On Tuesday, September 10th, at 5:23 a.m. EST (03:23 p.m. PST), the Polaris Dawn mission launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying a crew of four to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This mission is the first of three that comprise the Polaris Program, a private spaceflight program organized by entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman and financed by SpaceX. Since launching, the Resilience Crew Dragon spacecraft has flown higher than any crewed mission since the Apollo Era and passed through parts of the Van Allen radiation belt.
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First non-government spacewalk goes off without a hitch for Polaris Dawn crew
Isaacman floats above the Crew Dragon’s hatch, taking in a spectacular view of Earth from 458 miles above the southern Indian Ocean. Image: SpaceX.
In another SpaceX milestone, billionaire Jared Isaacman and company crew trainer Sarah Gillis took turns floating just outside their Crew Dragon capsule early Thursday in the first privately-financed spacewalk in the history of space exploration.
Groundbreaking New Maps of the Sun’s Coronal Magnetic Fields
If you enjoyed this summer’s display of aurora borealis, thank the Sun’s corona. The corona is the Sun’s outer layer and is the source of most space weather, including aurorae. The aurora borealis are benign light shows, but not all space weather produces such harmless displays; some of it is dangerous and destructive.
SpaceX's Starship won't be licensed to fly again until late November, FAA says
SpaceX's Starship likely won't be able to fly again until late November at the earliest, because the FAA and partner agencies need more time for licensing reviews.
Update: Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Might Outshine Predictions
A new brightness forecast for Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS whets our hopes for a fine appearance in late September and early October.
Helen Sawyer Hogg: Giving the Stars to Everyone
Helen Sawyer Hogg stood at the front of a small but growing force of woman astronomers in the first half of the 20th century. This is her story.
Sun fires off X-class solar flare, increasing aurora viewing chances into weekend
The sun unleashed an X1.3-class solar flare on Thursday (Sept. 12), increasing the likelihood of widespread auroras this weekend.
SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn astronauts talk US flag and kids' books from orbit on historic spaceflight (videos)
The Polaris Dawn crew called down to Earth to honor the anniversary of 9/11, and to do a book-reading event to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Polaris Dawn: World's 1st commercial spacewalk was history's 20th stand-up EVA
Two private astronauts conducting the first commercial spacewalk did not so much float out of their spacecraft as they did "stand up."
Book Review: Is Earth Exceptional?
A new book looks at the latest scientific insights versus a key question in astronomy and space science.
Satellites watch Hurricane Francine make landfall as a Category 2 storm in Louisiana (video)
Hurricane Francine, the sixth storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, made landfall on the Louisiana coast late afternoon on Wednesday.
New 'Firefly' comics unveil the untold origins of Captain Mal and Zoë
A preview of two new "Firefly" comics from Boom! Studios that delve into the origins of Captain Mal and Zoë Alleyne
Tiny NASA satellite detects its 1st massive gamma ray burst
A NASA satellite designed to search for the universe's most powerful and violent explosions has successfully scouted its first burst, space agency officials announced earlier this week.
'International Observe the Moon Night' is Sept. 14. Here's how to participate
Saturday Sept. 14 marks NASA's annual Observe the Moon Night, a worldwide event to promote lunar science and astronomy, celebrate cultural connections to the moon, and promote amateur lunar observations.
SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronauts perform historic 1st private spacewalk in orbit (video)
Two Polaris Dawn astronauts completed the world's first all-private spacewalk in their new SpaceX extravehicular activity suits, on Day 3 of the groundbreaking mission.
The bubbling surface of a distant star was captured on video for the 1st time ever
Astronomers have gotten the first-ever detailed views of turbulent activity on a star other than our own sun.
SpaceX launches 5 giant BlueBird smartphone satellites for AST SpaceMobile, lands rocket
AST SpaceMobile's first five giant commercial direct-to-cell satellites, huge spacecraft called BlueBirds, lifted off this morning (Sept. 12) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Webb peers into the Extreme Outer Galaxy
Image: Digel Cloud 2S
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 5 BlueBird satellites on Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands ready to launch five of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird satellites from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Image: SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch with the first five commercial satellites for AST SpaceMobile’s new cellular constellation. The satellites, called ‘BlueBird,’ are a precursor to the next generation of its satellites.
Are Claims of Alien Visitation Causing a Problem to Society?
I’ve been an avid stargazer for a fair few decades now and not once have I seen anything that makes me believe we are being visited by aliens! My own experiences aside, there’s no evidence of alien visitations but it seems much of the population believes anything that they cannot immediately identify in the sky MUST be ailens. A new paper suggests there are costs associated with increasing claims such as disctractions to government programs and background noise that hampers science communication. How on Earth should we deal with it? If debunking doesn’t work, then maybe its time for a scientific investigation.
Polaris Dawn crew gears up for Thursday spacewalk
An artist’s impression of a Polaris Dawn astronaut flowing just outside the Crew Dragon capsule in the first commercial spacewalk. Graphic: SpaceX
Billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX crew trainer Sarah Gillis prepared to open the forward hatch of their Polaris Dawn spacecraft early Thursday to take turns floating outside in the first non-government spacewalk in the history of space exploration.
