committed to engaging talents from all backgrounds to advance exploration,” said Shahra Lambert, NASA senior advisor for engagement. “By providing funding to this space technology community,…
Read More8 Must-Have NASA Resources for Science Teachers in 2024
3 min read 8 Must-Have NASA Resources for Science Teachers in 2024 No one can bring the excitement of Earth and space science to the classroom like NASA! Launch your lessons to the next level with these eight essential resources for K-12 teachers: Experience the Total Solar Eclipse Whether you’re on or off the path of totality (find out here!), we’ve put together this guide to help you explore live and virtual opportunities from NASA’s Science Activation Program for safely enjoying the eclipse and even contributing as a volunteer to…
Read MoreWater-themed plaque to fly on Europa Clipper to Jupiter’s icy ocean moon
A NASA spacecraft dedicated to studying a small ocean world will carry with it a metal plaque etched with the ripples created by the many ways humans say “water.” The Europa Clipper Vault Plate was revealed by NASA on Friday (March 8) at the opening session of the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. Lori Glaze, NASA’s director of planetary science, joined U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón on stage to discuss the intersection of space and art, as well as again hear Limón recite her ode, “In Praise…
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