Space

Space and science coverage including asteroids, galaxies, planets, NASA and SpaceX launches.

NASA's TROPICS cubesat will study tropical cyclones

Failed Astra Rocket launch costs NASA two TROPICS satellites

June 13th, 2022

NASA’s push to put more satellites in orbit to study tropical cyclones has hit a snag. The first two TROPICS CubeSats were lost during their launch over the weekend. The first duo of its new satellites with the Time Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission were …

Science

NASA is assembling a team to study UFOs, but is it worth it?

June 12th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

Congress isn’t the only one starting to take UFOs a bit more seriously. NASA has also shared plans to start an independent study on the matter in early fall. The NASA UFO study will focus on identifying available data as well as how best to collect data in the future. The space agency says its …

Science

A micrometeoroid just hit NASA’s James Webb space telescope

June 9th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

NASA’s James Webb space telescope has been hit by a micrometeoroid. The space agency shared the news earlier this month. It says the micrometeoroid hit the telescope sometime between May 23 and 25. Luckily, the impact wasn’t strong enough to cause any trouble for James Webb.

Science

NASA’s latest SpaceX mission is on hold due to a serious problem

June 9th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

NASA’s most recent SpaceX mission to the International Space Station is on hold. The Space agency announced the delay earlier this week, citing eye exams, spacesuit work, and even a possible fuel leak with the Dragon spacecraft.

Science

NASA’s Perseverance rover has a strange and unexpected travel companion

June 9th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

NASA’s Perseverance rover is on one of the most critical missions the space agency has ever had on the Red Planet. Tasked with finding evidence of ancient life in a part of the planet believed to be an ancient river delta, the rover has discovered a number of intriguing things. Now, though, it also seems …

Solar system planet on nebula background 3d rendering

Science

NASA plans to explore the hellish atmosphere of Venus

June 8th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

NASA has big plans to explore Venus within the next 10 years. Last week, the space agency shared details about its Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) probe. The probe is scheduled to launch in June of 2029. NASA hopes to have it in position to enter the atmosphere by …

site where NASA SpinLaunch test will take place

Science

Insane video shows what it’s like to be launched into Earth’s atmosphere at 1,000 mph

June 8th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

A new video from SpinLaunch shows you exactly what it looks like to be launched into the Earth’s atmosphere at over 1,000 miles per hour. The video is just under a minute long, and it’s astonishing to watch as SpinLaunch literally throws its payload into the atmosphere.

Science

Hubble captures astonishing new image in search of distant undiscovered galaxies

June 8th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

Since it launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has continued to deliver new and exciting discoveries about the cosmos. Now, Hubble’s largest near-infrared image could further help scientists find undiscovered galaxies. The image captures the entirety of the COSMOS field, a known region of space filled with galaxies. It was captured using a program …

Science

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter is in trouble

June 7th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter can’t seem to catch a break. After months of trouble, the Mars-based spacecraft is now facing another major problem. A key part of Ingenuity’s navigation system has stopped working, leaving the craft unable to take flight.

Science

Key building blocks of life found in asteroid samples brought back to Earth

June 7th, 2022

Joshua Hawkins

Back in 2019, Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft collected samples from an asteroid known as Ryugu. Located nearly 200 million miles from Earth, the asteroid has been a focus of studies for some time. Now, Japan’s education of ministry has shared the findings from the samples Hayabusa2 collected, noting that it discovered key building blocks of life …