China wants to make its Tiangong space station bigger and better

NeRD

China has been operating its completed Tiangong orbital outpost for almost two years now — and is looking to expand its capabilities with new modules and spacecraft. The three-module, T-shaped Tiangong space station was fully assembled in November 2022, with the arrival of the Mengtian science module. The station seems set to grow again, however. “In the future, we will try to upgrade our facilities,” said Li Ming, chairman of the science and technology committee of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), speaking during a plenary session on human…

Read More

Everything we know about ‘Elio’

NeRD

So, what’s the dealio with Elio? Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar’s upcoming movie schedule includes lots of sequels, like Zootopia/Zootropolis 2, Frozen 3, Toy Story 5, and Incredibles 3, but what about their original flicks? Well, they have a few titles lined up, and Elio – a sci-fi comedy which will take us on an extraterrestrial trip – is up next. After Lightyear disappointed at the box office in 2022, a follow-up was instantly scrapped. But that didn’t mean Pixar would stay away from new sci-fi projects, since they’ve…

Read More

New study of Apollo 16 moon samples reveals hidden lunar history

NeRD

Scientists continue to piece together the moon’s complex history using lunar samples collected during NASA’s Apollo missions over half a century ago.  A fresh analysis of lunar dust collected by Apollo 16 astronauts in 1972 offers a clearer picture of the effects of asteroid strikes on the moon, allowing scientists to reconstruct billions of years of lunar history. The findings could also help upcoming crewed missions pinpoint precious natural resources for establishing moon bases, scientists say. After landing in the heavily-cratered Descartes region in the lunar highlands, astronauts John Young,…

Read More

SpaceX launches 22 Starlink internet satellites from Florida

NeRD

SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida’s Space Coast on Saturday evening (Oct. 26). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 5:47 p.m. EDT (2147 GMT). The first stage from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lands on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX via X) As to plan, the Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff. It touched…

Read More

Before and after satellite images show lakes appearing across Sahara after deluge of rain soaks desert

NeRD

Lakes have appeared in the Sahara after a cyclone brought a deluge of rain to northern Africa that drenched swathes of the largest hot desert on Earth, satellite images show. An extratropical cyclone hit parts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya on Sept. 7 and 8, dropping around 8 inches (20 centimeters) on the affected areas — equivalent to an entire year’s worth of rainfall in just a few days, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory. The deluge and runoff filled multiple ephemeral lakes in the Sahara, including the Sebkha el…

Read More

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 134 —The Spruce Space Shuttle

NeRD

The Spruce Space Shuttle – Ben Dickow and the Columbia Memorial Space Center – YouTube Watch On On Episode 134 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Ben Dickow, executive director and president of the Columbia Memorial Space Center, about a magnificent, full-sized shuttle mockup, its history and future plans. Many of us have visited the various displays of space shuttles around the US, and it’s always a spectacular sight. The shuttle orbiter was huge, and seeing in any configuration is inspirational. Notably, the California…

Read More

‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ scores an inventive interactive graphic novel, ‘Warp Your Own Way’

NeRD

“Star Trek: Lower Decks” may be coming to a close, but IDW Publishing is letting fans get in on the series’ zany action with a new choose-your-own adventure graphic novel. Just in time for this week’s premiere of the fifth and final season of Paramount+’s addictive animated comedy series, “Star Trek: Lower Decks ― Warp Your Own Way” recently landed in comic shops and digital outlets. IDW Publishing first announced news of this creative “Star Trek” project last year at New York Comic Con 2023, where it was described by…

Read More

Sols 4343-4344: Late Slide, Late Changes

NeRD

Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 4 min read Sols 4343-4344: Late Slide, Late Changes NASA’s Mars rover…

Read More

NASA Welcomes Chile as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory

NeRD

From left to right, Chilean Ambassador to the United States Juan Gabriel Valdés, Chilean Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation Aisén Etcheverry Escudero, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and United States Department of State Acting Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Jennifer R. Littlejohn pose for a photo after the signing of the Artemis Accords, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. The Republic of Chile is the 47th country to sign the Artemis Accords, which…

Read More

James Webb Space Telescope finds 1st ‘failed star’ candidates beyond the Milky Way

NeRD

At this point, astronomers are used to the James Webb Space Telescope pushing the boundaries of astronomy — so it is little surprise that the $10 billion telescope has surpassed itself again.  The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — with a little help from the Hubble Space Telescope — may have found a family of so-called “failed star” brown dwarfs in the Milky Way’s satellite galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). If this is the case, it will be the first time astronomers have spotted such bodies beyond the limits…

Read More