Space News
NASA Chief Says 'Nothing Off the Table' as Agency Develops New Moon Plan
SPACE.com - 2 Apr 2019 18:42
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said April 1 that he hopes to develop an initial plan within the next couple of weeks for getting astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024.
Subaru Telescope helps find dark matter is not made up of tiny black holes
EurekAlert! - 2 Apr 2019 08:00
(Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe) An international team has found evidence dark matter may not be made of tiny black holes.
Ten years before the detection of gravitational waves, two KITP postdocs at UC Santa Barbara had a novel idea
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 22:34
The history of science is filled with stories of enthusiastic researchers slowly winning over skeptical colleagues to their point of view. Astrophysicist Scott Hughes can relate to these tales.
Ground-Based Telescope Directly Observes the Atmosphere of an Extrasolar Planet, and Sees Swirling Clouds of Iron and Silicates
Universe Today - 2 Apr 2019 23:54
We’ve finally got our first optical look at an exoplanet and its atmosphere, and boy is it a strange place. The planet is called HR8799e, and its atmosphere is a complex one. HR8799e is in the grips of a global storm, ...
Satellites Watched a Huge Fireball Explode Above the Bering Sea Late Last Year
Universe Today - 2 Apr 2019 23:46
NASA's Terra satellites recently spotted a fiery meteorite in Earth's atmosphere, which exploded above the Bering Sea. The post Satellites Watched a Huge Fireball Explode Above the Bering Sea Late Last Year appeared firs...
Aireon activates service, begins flight-tracking trials
Space News - 2 Apr 2019 23:28
Aircraft tracking company Aireon initiated service with its space-based sensor network April 2, starting global monitoring of aircraft location and velocity on a near real-time basis. SpaceNews.com
Mars Has Methane--But Does It Have Life?
Scientific American - 2 Apr 2019 23:00
Multiple lines of evidence suggest the gas occasionally surges into the Red Planet’s atmosphere. Could it be a sign of a subsurface biosphere? --
Mars 2020 Rover Instrument Survives Termination Review
SPACE.com - 2 Apr 2019 22:59
The partial government shutdown earlier this year that delayed elements of other NASA missions may have provided a reprieve of sorts for a troubled instrument on the agency's next Mars mission.
'Captain Marvel' Nears $1 Billion, More Comic Milestones Within Reach
SPACE.com - 2 Apr 2019 22:50
Higher, faster, further... more?
VLA makes first direct image of key feature of powerful radio galaxies
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 22:27
Astronomers used the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to make the first direct image of a dusty, doughnut-shaped feature surrounding the supermassive black hole at the core of one of th...
After the Moon in 2024, NASA wants to reach Mars by 2033
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 22:18
NASA has made it clear they want astronauts back on the Moon in 2024, and now, they are zeroing in on the Red Planet--the US space agency confirmed that it wants humans to reach Mars by 2033.
VLA Makes First Direct Image of Key Feature of Powerful Radio Galaxies
PTTU - 2 Apr 2019 21:19
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO): Astronomers used the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to make the first direct image of a dusty, doughnut-shaped feature surrounding the sup...
SwRI to conduct largest-ever Hubble survey of the Kuiper Belt
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 20:18
NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) recently awarded Southwest Research Institute the largest Hubble Space Telescope (HST) solar system program ever, with 206 of Hubble's orbits around the Earth allocated to...
Northeast Astronomy Forum 2019 Gathers Space Fans This Weekend
SPACE.com - 2 Apr 2019 18:11
Space fans will gather this weekend in Rockland, New York, to celebrate astronomy at the Northeast Astronomy Forum -- and if you'll be attending, be sure to stop by Space.com.
All-Female Spacewalk Was Cancelled on 'My Recommendation,' Astronaut Anne McClain Says
SPACE.com - 2 Apr 2019 18:00
Astronaut Anne McClain is defending NASA's decision to scrap the first all-female spacewalk over a lack of appropriately sized spacesuits.
Lyophilization can help create food for space travel, new medicines for cancer
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 17:59
Research continues on an eventual 140-million-mile mission to Mars, developing the latest transportation as well as habitats necessary for the red planet.
ESA's 'Cubesat central' for smaller missions into space
ESA - 2 Apr 2019 16:30
ESA has set up a dedicated unit to work on the standardised nanosatellites called 'CubeSats', teaming up with European companies to develop low-cost technology-testing missions. Missions in preparation include a double C...
Methane on Mars: A new discovery or just a lot of hot air?
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 16:00
The discovery of life on Mars would get pretty much everyone excited. But the scientists hunting for it would probably be happy no matter what the outcome of their search - whether life turned out to extinct, dormant or ...
Video: Solar Orbiter during thermal-vacuum tests
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 15:50
An infrared view of our Solar Orbiter spacecraft, which is currently undergoing a series of tests at the IABG facility in Ottobrunn, Germany, ahead of its launch, scheduled for February 2020.
Where space missions are born
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 15:40
A high-resolution radar mission to Earth's 'evil twin' Venus, a spacecraft to detect the most powerful explosions in the Universe and an observatory for the cool, dusty cosmos to investigate the origins of stars: ESA's C...
Europa Clipper high-gain antenna undergoes testing
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 15:40
It probably goes without saying, but this isn't your everyday satellite dish.
Scientists prove that binary stars reflect light from one another
Phys.org - 2 Apr 2019 15:38
UNSW astronomers have shown that binary stars - two stars locked in orbit around each other - reflect light as well as radiating it, revealing new ways for their detection.