SAN FRANCISCO – A White House budget proposal calls for replacing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s future geostationary satellite constellation, GeoXO, with a far less expensive and ambitious program. […] The post OMB suggests NOAA scale back plans for geostationary satellites appeared first on SpaceNews.
Where did the water we believe is on the Moon come from? Most scientists think they know the answer – from the solar wind. They believed the hydrogen atoms that make up the solar wind bombarded the lunar surface, which is made up primarily of silica. When that hydrogen hits the oxygen atoms in that silica, the oxygen is sometimes released and freed to bond with the incoming hydrogen, which in some cases creates water. But no one has ever attempted to replicate that process to prove its feasibility. A new paper by Li Hsia Yeo and their colleagues at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center describes the first experimental evidence of that reaction.
After spending 220 days on board the International Space Station, astronaut Don Pettit is back on Earth. He returned to Earth on Sunday, April 20th, which coincides with his 70th birthday.
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft made a successful flyby of the second asteroid on its must-see list over the weekend, and sent back imagery documenting the elongated object’s bizarre double-lobed shape. It turns out that asteroid Donaldjohanson — which was named after the anthropologist who discovered the fossils of a human ancestor called Lucy — is what’s known as a contact binary, with a couple of ridges in its narrow neck.
The plume from a rocket engine burn high in Earth’s atmosphere caused a glowing spectacle similar in appearance to a nebula. Continue ReadingSpaceX launch creates a ‘nebula’ | Space picture of the day for April 21, 2025
NASA’s oldest active astronaut, the 70-year-old Don Pettit, has returned home to Houston after a seven-month stint aboard the International Space Station. Continue ReadingDon Pettit, NASA’s oldest active astronaut at 70, arrives in Houston after 7-month space mission (photo)
The first 27 satellites of Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet constellation are now scheduled to lift off atop an Atlas V rocket on April 28 from Florida. Continue ReadingAmazon’s Kuiper 1 internet satellites get new April 28 launch date on Atlas V rocket after delay
Last week, scientists announced they found the “strongest evidence yet” of alien life beyond our solar system. However, the scientific community remains skeptical. Continue ReadingDid we actually find signs of alien life on K2-18b? ‘We should expect some false alarms and this may be one’
As someone who has spent years chasing clear skies and battling light pollution, the Unistellar Equinox 2 has been nothing short of a game-changer. I’ve owned several telescopes over the years, from traditional Dobsonians to entry-level computerized models, and while each had their strengths, none offered the seamless blend of power, portability, and smart features that the Equinox 2 delivers. Living in a moderately light-polluted suburb, I had nearly given up on deep-sky observation from home. But this telescope proved me wrong. Continue ReadingeQuinox 2 Telescope Review
Scientists are still trying to understand the origin of multicellular life. It emerged about 1.2 billion years ago (or even earlier, according to some debated evidence). The timing of multicellular life’s appearance on Earth is not the only thing being debated; so are the mechanisms behind it. New research supports the idea that multicellular life began when single-celled bacteria started grouping together.
Just how powerful is the world’s most powerful telescope?
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has beamed back pictures from its latest asteroid flyby, revealing a long, lumpy, odd-shaped space rock.
A fleet of cubesats will act as a radio telescope to map the cosmic Dark Ages, its builders say. Continue ReadingBlue Skies Space to build satellite fleet around the moon to map the ancient universe
This new teaser is packed with pregnancy, the power of family, plus the Silver Surfer. Continue Reading‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ trailer shown at CinemaCon now arrives for us all (video)
Astronomers have observed a twinkling star and discovered an abundance of mysterious plasma structures in our cosmic neighborhood. Continue ReadingTwinkling star reveals the secrets of turbulent plasma in our cosmic neighborhood
Visit ancient Mars—a surprisingly temperate planet where snow or rain falls from the sky, and rivers rush down valleys to feed hundreds of lakes.
A newly discovered green comet tracked by telescopes has likely broken apart as it swung by the sun, dashing hopes of a naked-eye spectacle.
A breathtaking new image of the famous Eagle Nebula captures a towering pillar of gas and dust sculpted by intense stellar radiation. Continue ReadingColorful Eagle Nebula glows in stunning new image from Hubble Telescope
DARPA is seeking proposals for a small lunar orbiter that could be used to test operations in very low orbits while prospecting for water ice. The post DARPA requests proposals for water-prospecting lunar orbiter appeared first on SpaceNews.
In this episode, Astronomy magazine Editor Dave Eicher invites you to head out before sunrise and view brilliant Venus. The planet, which is only outshone by the Sun or the Moon, will lie low in the eastern sky. It will rise and hour or so before the Sun. Even as morning twilight begins to brighten the sky,Continue reading “This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: Venus in the Morning Sky” The post This Week in Astronomy with Continue ReadingThis Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher: Venus in the Morning Sky
