[ad_1] The pieces are finally starting to come together for Virgin Galactic’s space tourism — the company has flown SpaceShipTwo from Spaceport America for the first time. It was just a glide test from 50,000 feet up, but the flight let the spaceport fulfill its intended purpose and gave pilots familiarity with the New Mexico […]
Category: Space
Watch a “potentially hazardous asteroid” fly by Earth tonight
[ad_1] An asteroid will hit Earth — it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.” Fortunately, the space rock known as 1998 OR2 won’t be crashing your quarantine party, but it’s still considered a potentially hazardous object since it will come within four million miles of Earth. Armchair astronomers can watch a livestream of the […]
Casio unveils a NASA-themed G-Shock watch for space fans
[ad_1] The watch is also notable for what you don’t see. Hodinkee noted that NASA’s merch requirements forbid any thing that suggests joint development or official endorsement, so the Casio logo is nowhere to be seen on the front — the embossed G-Shock logo and a small Casio badge on the back are about as […]
USGS releases first complete geologic map of the Moon
[ad_1] Have you ever wanted to study the Moon’s surface in exacting detail? Now’s your chance. The USGS (with help from NASA and the Lunar Planetary Institute) has released the first complete geologic map of the Moon, providing a truly comprehensive look at our nearest cosmic neighbor. The 1:5,000,000 scale map is color-coded to help […]
SpaceX will make its Starlink satellites less of a blight on the night sky
[ad_1] On April 22nd, SpaceX launched its eighth payload of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Shortly thereafter, the satellites could be seen from the ground, appearing to be dots of light traversing the night sky. According to Elon Musk, the company is working on reducing the glare that these cubesats create. The founder and […]
Scientists find an Earth-like planet hiding in old Kepler data
[ad_1] These parameters don’t guarantee that the planet will support life, even if there aren’t any errors. Red dwaves tend to flare up and hurt the chances for life. Researchers also don’t know the atmospheric composition, which could rule out life even if every other condition is ideal. With that said, NASA is hoping to […]
Astronomers observe the brightest supernova on record
[ad_1] In 2016, astronomers spotted the brightest supernova ever observed. They watched as the supernova, named SN2016aps, continued to emit radiation for more than 1,000 days. Today, in a paper published in Nature, they describe how this “extremely energetic supernova” could help them understand the universe’s evolution and the formation of the most massive stars. […]
Follow Apollo 13 in real-time on its 50th anniversary
[ad_1] Now’s your chance to relive another important part of space history. Apollo in Real Time is streaming audio and video from Apollo 13 on the 50th anniversary of the “successful failure’s” launch on April 11th, 1970. The mission dialogue will let you experience the incident (which happened on April 13th) and the mix of […]
NASA’s Mars helicopter is ready for the red planet
[ad_1] NASA is in the final stages of preparing the Perseverance rover for its trip to the red planet, which could begin anytime between July 17th and August 5th if everything goes as planned. Over the past week, the team assembled the machine, tested what needed to be tested and filled its tanks with fuel. […]
NASA reveals the next company to deliver expedition tech to the Moon
[ad_1] Humankind is one step closer to its next lunar expedition, as NASA has awarded a contract that will see foundational exploratory kit delivered to the surface of the Moon ahead of manned missions in 2024. California’s Masten Space Systems has won the $75.9 million contract to transport and operate eight payloads to the Moon’s […]