1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) From left to right: Samone Wilson, Bradley Tyree, Gina Ladner, Louis Thompson. NASA Stennis From left to right: Kris Mobbs, Amy Langdale, Ken Griffey, and Paula Hensarling. NASA Stennis From left to right: Anita Wilson, Katrina Emery, Tom Lipski, and Van Ward. NASA Stennis NASA’s Stennis Space Center brings together people from all backgrounds to support NASA’s mission to explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all and inspire the world through discovery. NASA Stennis also…
Read MoreNASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space via Laser
Members of the DSOC team react to the first high-definition streaming video to be sent via laser from deep space on Dec. 11 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sent by the DSOC transceiver aboard the Psyche spacecraft, nearly 19 million miles from Earth, the video features a cat named Taters. NASA/JPL-Caltech A computer screen in the mission support area shows Taters the cat in a still from the first high-definition streaming video to be sent via laser from deep space, as well as the incoming data stream delivering the frames…
Read MoreIce Flows on Mars
The surface of Mars is littered with examples of glacier-like landforms. While surface ice deposits are mostly limited to the polar caps, patterns of slow, viscous flow abound in many non-polar regions of Mars. Streamlines that appear as linear ridges in the surface soils and rocky debris are often exposed on top of infilling deposits that coat crater and valley floors. We see such patterns on the surfaces of Earth’s icy glaciers and debris-covered “rock glaciers.” As ice flows downhill, rock and soil are plucked from the surrounding landscape and…
Read MoreSpaceX gearing up for 3rd Starship flight (photos)
A month after its latest liftoff, SpaceX’s giant Starship rocket is getting ready to fly again. Starship launched Nov. 18 on its second-ever test mission, which ended in two spectacular explosions. But the company, as ever, is gearing up for the next try. “Flight 3 vehicles on the pad at Starbase for testing ahead of Starship‘s next launch,” SpaceX wrote today (Dec. 18) in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that shared three photos of the spacecraft involved. (Starbase is SpaceX’s South Texas site, which serves as the…
Read MoreWatch Blue Origin launch 1st mission in 15 months today
Blue Origin will launch its first mission in more than 15 months this morning (Dec. 18), and you can watch the action live. Blue Origin‘s New Shepard suborbital vehicle is scheduled to lift off from the company’s West Texas site today during a window that opens at 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 GMT; 8:30 a.m. local Texas time). You can watch the action live via Blue Origin, which was founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Space.com will carry the company’s feed if possible. Coverage will begin at 9:10 a.m. EST (1410…
Read MoreHow many times has Earth orbited the sun?
When you’re standing on Earth’s surface, it’s easy to forget that our planet is hurtling around the sun at more than 67,000 mph (107,800 km/h). And it’s even easier to forget that there are seven other planets also making their way around our home star at similar breakneck speeds, or that all eight have been ceaselessly circling the solar system for billions of years. But what might really blow your mind is finding out how many trips around the sun each planet has under its belt. This may seem like…
Read MoreA star exploded 10,000 years ago and left us with the gorgeous Veil Nebula (photo)
Miguel Claro is a professional photographer, author and science communicator based in Lisbon, Portugal, who creates spectacular images of the night sky. As a European Southern Observatory Photo Ambassador and member of The World At Night and the official astrophotographer of the Dark Sky Alqueva Reserve, he specializes in astronomical “Skyscapes” that connect both Earth and the night sky. The Veil Nebula, also known as the Cygnus Loop, was created when a massive star went supernova and exploded some 10,000 years ago in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan, about 1,400 light-years away. The Veil Nebula…
Read MoreDream Chaser Undergoes Testing at NASA Test Facility in Ohio
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA and Sierra Space are preparing for the first flight of the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to the International Space Station. Dream Chaser and its companion cargo module, called Shooting Star, arrived at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, for environmental testing, scheduled to start in mid-December, ahead of its first flight, scheduled for the first half of 2024. Credit: Sierra Space/Shay Saldana More About Dream Chaser in Ohio Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Commercial…
Read MoreThis Week In Space podcast: Episode 91 — 2023 Holiday Special!
On Episode 91 of This Week In Space, Tariq and Rod discuss the year in review with Leonard David. This holiday special episode of This Week in Space covers a wide range of space topics from 2023, including asteroid sample return, China’s space achievements, commercial lunar landers, Mars sample return challenges, UFO disclosure, and more. Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Space news of the week Model Falcon 9! Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket…
Read MoreMace Windu honors Qui-Gon’s final mission in upcoming ‘Star Wars: The Glass Abyss’ novel
The Jedi Knight Mace Windu doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his valiant deeds in the “Star Wars” universe, even after decapitating Jango Fett in “Attack of the Clones” and then almost vanquishing Chancellor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) before Anakin intervened and Windu was chucked out the window in “Revenge of the Sith.” Now the skilled, purple-lightsabered warrior played by Samuel L. Jackson shines in “Star Wars: Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss,” his very own solo novel coming next summer. The book sees Windu taking up arms to complete Qui-Gon…
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