If we want to visit more asteroids, we need to let the spacecraft think for themselves
Missions to asteroids have been on a tear recently. Visits by Rosetta, Osirix-REX, and Hayabusa2 have all visited small bodies and, in some cases, successfully returned samples to the Earth. But as humanity starts reaching out to asteroids, it will r.....»»
Smashing into an asteroid shows researchers how to better protect Earth
Slowing down an asteroid by just one-tenth of a second makes all the difference. Enlarge / Riding atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, spacecraft sets off to collide with an asteroid.....»»
First crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft delayed again
The first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft has been delayed again while engineers fix an issue with the Boeing-made vehicle......»»
Boeing is troubleshooting a small helium leak on the Starliner spacecraft
The first launch of astronauts aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule is now set for May 21. Enlarge / A view looking down at Boeing's Starliner spacecraft and United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket inside the Vertical Integration Fa.....»»
Student"s comparative analysis of primitive asteroids provides context for further research, future NASA missions
The primitive asteroids that UCF physics doctoral student Brittany Harvison studies carry with them traces of their origins and billions of years of our solar system's history......»»
How to visit Treasure Islands in Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing New Horizons is all about living that island life, but treasure islands are something special. This is how you can find these rare islands......»»
In the race for space metals, companies hope to cash in
Mining asteroids could reduce the burden on Earth’s resources. Will it live up to its promise? Enlarge / An illustration depicts a NASA spacecraft approaching the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. Though there are no plans to mine P.....»»
Is dark matter’s main rival theory dead?
There’s bad news from the Cassini spacecraft and other recent tests. Enlarge / Galaxy rotation has long perplexed scientists. (credit: NASA/James Webb Telescope) One of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics today is.....»»
Is it a bird or a dinosaur? Fossils from Teylers Museum in Netherlands secretly visit UK"s synchrotron
The feathered limbs, sharp teeth and claws of the oldest known bird-like dinosaurs, the Archaeopteryx have fascinated naturalists and paleontologists including Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin who propelled the species to fame especially following pu.....»»
NASA confirms “independent review” of Orion heat shield issue
"There's no guarantee that changing the trajectory is the answer," says the Artemis II pilot. Enlarge / The Orion spacecraft after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at the end of the Artemis I mission. (credit: NASA) NASA.....»»
White Sands propulsion team tests 3D-printed Orion engine component
When the Orion spacecraft carries the first Artemis crews to the moon and back, it will rely on the European Service Module contributed by ESA (European Space Agency) to make the journey. The service module provides electrical power generation, propu.....»»
Faulty valve scuttles Starliner’s first crew launch
The soonest opportunity for Atlas V and Starliner to launch is Friday night. Enlarge / The Atlas V rocket and Starliner spacecraft on their launch pad Monday. (credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky) Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni.....»»
Do you need a dentist visit every 6 months? That filling? The data is weak
Getting evidence-based care may be like pulling teeth, researchers suggest. Enlarge (credit: Getty | Julian Stratenschulte) The field of dentistry is lagging on adopting evidence-based care and, as such, is rife with ove.....»»
Video: Using a hopping robot for asteroid exploration
One day the SpaceHopper will be deployed on space missions to explore relatively small celestial bodies such as asteroids and moons. These are thought to contain valuable mineral resources that could be of use to humankind in the future. The explorat.....»»
Starliner astronauts arrive at launchpad for first crewed flight tonight
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have arrived at the launchpad for the first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft......»»
Starliner’s first crewed launch called off just two hours before liftoff
A technical issue has forced NASA engineers to call off Monday's first crewed launch of the Starliner spacecraft just two hours before liftoff......»»
SpaceX got the fanfare, but Boeing’s first crew flight is still historic
Ars spoke with the three Americans alive who have test-flown a new spacecraft in orbit. Enlarge / Astronauts Suni Williams (left) and Butch Wilmore (right) inside a Starliner simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. (.....»»
Boeing"s first Starliner mission with humans set for historic Space Coast launch tonight
The stage is set for some space history to be made tonight as two veteran NASA astronauts aim to launch in a spacecraft that has never flown with humans before......»»
The surprise is not that Boeing lost commercial crew but that it finished at all
"The structural inefficiency was a huge deal." Enlarge / Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is lifted to be placed atop an Atlas V rocket for its first crewed launch. (credit: United Launch Alliance) NASA's senior leaders in.....»»
First crewed Starliner test needs good weather for launch. Here’s the forecast
NASA and Boeing Space are a short time away from conducting the first crewed launch of the Starliner spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida......»»
An Old Abstract Field of Math Is Unlocking the Deep Complexity of Spacecraft Orbits
Mathematicians think abstract tools from a field called symplectic geometry might help with planning missions to far-off moons and planets......»»