Readying spacecraft to surf Venus" atmosphere
ESA's EnVision mission to Venus will perform optical, spectral and radar mapping of Earth's sister planet. But before getting down to work the van-sized spacecraft needs to "aerobrake"—lowering its orbit with thousands of passages through the plane.....»»
SpaceX to top the Super Heavy catch with another astonishing feat
SpaceX chief Elon Musk has revealed that an upcoming Starship flight will attempt to catch not only the Super Heavy booster, but the Starship spacecraft, too......»»
NASA’s Europa Clipper Spacecraft Aims for Jupiter’s Most Intriguing Moon
For the first time, we are sending a spacecraft to explore an alien ocean world—a moon that might host life today.....»»
New instruments will study potential habitability of Jupiter"s moon Europa
Two Southwest Research Institute instruments were launched aboard NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft on Oct. 14 from the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft is designed to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's moon Europa, investigat.....»»
Each glacier has a unique organic matter composition, study reveals
Melting glaciers release more than just water. Organic matter once trapped in ice can run into streams and rivers, where it becomes food for microbes. These organisms respire the organic matter back to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide, wi.....»»
NASA launches mission to explore the frozen frontier of Jupiter’s moon Europa
"We’re interested in whether Europa could support simple life—single-celled organisms." NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft lifted off Monday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.....»»
SOHO spies bright comet making debut in evening sky
The ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) have captured images of the second-brightest comet to ever pass through its field of view during the spacecraft's nearly 29-year career......»»
Can life exist on an icy moon? NASA"s Europa Clipper aims to find out
With a spacecraft launching soon, the mission will try to answer the question of whether there are ingredients suitable for life in the ocean below Europa's icy crust......»»
SpaceX captures Starship booster for the first time in historic test
SpaceX hit a major milestone as it caught the returning Starship booster with giant metallic arms, while the spacecraft made a targeted splashdown......»»
Europa Clipper mission to investigate potential habitability of Jupiter"s moon
A NASA spacecraft is ready to set sail for Jupiter and its moon Europa, one of the best bets for finding life beyond Earth......»»
Researchers uncover role of plasma waves in mysterious heating of sun"s corona
There is a profound mystery in our sun. While the sun's surface temperature measures around 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, its outer atmosphere, known as the solar corona, measures more like 2 million degrees Fahrenheit, about 200 times hotter......»»
"Party atmosphere": Skygazers treated to another aurora show
Scientist Jim Wild has traveled to the Arctic Circle numerous times to study the northern lights, but on Thursday night he only needed to look out of his bedroom window in the English city of Lancaster......»»
Why Hurricane Milton Turned the Sky Purple
The strange, apocalyptic skies during the storm reveal how light behaves in the atmosphere when it’s filled with an unusual amount of water vapor, dust, and debris......»»
"Widespread noncompliance and poor performance" in world"s largest nature-based carbon removal projects
One of the largest types of carbon offset projects the Australian government is using to meet climate change targets and reduce carbon in the atmosphere is failing to do so, new research has shown. The findings are published in The Rangeland Journal......»»
Huge waves in the atmosphere dump extreme rain on northern Australia
In 2023, almost a year's worth of rain fell over ten days in parts of northwestern Australia, leading to catastrophic flooding in the town of Fitzroy Crossing and surrounds. The rainfall was linked to a tropical cyclone, but there were also lesser-kn.....»»
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.....»»
James Webb discovers a new type of exoplanet: an exotic ‘steam world’
Researchers using James Webb have identified a new and exotic type of planet called a steam world, with an atmosphere almost entirely composed of water vapor......»»
Hera probe heads off to see aftermath of DART"s asteroid impact
The European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft is on its way to do follow-up observations of Dimorphos, two years after an earlier probe knocked the mini-asteroid into a different orbital path around a bigger space rock......»»
SpaceX launches Europe’s Hera asteroid mission ahead of Hurricane Milton
The launch of another important mission, NASA's Europa Clipper, is on hold due to Hurricane Milton. Two years ago, a NASA spacecraft smashed into a small asteroid millions of mile.....»»
Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
Stormy weather has threatened to delay the launch of Europe's Hera spacecraft, which is scheduled to blast off on Monday, SpaceX has said......»»