Image: Turning astronaut waste into fuel on Mars
Space News & Blog Articles
Spacewalk underway for space station maintenance, upgrades
Two astronauts floated outside the International Space Station Wednesday for a spacewalk to install refurbished ammonia jumpers in the lab’s cooling system, to replace a high-definition camera and to make power and data connections on a European instrument platform.
10 most successful sci-fi movies at the Oscars
Fill your champagne flute and toast science fiction’s big winners that took home the gold at the Academy Awards!
Hubble telescope spies striking spiral galaxy that's part of a huge cosmic structure
The Hubble Space Telescope caught a galaxy on camera that underlies a much larger structure, known as the Virgo Cluster.
A spiderweb of wormholes could solve a fundamental paradox first proposed by Stephen Hawking
A seemingly intractable black hole paradox first proposed by physicist Stephen Hawking could finally be resolved — by wormholes through space-time.
'Star Trek: Picard' Season 2 episode 2 offers epic updates to classic storylines
Much of this story arc features old ideas, but it's the refreshing new perspective that makes this compelling viewing
MTG-I weather satellite passes tests in preparation for liftoff
With extreme weather events threatening to be more frequent and more severe as the climate crisis takes grip, it’s never been more important to have fast and accurate forecasts. ESA and Eumetsat are working hard to ensure that there will be a constant stream of weather data from space for the next decades and that these data will arrive faster and be more accurate compared to what we have today. It is therefore fitting that on World Meteorological Day, ESA can be assured that the first of the next generation weather satellites, Meteosat Third Generation Imager, has passed a critical set of tests, paving the way for it to be launched in December.
2 astronauts performing spacewalk Wednesday morning: Watch live
Two astronauts will conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Wednesday morning (March 23), and you can watch the off-world action live.
China launches military spy satellite
A Long March 4C rocket lifts off with the Yaogan 34-02 satellite. Credit: CASC
China launched a classified military remote sensing satellite March 17 on a Long March 4C rocket. The three-stage rocket placed the Yaogan 34-02 satellite into an orbit at an altitude of 680 miles (1,100 kilometers).
ExoMars is Suspended. ESA is Looking for new Solutions to Replace Russian Components
Coordination between countries in space exploration is widespread. However, sometimes that coordination falls apart. In most cases, that failure is due to budgetary constraints. But in more recent times, it is due to geopolitical ones. Specifically, western space agencies have begun to cut ties with Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, on every program excluding the International Space Station, which is still operating normally. One of those project casualties is the timeline of the oft-delayed Exomars rover, Rosalind Franklin.
With 21 Flights Under its Belt, Ingenuity is Getting a Mission Extension
Ingenuity, the helicopter currently zipping its way around Mars, has been a hotly watched topic here at UT. After completing its 21st mission and being on the planet for a little over a year, Ingenuity’s handlers have officially extended its mission in the hopes that it will continue its stellar, groundbreaking performances.
Mars helicopter Ingenuity soars on 22nd Red Planet flight
NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity has done it again, soaring successfully on its 22nd Red Planet flight.
Russia launches military communications satellite: reports
A Soyuz rocket topped with the Meridian-M satellite launched today (March 22) from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwestern Russia.
Blue Origin's 4th crewed spaceflight: When to watch and what to know
Here's everything you need to know about Blue Origin's launch of six people aboard its New Shepard spacecraft on March 29, 2022.
Photos: SLS makes its debut at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now
The first 322-foot-tall (98-meter) Space Launch System moon rocket arrived on launch pad 39B Friday after an overnight trek from the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Why NASA's new 'mega moon rocket' is so incredible
NASA's upcoming Space Launch System is amazing in so many ways.
Tracks of China's Zhurong Mars rover spotted by NASA orbiter (photo)
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted China's Zhurong rover down on the surface, providing an epic overview of the vehicle's travels through the red dirt.
The Strange Swirls on the Lunar Surface are Somehow Related to Topography
The Moon is the most studied object in space. But our nearest neighbour still holds a few mysteries. One of those mysteries is the lunar swirls. These strange serpentine features are brighter than their surroundings and are much younger. They’re not associated with any specific composition of lunar rock, and they appear to overlay other surface features like craters and ejecta.
It's Confirmed. We now Know of More Than 5,000 Exoplanets
This week the official count of known exoplanets crossed 5,000. On the one hand, there isn’t anything special about 5,000 vs 4,900 or 5,100, but on the other hand, crossing this threshold is an indication of how far we’ve come, and how quickly things will change in the future.
Comet Leonard has broken into pieces as it rounds the sun: report
Comet Leonard, the brightest comet of 2021 has disintegrated, according to EarthSky.