Here’s why NASA’s Artemis I mission is so rare, and so remarkable
"It is the beginning of the new beginning." Enlarge / NASA's Orion spacecraft descends toward the Pacific Ocean after a successful mission on Sunday. (credit: NASA) The first step of a journey is often the most difficult.....»»
In a rare disclosure, the Pentagon provides an update on the X-37B spaceplane
"This first of a kind maneuver from the X-37B is an incredibly important milestone." After more than nine months in an unusual, highly elliptical orbit, the US military's X-37B sp.....»»
First greenhouse gas plumes detected with NASA-designed instrument
The imaging spectrometer aboard the Carbon Mapper Coalition's Tanager-1 satellite has identified methane and carbon dioxide plumes in the United States and internationally......»»
Scientists accelerate uranium beam with record power
Scientists and engineers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) have reached a new milestone in isotope studies. They accelerated a high-power beam of uranium ions and delivered a record 10.4 kilowatts of continuous beam power to a target. The.....»»
Here"s what has made Hurricane Milton so fierce and unusual
With its mighty strength and its dangerous path, Hurricane Milton powered into a very rare threat flirting with experts' worst fears......»»
Jupiter"s Great Red Spot shows unexpected size changes
Astronomers have observed Jupiter's legendary Great Red Spot (GRS), an anticyclone large enough to swallow Earth, for at least 150 years. But there are always new surprises—especially when NASA's Hubble Space Telescope takes a close-up look at it......»»
NASA terminal transmits first laser communications uplink to space
NASA's LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal), a ground station made of modified commercial hardware, has transmitted its first laser communications uplink to the TBIRD (TeraByte Infrared Delivery), a tissue box-sized payload formerly in low Earth orbit......»»
Hubble and New Horizons offer dual perspectives on Uranus to inform exoplanet research
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft simultaneously set their sights on Uranus recently, allowing scientists to make a direct comparison of the planet from two very different viewpoints. The results inform future plans to study l.....»»
NASA announces a new class of space missions: Probe explorers
NASA has sent a whole host of spacecraft across the solar system and even beyond. They range from crewed ships to orbit and to the moon to robotic explorers. Among them are a range of mission classes from Flagships to Discovery Class programs. Now a.....»»
Scientists long urged NASA to search for signs of life near Jupiter; now it"s happening
In 2015, Bill Nye was on Marine One with President Obama......»»
Polar jet stream could reveal Saturn"s rotational period
A hexagon-shaped atmospheric phenomenon first spotted on Saturn by Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 has intrigued scientists since the 1980s. More recently, NASA's Cassini mission has periodically observed the hexagon and its embedded strong eastward jet that.....»»
We’re finally going to the Solar System’s most intriguing but unexplored frontier
If you've been waiting for a real mission of discovery into the unknown, this is it. I really hate to be the bearer of such bad news, but you and I will not live forever, dear rea.....»»
Apple brings years-old features to iCloud web interface
It's still a long, long way from parity with iOS or macOS apps, though. In a rare event, Apple has rolled out substantial updates to the web-based iCloud interface meant to allow.....»»
NASA"s Roman space telescope"s "exoskeleton" whirls through major test
A major component of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope just took a spin on the centrifuge at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Called the Outer Barrel Assembly, this piece of the observatory is designed to keep the tel.....»»
Spotted handfish genome sequenced for the first time
Scientists from CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have sequenced the first ever full genome of the rare and elusive spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus)—a critically endangered marine fish endemic to Tasmania......»»
Anti-glitches detected in gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1522-5735
By analyzing the data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Russian astronomers have detected anti-glitches in a gamma-ray pulsar designated PSR J1522-5735. The discovery, published September 28 on the pre-print server arXiv, makes PSR J1522-5.....»»
Single-celled eukaryote employs unconventional cytoskeletal components for dynamic shape-shifting
Recently, a research group led by Prof. Miao Wei from the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered that Lacrymaria cells utilize unconventional and novel components of the cytoskeleton to achieve their remarkable.....»»
SpaceX launches Hera asteroid mission, but delays Europa Clipper because of Hurricane Milton
SpaceX returned to flight with its Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, sending up the Hera probe for the European Space Agency on its way to a pair of asteroids, but SpaceX and NASA have called off plans to launch the Falcon Heavy later this week on NASA's Eu.....»»
SpaceX’s Hera launch offers sublime view of Earth
A SpaceX rocket that launched a planetary defense mission on Monday captured a breathtaking view of Earth shortly after reaching orbit......»»
Perseverance team revives SHERLOC instrument to help with Jezero crater discovery
In January 2024, the SHERLOC instrument aboard NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover encountered a significant issue. A fault in the instrument's motor caused the dust cover and autofocus mechanism to become inoperative, putting the rover's SHERLOC Ram.....»»
Curiosity rover provides new insights into how Mars became uninhabitable
NASA's Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale crater on Mars, is providing new details about how the ancient Martian climate went from potentially suitable for life—with evidence for widespread liquid water on the surface—to a surface that is.....»»