SpaceX to pause launches after Falcon 9 issue on Crew-9 | This Week In Space: Ep130 - Mars Dogs, Snakes on the Moon | How fast will the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 2 travel?
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SpaceX has temporarily grounded its Falcon 9 rocket after the second stage of the launch vehicle for NASA's Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station experienced an issue following its separation from the astronauts' spacecraft, on the stage's way back to Earth.
On Episode 130 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Jim Bell about the Mars Sample Return program and VIPER mission to the moon. NASA's planetary exploration program is in trouble. The Mars Sample Return program is verging on cancellation, and the VIPER mission to the moon already has been. Both are critical precursors to human exploration of these places, as Dr. Jim Bell of Arizona State University tells us.
On Oct. 2, an annular solar eclipse will be visible from the Southern Hemisphere. During this event, the moon doesn't completely cover the sun from our perspective on Earth, so it leaves a "ring of fire" around the moon. The moon's shadow will appear to travel at vastly different speeds depending on your location. In some places, it will move faster than 6 million mph (10 million km/h); in others, it will travel as slow as 1,278 mph (2,057 km/h), or about the speed of a fighter jet.
How can someone fly to space without becoming an astronaut, having millions of dollars or being a celebrity? On Aug. 29, Blue Origin successfully completed its eighth human spaceflight and the 26th mission of its New Shepard suborbital program overall. Onboard this flight was Eiman Jahangir, a Tennessee cardiologist who earned his seat not just by chance, but through unwavering dedication to his dream.
China has kicked off of a second phase of construction to enhance the capabilities of what is already the world's largest single-dish radio telescope. The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), situated in a karst region in Guizhou, southwest China, has been operating since January 2020. But now a second phase will add 24 new moveable radio telescopes, each with a diameter of 131 feet (40 meters). Construction officially started on Sept. 25, on the eighth anniversary of FAST's completion.
SpaceX's two-person Crew-9 mission arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) today (Sept. 29) after a one-day orbital chase. Crew-9's Crew Dragon capsule, named Freedom, docked with the ISS Sunday, at 5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 GMT).
"Alien: Romulus" has effectively rebooted the aging "Alien" franchise with its return to old-fashioned horror scares, practical special effects, brilliant worldbuilding, a solid cast, and a focused storyline that satisfies both longtime fans and newcomers - there's a reason it shot to the upper echelons of our Alien movies ranked list.
