Watch: SpaceX makes historic booster capture

In an astonishing bit of space gymnastics, SpaceX has pulled off a true first. It captured a Super Heavy booster at about 7:31 am CST using its own launch tower after delivering a Starship second stage to orbit, followed by a controlled reentry.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingWatch: SpaceX makes historic booster capture

Curiosity rover sheds new light on how Mars became uninhabitable

Data from NASA's Curiosity rover collected on Mars is shedding new light on how the Red Planet became uninhabitable in the distant past due to a changing climate that caused the surface water to evaporate or be locked away as ice.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingCuriosity rover sheds new light on how Mars became uninhabitable

X-rays could deflect dangerous Earthbound asteroids

Asteroids can devastate the planet in an instant – just ask the dinosaurs. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories have now demonstrated a proof of concept method to deflect a potential Earthbound asteroid using a blast of X-rays.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingX-rays could deflect dangerous Earthbound asteroids

Colossal cosmic jets unleash trillion-Sun energy across 140 Milky Ways

Astronomers have spotted an absolutely colossal cosmic chimney that stretches as far as 140 Milky Ways lined up side by side. These jumbo jets are being blasted from a supermassive black hole.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingColossal cosmic jets unleash trillion-Sun energy across 140 Milky Ways

Watch: Nearby star blows bubbles the size of 75 Suns

The Sun is the biggest fish in our small pond of a solar system, but it’s a mere minnow compared to the whales that dwell out in the cosmos. New telescope images show a gigantic star casually blowing bubbles 75 times bigger than our Sun.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingWatch: Nearby star blows bubbles the size of 75 Suns

Polaris Dawn prepares for first private spacewalk: How to watch

Having completed its first day in orbit, the Polaris Dawn mission is preparing to make the first private spacewalk in history. Two astronauts are scheduled to exit the Dragon spacecraft Resilience at 2:23 am EDT and here's how to watch.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingPolaris Dawn prepares for first private spacewalk: How to watch

Elon Musk plans to send first Starships to Mars in 2026

SpaceX founder Elon Musk says that the first of his company's Starship spacecraft will set off for Mars in two years and the first crewed missions will follow in 2028. He sees this as part of his plan to make humanity an interplanetary species.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingElon Musk plans to send first Starships to Mars in 2026

Watch Starliner return home empty on Friday – but it may have gremlins

The "not stranded" astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) won't have an emergency ride home after Friday. NASA says that the uncrewed Starliner capsule will undock and return to Earth autonomously. Oh, and it might be 'haunted.'

Source of Article

Continue ReadingWatch Starliner return home empty on Friday – but it may have gremlins

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket grounded by FAA after botched landing

The FAA has grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket after one failed during a powered landing attempt on August 28, 2024 after the successful launch of 21 Starlink satellites. It's the first unsuccessful landing for SpaceX since 2021.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingSpaceX Falcon 9 rocket grounded by FAA after botched landing

Wall-building robot eyed for blast shield construction on the Moon

When you live on the Moon, your only option for commuting back to Earth or on to Mars will be some kind of rocket. But each launch will kick up a hellstorm of debris. Building walls to contain the mess could be a perfect job for autonomous rovers.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingWall-building robot eyed for blast shield construction on the Moon