Japan becomes the fifth nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon
After a successful landing, Japan's SLIM spacecraft stopped generating power. Enlarge / Artist's illustration of the SLIM spacecraft on final descent to the Moon. (credit: JAXA) The Japanese space agency's first lunar la.....»»
Juice spacecraft snaps images of the Earth and moon as it passes by
The European Space Agency's Juice spacecraft recently made a flyby of both Earth and the moon on its way to Jupiter, and it took some gorgeous images......»»
China proposes magnetic launch system for sending resources back to Earth
In his famous novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," Robert A. Heinlein describes a future lunar settlement where future lunar residents ("Loonies") send payloads of wheat and water ice to Earth using an electromagnetic catapult......»»
Japan"s space agency ends Moon probe operation
Japan's space agency said on Monday it had ended its Moon lander operation after losing communication with the uncrewed spaceship last week......»»
The moon looks majestic in ISS astronaut’s stunning photo
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick has shared a stunning image that he took recently aboard the International Space Station......»»
Another piece of NASA’s mega moon rocket ships out
NASA is continuing work on another key piece of space infrastructure: its Space Launch System......»»
The moon was once covered by an ocean of molten rock, data from India"s space mission suggests
Data from India's recent Chandrayaan-3 mission supports the idea that an ocean of molten rock once covered the moon. Scientists from the mission have published their new findings in the journal Nature......»»
NASA’s Starliner decision was the right one, but it’s a crushing blow for Boeing
It's unlikely Boeing can fly all six of its Starliner missions before retirement of the ISS in 2030. Enlarge / A Starliner spacecraft mounted on top of an Atlas V rocket before an unpiloted test flight in 2022. (credit: Boeing).....»»
Starliner astronauts to return to Earth in SpaceX Dragon next year
Two NASA astronauts stuck in orbit for over two months after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft developed a fault will return to Earth in a SpaceX Dragon craft......»»
Bird species are disappearing at an alarming rate in Kenya, study finds
Sub-Saharan Africa has a vast amount of uncultivated, arable land—about 2 million km2, accounting for about 50% of the global total. This land is a critical habitat for many animal species, including birds......»»
Whaling: why the practice will not go away
The detention in Greenland of anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson pending possible extradition to Japan has turned the spotlight on the widely condemned practice of hunting whales......»»
NASA"s DART impact permanently changed the shape and orbit of asteroid moon, new study shows
When NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft collided with an asteroid moon called Dimorphos in 2022, the moon was significantly deformed—creating a large crater and reshaping it so dramatically that the moon derailed from its ori.....»»
Researchers discover dual epicenters in New Year"s Day Noto earthquake
The first seven months of 2024 have been so eventful, it's easy to forget that the year started off with a magnitude 7.5 earthquake centered beneath Japan's Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day. The earthquake killed more than 280 people and damaged more.....»»
Comparing two proposed NASA missions to Jupiter"s moon Io
Thanks to NASA's Juno mission to the Jupiter system, we're getting our best looks ever at the gas giant's volcanic moon Io. Even as Juno provides our best views of the moon, it also deepens our existing questions. Only a dedicated mission to Io can a.....»»
Europe delivers for Artemis III
The European Service Module that will power the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis III mission to the moon will soon be on its way to the United States......»»
Juice spacecraft slingshots around Earth and moon in world’s first maneuver
The JUICE spacecraft swung back home on its way to Jupiter and used both Earth and the moon's gravity to slingshot it forwards, in the first lunar-Earth flyby......»»
From coal plant to data center: Old power stations are being repurposed
Industrial sites have the large tracts of land and resources needed. Enlarge (credit: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) Booming demand for artificial intelligence is encouraging big tech companies and their suppliers to e.....»»
First analysis of soil near the moon"s south pole suggests its surface was once covered in molten magma
India's Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched last summer and its Vikram lander touched down on the moon's surface last August. Shortly thereafter, it released a rover called Pragyan. Since that time, the rover has been meandering around the surface of.....»»
Repurposing pencil lead as an optical material using plasma
Optical materials are essential in many modern applications, but controlling the way a material reflects light on its surface is costly and difficult. Now, in a recent study, researchers from Japan found a simple and low-cost way of tuning the reflec.....»»
Floods swamp Bangladesh as nation finds its feet after protests
Floods triggered by torrential rains have swamped a swath of low-lying Bangladesh, disaster officials said Thursday, adding to the new government's challenges after weeks of political turmoil......»»
NASA wants clarity on Orion heat shield issue before stacking Artemis II rocket
"We have still a lot of work to do to close out the heat shield investigation." Enlarge / The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission, comprising its crew and service modules, was lifted into a vacuum test chamber at NASA's K.....»»