Asteroid-bound DART spacecraft snaps Jupiter and moon Europa
With just a few days to go before NASA deliberately crashes it into an asteroid, the DART spacecraft has snapped an image of Jupiter and its moon Europa......»»
Lunar gravity measurements hint at a partially molten mantle layer
We know that beneath its crater-pocked silicate crust, the moon has an olivine mantle and a metallic core. Some research has also suggested that a partially molten layer may lie at the base of the otherwise solid mantle, sandwiched between it and the.....»»
Watch out-of-this-world footage from the recent Polaris Dawn mission
A camera attached to the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon spacecraft recorded some remarkable footage from 450 miles above Earth......»»
Earth will have a temporary "mini moon" for two months
Earth's moon will soon have some company—a "mini moon.".....»»
SpaceX launches mission to bring Starliner astronauts back to Earth
SpaceX is bringing back propulsive landings with its Dragon capsule, but only in emergencies. Enlarge / SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft climbs away from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Saturday atop a Falcon 9 roc.....»»
SpaceX set to launch mission to bring Starliner astronauts back to Earth
SpaceX is bringing back propulsive landings with its Dragon capsule, but only in emergencies. Enlarge / SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft is ready for launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Spa.....»»
Europe en route for moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
Europe has embarked on the mission to put humans back on the moon with a new lunar simulator launched in Germany, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet told AFP......»»
Asteroid Ceres is a former ocean world that slowly formed into a giant, murky icy orb
Since the first sighting of the first-discovered and largest asteroid in our solar system was made in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi, astronomers and planetary scientists have pondered the make-up of this asteroid/dwarf planet. Its heavily battered and dimp.....»»
Ryugu samples call into question previous ideas about the formation of carbon-rich asteroids
Asteroid Ryugu possibly did not travel as far from its place of origin to its current near-Earth orbit as previously assumed. New research published in the journal Science Advances suggests that Ryugu was formed near Jupiter......»»
Study suggests moon may have been captured from space rather than formed from collision particles
Over six missions to the moon, from 1969 to 1972, Apollo astronauts collected more than 800 pounds of lunar rock and soil. Chemical and isotopic analysis of that material showed that it was similar to the rock and soil on Earth: calcium-rich, basalti.....»»
NASA"s Artemis science instrument gets tested in moon-like sandbox
On Sept. 9 and 10, scientists and engineers tested NASA's LEMS (Lunar Environment Monitoring Station) instrument suite in a "sandbox" of simulated moon regolith at the Florida Space Institute's Exolith Lab at the University of Central Florida in Orla.....»»
Record-breaking laser demonstration completes mission
NASA's TBIRD (TeraByte InfraRed Delivery) demonstration and its host spacecraft—the PTD-3 (Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-3)—have completed their technology demonstration. The TBIRD payload spent the past two years breaking world records for.....»»
Robotic moving "crew" preps for work on moon
As NASA moves forward with efforts to establish a long-term presence on the moon as part of the Artemis campaign, safely moving cargo from landers to the lunar surface is a crucial capability......»»
Nuking a huge asteroid could save Earth, lab experiment suggests
Humanity could use a nuclear bomb to deflect a massive, life-threatening asteroid hurtling towards Earth in the future, according to scientists who tested the theory in the laboratory by blasting X-rays at a marble-sized "mock asteroid"......»»
Murine study suggests cosmic radiation in outer space may affect long-term cognition
During missions into outer space, galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) will penetrate current spacecraft shielding and thus pose a significant risk to human health......»»
Walking on the Moon in Cologne: Europe"s lunar life simulator
A large, ordinary-looking warehouse in the German city of Cologne is the closest you can get to walking on the moon—without leaving Earth......»»
Planetary defense research mission readies for asteroid visit
The European Space Agency is about to launch a spacecraft on an important research mission designed to bolster planetary defense......»»
Low-temperature ammonia-to-hydrogen conversion achieved by applying an electric field
Hydrogen gas, owing to its high energy density and carbon-free nature, is gaining much attention as the energy source for a green and sustainable future. Despite being the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen is mostly found in a bound sta.....»»
Astronomers catch a glimpse of a uniquely inflated and asymmetric exoplanet
An international group of researchers including University of Arizona astronomers, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, has observed the atmosphere of a hot and uniquely inflated exoplanet. The exoplanet, which is the size of Jupiter but only a t.....»»
Proof-of-concept study uses X-rays to target mock-up asteroids in a vacuum
An X-ray pulse may be able to vaporize the surface of an asteroid and change its trajectory, according to a proof-of-concept paper published in Nature Physics. A laboratory experiment that mimics the deflection of an asteroid model using this techniq.....»»
Sources of water and hydroxyl are widespread on the moon, new analysis of maps finds
A new analysis of maps of the near and far sides of the moon shows that there are multiple sources of water and hydroxyl in the sunlit rocks and soils, including water-rich rocks excavated by meteor impacts at all latitudes......»»