ThermaSat design would see CubeSats propelled by jets of steam

Howe Industries has submitted the design for a solar-powered steam rocket engine for propelling CubeSats to the National Science Foundation. With only two moving parts, ThermaSat uses a thermal condenser to flash boil water into superheated steam.

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Elon Musk reveals catch and quick release plans for Super Heavy booster

Controlled landings of its Falcon 9 boosters have become almost de rigueur for SpaceX, but Elon Musk has revealed different plans for the Falcon 9's bigger sibling, the Super Heavy booster – catching it using the launch tower arm.

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James Webb telescope unfolds its tennis court-sized sunshield

A next-generation space observatory has inched closer to lift-off, with NASA unfolding the James Webb Space Telescope’s five-layer sunshield in the same way it expects it to after arriving in orbit, as part of successful testing here on Earth.

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The 10 most bizarre space discoveries of 2020

Space is an incredibly weird place. From extreme exoplanets to stars with strange fates, clues to an old mystery and the beginnings of a brand new one, here are 10 of the weirdest astronomical discoveries that blew our minds this year.

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Astronomers precisely trace distance to oldest and farthest known galaxy

Astronomers have precisely measured the distance to the oldest and farthest known galaxy. Light left GN-z11 around 13.4 billion years ago, when the universe was a cosmic toddler, meaning this galaxy marks the very edge of the observable universe.

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SpaceX launches upgraded Dragon capsule with extra cargo space

SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon capsule became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) in 2012, and after more than eight years, the company has launched a new and improved version to the ISS.

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World’s largest solar telescope captures its first dramatic sunspot image

Astronomers have released a stunningly detailed image captured by the by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, revealing the structure of a massive sunspot as it temporarily darkened the Sun’s surface on January 28, 2020.

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Hubble catches nebula fizzling out faster than thought possible

Planetary nebulae are basically slow-motion explosions in space, expected to expand and then fade over tens of thousands of years. But in an unprecedented show, Hubble has witnessed a nebula fading and shrinking dramatically within just 20 years.

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