For the first time, a spacecraft has detected acoustic and seismic waves from impacts on Mars. NASA’s InSight lander made the detections from four meteoroids that crashed on Mars in 2020 and 2021. Ever since the mission landed on the Red Planet in 2018, scientists have been hoping to be able to detect impacts with InSight’s seismometer, which was mainly designed to sense Marsquakes. But these impacts are the first the lander has detected.
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
NASA's Mars lander hears the 'bloop' of meteorites hitting the Red Planet
What's shaking on Mars? Thanks to the InSight lander scientists now know part of the answer is space rock impacts. The lander's seismometer has 'heard' at least four strikes.
Should Low Earth Orbit be a protected environmental ecosystem?
An article published in Nature Astronomy makes a strong case to declare the orbital space around earth an ecologically protected environment. It was part of a submission to the US Court of Appeals in August last year and was filed by several organisations in response to license amendments granted by the FAA to SpaceX for Starlink satellites. To understand why this is so important, it may help to remember that orbital space is a “common” area, like “International Waters” in our oceans, so it is not currently protected by a single country or organization.
China Mars mission data offers evidence for ancient ocean
Evidence collected by the Tianwen 1 orbiter and Zhurong rover supports the possible existence of an ancient ocean in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars.
See the crescent moon pose with Pollux this week
The moon will pass by the brightest stars of the Gemini constellation — Pollux and Castor — and will be closest to the former early Tuesday morning.
Space roar: The mystery of the loudest sound in the universe
The loudest sound in the universe, an epic "space roar", was detected in 2006 and scientists still don't know what's causing it.
Best neutral density filters in 2022
Here are the best neutral density filters for your camera, giving you flexibility for long exposures and controlling light transmission.
NASA chief says cooperation with China in space is up to China
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told a major international space conference that the possibility of cooperating with China in space is "up to China."
NASA's DART asteroid-impact mission will be a key test of planetary defense
When the DART spacecraft impacts the asteroid Dimorphos on Sept. 26 in a test of our planetary defenses, it will be a continuation of work that started decades ago.
Help find weird comet-like asteroids that could reveal solar system secrets
Astronomers know of only a few dozen examples of these active asteroids, but they suspect more are out there — and you can join the hunt.
Autumnal equinox 2022: Twilight and myths of the equinox and 6-month polar night
The word equinox, from the Latin for "equal night," alludes to the fact that day and night are then of equal length worldwide on these dates. But this is not necessarily so.
Solar Orbiter Captures the First Ever Image of a Magnetic Solar Switchback on the Sun
On March 25, 2022, the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft closed in on the Sun, getting ready to study it during a flyby. Its Metis coronagraph instrument, which blocks out the Sun so the spacecraft can study its outer atmosphere, recorded an image of something strange: a distorted, S-shaped “kink” in a small area of plasma flowing from the Sun. It was a magnetic solar switchback.
A New Shepard Exploded. Fortunately, There Wasn’t Anyone on Board
On September 12, Blue Origin New Shepard mission, NS-23, failed just over one minute into an uncrewed flight, forcing the escape system to eject its New Shepard upper stage capsule, which landed safely near the launch site. Several science experiments were being carried onboard with the original flight plan calling for the capsule to reach an altitude of a little more than 60 miles, which is internationally acknowledged as the edge of space. While the flight was uncrewed and the capsule made a successful soft landing after ejecting, the scenario could have been far more ill-favored if the flight had been crewed with tourists.
ULA readies Delta 4-Heavy rocket for weekend launch from California
The payload fairing containing the National Reconnaissance Office’s classified spy satellite is lifted atop ULA’s Delta 4-Heavy rocket before the NROL-91 mission. Credit: United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance’s ground team recently completed a countdown dress rehearsal and installed a classified spy satellite payload on top of a Delta 4-Heavy rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, readying the triple-body launcher for liftoff Saturday.
SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy rocket just fired up 7 engines for the 1st time (video)
SpaceX fired seven engines on its Starship Super Heavy prototype "Booster 7" on Monday (Sept. 19), marking the highest number of Raptor engines ever tested simultaneously.
NASA preps for SLS fueling test Wednesday
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
NASA says Jupiter is at its closest in 59 years
The solar system's most massive planet, Jupiter, will make its closest approach to Earth for 59 years on Sept. 26 even as the gas giant will be directly opposite the sun as viewed from Earth.
NASA's Artemis 1 moon rocket launch hinges on critical fueling test on Sept. 21
A fueling test of NASA's new megarocket on Sept. 21 could make or break the agency's hopes of launching the Artemis 1 moon mission on Sept. 27.
Astronomers Find a Sun-like Star Orbiting a Nearby Black Hole
In 1916, Karl Schwarzchild theorized the existence of black holes as a resolution to Einstein’s field equations for his Theory of General Relativity. By the mid-20th century, astronomers began detecting black holes for the first time using indirect methods, which consisted of observing their effects on surrounding objects and space. Since the 1980s, scientists have studied supermassive black holes (SMBHs), which reside at the center of most massive galaxies in the Universe. And by April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration released the first image ever taken of an SMBH.
