Orionid meteor shower 21-22 October 2021: When, where & how to see it
While a Full Moon will dampen visibility, the Orinid Meteor Shower will happen 21-22 October, 2021.
Highly porous rocks are responsible for asteroid Bennu’s surprisingly craggy surface
Scientists thought asteroid Bennu’s surface would be like a sandy beach, abundant in fine sand and pebbles, which would have been perfect for collecting samples. Past telescope observations from Earth’s orbit had suggested the presence of large swaths of fine-grain material called fine regolith that’s smaller than a few centimeters.
Why a Labrador crater is the perfect training ground for future moon explorers
One of the most iconic moments of the 20th century was the first step by a human on the surface of another planetary body. That first footprint was, of course, made by Neil Armstrong on the moon on July 21, 1969. Like many of you, I was not alive to witness this historic event, and so have spent much of my career dreaming of the time when humans will once again venture beyond the protection of low Earth orbit, back to the moon, and then on to Mars. That day is getting tantalizingly close with the launch of NASA’s Artemis Program.
Planet with iron rainfall is even more extreme than scientists thought
On this sizzling exoplanet hundreds of light-years from Earth, droplets of iron rain fall from the sky at night. Now, researchers have also detected sodium and ionized calcium in the planet’s atmosphere, based on observations from the Gemini North Telescope, which is located near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
William Shatner’s Blue Origin launch on New Shepard: Live updates
William Shatner, the actor who portrayed Captain Kirk on the original “Star Trek” TV series and films will launch into space on Oct. 12, 2021 aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft. Liftoff is set for 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas with Shatner and three others aboard.
NASA reassigns 2 astronauts from Boeing’s Starliner to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon
Two astronauts expected to fly on early missions of Boeing’s crew capsule will instead ride to orbit with SpaceX, NASA announced on October 6, 2021. The agency has reassigned astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada to SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission, which is expected to launch toward the International Space Station no earlier than the fall of 2022.
Soyuz delivers cosmonaut and film crew to ISS
A Soyuz spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station Oct. 5 carrying a cosmonaut as well as an actress and director who will film scenes for a Russian movie. A Soyuz-2 rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:55 a.m. Eastern and placed the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft into orbit. The Soyuz docked with the Rassvet module of the ISS at 8:22 a.m. Eastern after a two-orbit approach. The spacecraft’s commander, Anton Shkaplerov, had to perform a manual docking after a problem with the automated Kurs docking system.
Japanese carmaker Honda developing reusable rocket for LEO satellites
SEOUL, South Korea — Japanese carmaker Honda is developing a partially reusable launch vehicle for small satellites with a test launch to be conducted by 2030. The company unveiled the plan Sept. 30, saying its core automotive technologies for combustion, fluid, remote control and guidance will be applied to the rocket.
Automation a Key Enabler of the Future Space Economy
Robotics and automation are playing a huge role across the rapidly evolving new space economy and value chains adjacent to space. The new space economy is being driven by more than billionaires and tourists wishing to go to the great beyond, or governments seeking to commercialize space missions.
Japan’s Mission to Phobos Will Also Bring a Sample Home by 2029
Japan’s space agency (JAXA) is gearing up for its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, with plans to have a sample from Mars’ moon Phobos return to Earth by 2029.
James Webb’s Upper Stage is off to the Launch Site
In November (or early December) of this year, after many excruciating delays, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will finally launch to space.
Posted on August 22, 2021 SpaceX Thinks it can Send Humans to the Moon Sooner Than 2024
It’s no secret that a new Space Race has been brewing over the past few years. This time, rather than being a competition between two federal space agencies, the race has more competitors and is more complicated. In addition to more state competitors, there are also commercial space entities vying for positions and lucrative contracts. Add to that a network of public-private partnerships, and you have Space Race 2.0!
Epic radio images give most-detailed views of distant galaxies
FM radio waves reveal a side of the universe invisible to the human eye.
Sodium ‘fizz’ gives big asteroid Phaethon its weird comet-like appearance
Warmer temperatures near the sun can make sodium on asteroid Phaethon “fizz,” giving it comet-like tail.