This image, taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station, shows the reddish-brown waters of the Betsiboka River Delta in Madagascar. The color is caused by the transport of iron-rich sediment.
Read MoreNASA’s Modern History Makers: Sarah Tipler
5 min read NASA’s Modern History Makers: Sarah Tipler Sarah Tipler poses in front of a mural of NASA astronaut Michael Anderson in Plattsburgh, New York. Credit: Sarah Tipler <back to gallery Growing up, Sarah Tipler always felt out of place. She had trouble with time management, structuring her day, and focusing her attention, but she didn’t know why. “For all of my undergraduate education, I really struggled to keep up despite understanding the material,” Tipler said. “It took a ton of work to make good grades happen, including asking…
Read MoreSpaceX to launch 23 satellites tonight on 2nd half of Starlink doubleheader
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch 23 Starlink internet satellites tonight (Oct. 29), on the second of two planned missions for the day. A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station tonight at 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT). If the Falcon 9 can’t get off the ground on time, seven backup opportunities are available, from 8:17 p.m. EDT to 10:47 p.m. EDT (0017 to 0247 GMT on Oct. 30), according to a SpaceX mission description. You can watch the…
Read MoreSpace rocks and asteroid dust are pricey, but these aren’t the most expensive materials used in science
After a journey of seven years and nearly 4 billion miles, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft landed gently in the Utah desert on the morning of Sept. 24, 2023, with a precious payload. The spacecraft brought back a sample from the asteroid Bennu. Roughly half a pound of material collected from the 85 million-ton asteroid (77.6 billion kg) will help scientists learn about the formation of the solar system, including whether asteroids like Bennu include the chemical ingredients for life. NASA’s mission was budgeted at US$800 million and will end up costing around $1.16 billion for just under 9 ounces of sample (255 g). But is this the…
Read MoreAstronaut Callie Rodriguez helps deploy a lunar telescope in NASA’s new online graphic novel
NASA aims to inspire future space explorers in fresh and innovative ways. Case in point: Fictional astronaut Callie Rodriguez advances her outer space exploration mission as the first woman to step onto the moon in a brand-new issue of NASA’s “First Woman” digital graphic novel series, “First Woman: Expanding our Universe.” In this second installment, available now at the “First Woman” website, readers will discover how Callie and her fellow astronauts work together as a unit to overcome various obstacles while trying to install a next-generation telescope on the far…
Read MoreFull Hunter’s Moon puts on a spooky display today with partial lunar eclipse
The moon will put on a spectacularly spooky show for trick-or-treaters this weekend as the full Hunter’s Moon experiences a partial lunar eclipse. The partial lunar eclipse will be visible to observers in Africa, Europe, Asia, and parts of Western Australia. It will begin at 2:01 p.m. EDT (1801 GMT) on Oct. 28 and you can watch the action unfold live here on Space.com beginning at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT). Our guide to what time the Oct. 28 lunar eclipse occurs has more details on when to look up.…
Read MoreNASA rocket to study star-forming supernova remnant on Oct. 29
There’s no better way to understand the life cycle of stars than watching it unfold. This weekend, a NASA rocket will study a dramatic stellar event about 2,600 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. In that pocket of the universe, a once massive star, perhaps 20 times the size of our sun, exploded in a brilliant supernova that would have been bright enough for those on Earth to see with an unaided eye, even during the day. Although the blast occurred some 20,000 years ago, star matter ejected during…
Read MoreDrinkware with a twist of space history: New ‘Milestones in Space’ glass tumblers
Space enthusiasts, get out your favorite powdered orange drink, because a new set of glasses is bringing space history back to your kitchen cabinet (or basement bar). Chop Shop, a Pennsylvania-based design studio with a focus on space, science and pop culture, has launched its latest crowdfunding campaign for a trio of new tumblers celebrating “Milestones in Space.” The project, which is now live on Kickstarter, began on Monday (Oct. 23) and runs through Nov. 20. Drawing inspiration from the space-themed drinkware that was popular 60 years ago, Chop Shop’s…
Read MoreNASA Supports Tests of Dust Sensor to Aid Lunar Landings
2 min read NASA Supports Tests of Dust Sensor to Aid Lunar Landings University of Central Florida researchers tested an instrument designed to measure the size and speed of surface particles kicked up by the exhaust from a rocket-powered lander on the Moon or Mars. The four tethered flights on Astrobotic’s Xodiac rocket-powered lander took place in Mojave, California, from Sept. 12 through Oct. 4, 2023. Researchers tested the Ejecta STORM technology’s integration with a lander and operation in flight conditions that simulated the plume effects of a lunar lander.…
Read MoreThe next 4 to 5 years will be ‘most favorable’ for aurora sightings. Here’s why
The 2023/24 “aurora season” has begun and is ramping up to something quite spectacular in the next few years. Here’s why aurora activity is on the rise and why now is the best time to plan your northern lights adventure. Auroras have intrigued humans for millennia with their wispy ribbons of light dancing across the sky. Known as the aurora borealis or the northern lights in the northern hemisphere and aurora australis or southern lights in the southern hemisphere, this spectacle is one of the most beautiful natural phenomena in…
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