Space News
The Carina Nebula. Seen With and Without Adaptive Optics
Universe Today - 7 Oct 2020 02:15
Ever wonder how modern astronomical observatories take such clear images of distant objects? Advances in mirror design have allowed for larger and larger primary mirrors. But adaptive optics play a huge role, too. The Ea...
Here's a Clever Idea, Looking for the Shadows of Trees On Exoplanets to Detect Multicellular Life
Universe Today - 7 Oct 2020 02:25
That’s the kind of headline that can leave us scratching our heads. How can you see tree shadows on other worlds, when those planets are tens or hundreds of light years--or even further--away. As it turns out, there mi...
New 3-D model could explain the formation of a hexagon storm on Saturn
Phys.org - 7 Oct 2020 10:12
With its dazzling system of icy rings, Saturn has been a subject of fascination since ancient times. Even now the sixth planet from the sun holds many mysteries, partly because its distance away makes direct observation ...
Capella Space unveils first radar satellite images
Space News - 7 Oct 2020 06:24
Capella Space unveiled images Oct. 6 from Sequoia, the first of 36 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites the San Francisco startup plans to send into a constellation to collect global imagery with hourly updates. Spa...
Schedule is king for C-band replacement satellites
Space News - 7 Oct 2020 03:52
Rather than pushing the state-of-the art, Boeing, Maxar Technologies and Northrop Grumman are emphasizing reliability in satellites they are manufacturing to help Intelsat and SES clear C-band spectrum, according to spea...
The colorful walls of an exposed impact crater on Mars
Phys.org - 7 Oct 2020 14:52
Impact craters have been called the "poor geologists' drill," since they allow scientists to look beneath to the subsurface of a planet without actually digging down. It's estimated that Mars has over 600,000 craters, so...
Op-ed | Can SpaceX profit on certain Starlink launches?
Space News - 7 Oct 2020 14:42
It is no longer a surprise to industry observers that partial reusability, economies of scale and vertical integration have enabled SpaceX to achieve extremely low Falcon 9 launch costs. It may however remain a surprise ...
House space subcommittee chair still seeking NASA plan for 2024 lunar landing
Space News - 7 Oct 2020 13:44
The chair of the House space subcommittee says NASA has still not convinced her that the agency has a viable plan to return humans to the moon by 2024. SpaceNews
There's too much gold in the universe. No one knows where it came from.
SPACE.com - 7 Oct 2020 13:00
Something is showering gold across the universe. But no one knows what it is, and key theoretical explanations are falling apart
A space fan's guide to New York Comic Con 2020
SPACE.com - 7 Oct 2020 01:57
We've scanned the schedule and pulled out the essential panels that space lovers should make their top priority for the virtual New York Comic Con.
Cocktail Chemistry: 10 Science-Backed Tips for the Perfect Drink
Discover - 7 Oct 2020 23:51
Are your homemade cocktails never as good as the real thing? Fear not, science has you covered!
Build your own space agency with 'Mars Horizon' and try a free demo now (exclusive video)
SPACE.com - 7 Oct 2020 22:20
It's time to virtually race to space at the head of a space agency -- your choice of NASA, the European Space Agency or the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The origin of Type Ia supernovae revealed by manganese abundances
Phys.org - 7 Oct 2020 22:15
A research team at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) consisting of Visiting Scientist Chiaki Kobayashi, Project Researcher at the time Shing-Chi Leung (currently at the Cali...
U.S. Transportation Command to study use of SpaceX rockets to move cargo around the world
Space News - 7 Oct 2020 21:10
Gen. Stephen Lyons: "Think about moving the equivalent of a C-17 payload anywhere on the globe in less than an hour." SpaceNews
Astronaut chooses daughter's wedding over space test flight
Phys.org - 7 Oct 2020 20:32
The commander of Boeing's first astronaut flight has pulled himself off the crew so he's on Earth--not at the International Space Station--for his daughter's wedding next year.
Space Development Agency seeks bids for launch services for 28 satellites
Space News - 7 Oct 2020 19:48
The agency will make one award to the provider that offers the "best value" based on several criteria such as price, schedule and past performance. SpaceNews
Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson won't fly on 1st crewed Starliner launch
SPACE.com - 7 Oct 2020 19:16
Boeing's Chris Ferguson is withdrawing from the first crewed Starliner test flight for NASA, a mission he was to command.
Looking for pieces of Venus? Try the moon
Phys.org - 7 Oct 2020 17:58
A growing body of research suggests the planet Venus may have had an Earth-like environment billions of years ago, with water and a thin atmosphere.
Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson withdraws from Starliner test flight
Space News - 7 Oct 2020 17:30
Chris Ferguson, the former NASA astronaut who was to command the first crewed flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, has withdrawn from the mission for personal reasons, the company announced Oct. ...
Momentus to go public with Stable Road Acquisition Corp.
Space News - 7 Oct 2020 17:23
In-space transportation startup Momentus Space announced plans Oct. 7 to become a publicly traded company in early 2021 through a merger with Stable Road Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. SpaceNew...
New research explores how super flares affect planets' habitability
Phys.org - 7 Oct 2020 16:53
Ultraviolet light from giant stellar flares can destroy a planet's habitability. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will help astrobiologists understand how much radiation planets experienc...