technical updates

Ahead of the Artemis 3 lunar landing mission, hardware from SpaceX's Starship was used to simulate dockings with NASA's Orion crew capsule. The two will rendezvous above the moon. from Space https://ift.tt/FitQKpA

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered how massive stars sculpt planetary systems and stunt planet birth with bombardments of harsh radiation. from Space https://ift.tt/XbT3P6L

Experience Arrakis like never before in the upcoming sci-fi game Dune: Awakening. from Space https://ift.tt/JxpqQP5

NASA's TIMED Earth-observation satellite and a dead Russian spacecraft nearly slammed into one another high above our heads this morning (Feb. 28). from Space https://ift.tt/65MNoEk

India has revealed a shortlist of air force pilots who will fly on the country's first human spaceflight mission, which is targeted for 2025. from Space https://ift.tt/7JVlsNM

In a pre-launch press briefing today (Feb. 28), NASA leadership stressed the fact that no matter how routine commercial launches might seem, safety is always the highest priority for the agency. from Space https://ift.tt/GEpPTea

NASA's Dana Weigel will helm the International Space Station program for NASA. She will succeed Joel Montalbano, who will take on an associate administrator position in April. from Space https://ift.tt/qN0RoaW

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers discovered an "extremely red," growing supermassive black hole powering a quasar that existed 700 million years after the Big Bang. from Space https://ift.tt/3YkVIQA

Early last week, ISRO successfully completed the final test to qualify its Gaganyaan rocket engine, approving it to be capable of safely ferrying astronauts to space. from Space https://ift.tt/iMB0JmW

New observations by NASA's Perseverance rover show just how much damage Ingenuity sustained on its final Mars flight. from Space https://ift.tt/fPuUQvs

A new record for electrical energy generation from CIGS solar cells has been reached. Scientists have achieved a 23.64 percent efficiency. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/4xsBOdU

When a star like our Sun reaches the end of its life, it can ingest the surrounding planets and asteroids that were born with it. Now, researchers have found a unique signature of this process for the first time -- a scar imprinted on the surface of a white dwarf star. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/zGneFJy

Japan's SLIM moon lander started working again on the lunar surface despite extreme heat conditions, the team announced Monday (Feb. 26). It even sent home new imagery. from Space https://ift.tt/PKtrUyc

The side effects of large-scale forestation initiatives could reduce the CO2 removal benefits by up to a third, a pioneering study has found. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ozjgwH4

SpaceX and NASA are officially go to launch their next astronaut mission to International Space Station on March 1. from Space https://ift.tt/tvDyfF3

A recent solar flare unleashed a massive plasma plume from the sun's south pole, where these stellar eruptions rarely happen. The unusual phenomenon is a sign of the impending solar maximum. from Space https://ift.tt/OFWkaYq

The Canadian Space Agency has five menu items planned for the Artemis 2 moon mission that will lift off no earlier than September 2025. from Space https://ift.tt/HNSXgpm

SpaceX plans to launch 24 of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida today (Feb. 24), on the company's 18th mission of 2024 already. from Space https://ift.tt/5qkt2Q8

Sorry, space fans: We won't be getting ground-level views of the first American moon landing since the Apollo era. from Space https://ift.tt/IT1yPwj

Researchers have measured the gravitational pull exhibited by the smallest mass yet, a breakthrough that could lead to a quantum theory of gravity at last. from Space https://ift.tt/WLtIHSm

Intuitive Machines became the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon on Feb. 22. The lander appears to be alive and well, the company has confirmed. from Space https://ift.tt/xWy7APl

The private Odysseus lander touched down near the moon's south pole this evening (Feb. 22), etching its name into the history books with a nail-biting descent. from Space https://ift.tt/aJCA6kl

The public is invited to contribute to NASA's Eclipse Soundscapes Project by recording sensory data as 2024's total eclipse passes overhead to determine its effect on the animal kingdom. from Space https://ift.tt/hmziCEB

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers spotted a neutron star that evaded detection for 37 years. It lives in Supernova 1987A, the aftermath of a stellar explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud. from Space https://ift.tt/cxqs5D4

Astronomers have discovered a radio signal from a 'JuMBO' in the Orion nebula, a weird celestial object discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope that defy star and planet formation models. from Space https://ift.tt/hAZVOWU

California startup Varda's first in-space manufacturing mission wrapped up on Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 21) with a touchdown of its capsule in northern Utah. from Space https://ift.tt/5wXUOao

The European Space Agency's ERS-2 satellite fell to Earth on Wednesday (Feb. 21), bringing an end to its nearly 30-year life in space. from Space https://ift.tt/JVos5kL

Scientists have brought the stars 'down to Earth' by creating 5 new isotopes that could reveal how heavy elements like gold are created when neutron stars smash together. from Space https://ift.tt/4Ug1YNp

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus mission is targeting a touchdown near the moon's south pole this week for a historic lunar landing. Why was this location chosen? from Space https://ift.tt/zTg7XvD

Sian Proctor spoke to Space.com about her captivating story of a woman who soared past barriers to pave the way for more diversity and inclusivity in space. from Space https://ift.tt/MsNGnJt

Once known for her beloved roles on Disney Channel, Bridgit Mendler has re-introduced herself as a CEO in the space business game. from Space https://ift.tt/uODFYLX

The Intuitive Machines moon landing machine is on course to the moon after 2 crucial engine burns in deep space. Lunar orbit insertion will happen on Feb. 21. from Space https://ift.tt/91BaMjy

The Australian Space Agency is building a moon rover called "Roo-ver," slated to launch as early as 2026. from Space https://ift.tt/I7W6cA1

A new camera on the South Pole Telescope has used the Cosmic Microwave Background as a celestial treasure map that could lead to the secrets of dark matter. from Space https://ift.tt/wSXREfK

Observations of galactic clusters made by the eROSITA X-ray all-sky survey could help solve a troubling tension in cosmology surrounding the 'lumpiness' of matter in the universe. from Space https://ift.tt/l0fJFEy

Astronomers have discovered a remarkable binary system in which a dead white dwarf star orbits a tiny stellar companion 72 times in 24 hours. The observation could help explain how tiny stars are born. from Space https://ift.tt/8qd1Ouz

Non-Earth imaging company HEO Robotics captured breathtaking images of ESA's ERS-2 satellite as it tumbles towards an atmospheric reentry on Feb. 21. from Space https://ift.tt/SeWgFBt

Palaeontological analysis shows renowned fossil thought to show soft tissue preservation is in fact just paint. Fossil discovered in 1931 was thought to be an important specimen for understanding early reptile evolution. While not all of the celebrated fossil is a forgery, scientists urge caution in how the fossil is utilized in future. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/ztlbBkg

Examining keyword terms from historic and modern texts can help researchers track and visualize plant diseases like late blight. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/hK0kxyH

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander has beamed home its first photos from the final frontier, gorgeous selfies that show its home planet in the background. from Space https://ift.tt/kmtS2yh

People who have had the herpes virus at some point in their lives are twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those who have never been infected. A new study confirms previous research on whether herpes can be a possible risk factor for dementia. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/tYuMo7Q

A new study offers a glimpse into the possible impact of climate change on coastal wetlands 50 years or longer into the future. Scientists are usually forced to rely on computer models to project the long-term effects of rising seas, but an unexpected set of circumstances enabled a real-world experiment along the Gulf Coast. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/1CtEmzK

Canadarm2 berthed a Cygnus cargo spacecraft on the International Space Station on Feb. 1. This is what it looked like, in space and from the orbiting complex. from Space https://ift.tt/KGnuC8x

India plans to launch its INSAT-3DS weather and disaster-warning spacecraft to orbit on Saturday morning (Feb. 17), and you can watch it live. from Space https://ift.tt/x1MKhln

Ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism have long been known to scientists as two classes of magnetic order of materials. Back in 2019, researchers postulated a third class of magnetism, called altermagnetism. This altermagnetism has been the subject of heated debate among experts ever since, with some expressing doubts about its existence. Recently, a team of experimental researchers was able to measure for the first time at DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) an effect that is considered to be a signature of altermagnetism, thus providing evidence for the existence of this third type of magnetism. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/4tDHv6V

China's Chang'e 8 moon mission, which is targeted to launch no earlier than 2028, will carry a small ecosystem and other payloads to test using lunar resources. from Space https://ift.tt/akn5HIg

Babies playfully tease others as young as eight months of age. Since language is not required for this behavior, similar kinds of playful teasing might be present in non-human animals. Now cognitive biologists and primatologists have documented playful teasing in four species of great apes. Like joking behavior in humans, ape teasing is provocative, persistent, and includes elements of surprise and play. Because all four great ape species used playful teasing, it is likely that the prerequisites for humor evolved in the human lineage at least 13 million years ago. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/BO5eLJK

Russia will launch the robotic Progress 87 cargo ship toward the International Space Station tonight (Feb. 14), and you can watch the action live. from Space https://ift.tt/Zn5JiC1

Using the results of a standard blood test and an online tool, you can find out if you are at increased risk of having a heart attack within six months. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/Ryca9wn

New research has shown that disease-causing bacteria carried in the human gut can also survive in Martian soil, a discovery with implications for future crewed exploration of Mars. from Space https://ift.tt/gmvPELU

The third test flight of SpaceX's Starship megarocket will take place roughly three weeks from now, according to company founder and CEO Elon Musk. from Space https://ift.tt/DStZf6F

A new trailer for National Geographic's celebration of Black astronauts in 'The Space Race.' from Space https://ift.tt/NivW0kf

I’m an astronomer who studies and writes about cosmology. Researchers have discovered over 5,600 exoplanets in the past 30 years, and their extraordinary diversity continues to surprise astronomers. from Space https://ift.tt/fr81y5z

We're diving back into the grim darkness of the 41st millennium once again, as Titus returns in Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. For Ultramar!!! from Space https://ift.tt/JIYd4yq

The onset of psychosis can be predicted before it occurs, using a machine-learning tool which can classify MRI brain scans into those who are healthy and those at risk of a psychotic episode. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/jkLq6gA

A young star's extreme outburst could show us the violent conditions that may be experienced by planets, including those of the solar system, as they form in infant systems. from Space https://ift.tt/WZ8FchM

Using the James Webb Space Telescope astronomers have zoomed in on a dwarf galaxy in the Milky Way's local group to understand the ebb and flow of star formation since the early universe. from Space https://ift.tt/ELWXBYj

QuEra has harnessed the power of quantum entanglement to dramatically reduce the error rate in qubits — with the first such commercial quantum computer, made from 256 physical qubits and 10 logical qubits, tapping into this technology when it launches this year. from Space https://ift.tt/tS0Zjm4

Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander is set to launch next week carrying a special set of 'eyes' to track how the spacecraft's engine plume interacts with the lunar surface. from Space https://ift.tt/jNMaTKt

As predicted by general relativity, the rapid spin of our galaxy's 4.1-million-solar-mass black hole is able to warp the fabric of spacetime. from Space https://ift.tt/AxwLFdG

A new scanning study of 390 babies has shown distinct patterns between term and pre-term babies in the moment-to-moment activity and connectivity of brain networks. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/8BC4mwX

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory won't ever leave Earth, but its big picture, highly detailed view of the solar system will inspire a new era of space missions destined to visit asteroids. from Space https://ift.tt/RtufwyB

SpaceX's nighttime launch of NASA's ocean-watching PACE satellite provided a perfect opportunity for some gorgeous launch photography. from Space https://ift.tt/FsaikwW

NASA's Juno spacecraft has seen Jupiter's volcanic moon Io like never before, catching active eruptions, lava flows, and a side to the solar system's most volcanic body not seen in 35 years. from Space https://ift.tt/ys0x3eJ

Scientists discovered a pathway from mitochondrial DNA replication stress to immune system activation and inflammation, finding that endosomes responsible for disposing of dysfunctional mitochondrial DNA were leaking mitochondrial DNA into the cell and prompting the inflammatory immune response. The pathway provides new targets for therapeutics that disrupt inflammation during aging and disease. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/EbIcDTx

CERN has revealed further plans for the Future Circular Collider, which will dwarf the Large Hadron Collider in size and power to hunt for dark energy and dark matter. from Space https://ift.tt/HotiC7S

When it comes to making fuel from plants, the first step has always been the hardest -- breaking down the plant matter. A new study finds that introducing a simple, renewable chemical to the pretreatment step can finally make next-generation biofuel production both cost-effective and carbon neutral. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/GsY6Rxc

Moon robotics will move around astronauts and equipment to get ready for lunar landings. But first, comes the simulation of Canadarm3 to make sure everything will fit. from Space https://ift.tt/IAt45cC

Over the course of 3 years, Chandrayaan-2 observed thousands of mysterious, slow-building, ultra-hot solar flares as they erupted from the sun. from Space https://ift.tt/FREVl0e

During its second close rendezvous with Jupiter's volcanic moon, NASA's Juno spacecraft collected some amazing images of the scene. from Space https://ift.tt/xjH3v1r

Virgin Galactic informed the FAA that the mothership of its space plane VSS Unity lost a piece of hardware on its most recent suborbital flight. from Space https://ift.tt/6TFnVz8

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has now racked up more than 879 days in space, breaking the record for most time spent off Earth. from Space https://ift.tt/TRzX07Q

NASA's Perseverance Rover took a photo of its broken companion, the Ingenuity helicopter, as it sat motionless on a dune on Feb. 4. from Space https://ift.tt/72RTOkG

Adults treated with 14 days of intravenous injections of ginkgo diterpene lactone meglumine (GDLM) -- a combination of biologically active components of ginkgo biloba -- after an ischemic (clot-caused) stroke had better cognitive recovery at 14 days and 90 days. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/i3ry2vg

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a cosmic 'tug of war' between two galaxies that have lasted for tens of millions of years and could end in a collision. from Space https://ift.tt/hGryHnx

During twilight hours on Feb. 6, NASA's PACE mission is slated to make its way to Earth's orbit. The satellite will monitor some of our planet's tiniest pieces, from microorganisms and algae to unseeable airborne particles. from Space https://ift.tt/7FtrVwD

Lake Rotorua, which sits at the heart of a dormant volcano and is the setting for one of New Zealand's most famous Māori love stories, has been mapped in detail for the 1st time. from Space https://ift.tt/xqKjgDl

The technology that enabled SLIM's precision moon landing could assist future touchdowns by allowing spacecraft to land in relatively small areas amid rocky or uneven terrain. from Space https://ift.tt/4YeTCcL

NASA's PACE satellite, which will help scientists gauge the health of oceans around the world, is set to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket early on Feb. 6. from Space https://ift.tt/lV0t3vj

Zebrafish are smaller than your little finger, with a brain no more than half the size of a pinhead. Yet these animals possess an efficient navigation system that enables them to find their way back to spots in the water where the temperature suits them. from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/MOfNRpz

The four astronauts of the private Ax-3 mission will depart the International Space Station in their SpaceX Dragon capsule on Saturday (Feb. 3), and you can watch the action live. from Space https://ift.tt/ujDBf7o

NASA is wrapping up the design phase of a project to develop concepts for a small, electricity-generating nuclear fission reactor for use on the moon. from Space https://ift.tt/mtfaLlE

A classic toy brand is putting its foot down on how NASA rockets are launched. After 30 years of producing "kid-powered" projectiles of its own design, Stomp Rocket is releasing its first NASA set. from Space https://ift.tt/zA6tXgb

Japan's historic SLIM moon lander has powered down ahead of a likely mission-ending cold lunar nighttime — but not before grabbing some final images and loads of science data. from Space https://ift.tt/pOjUHYi

NASA astronaut Nick Hague will make his 1st trip to space for Space Force, but he's been there twice before already. from Space https://ift.tt/Jbt4naz

The first eROSITA sky-survey data release involves an X-ray image of half the universe, showing exploding stars and over 700,000 supermassive black holes. It's the largest catalog of high-energy cosmic sources ever. from Space https://ift.tt/9vQZaIs

A new generation of spacesuit is getting ready for ISS missions. Collins Aerospace recently did testing on a spacesuit for spacewalks while flying parabolic. from Space https://ift.tt/zL2gvET