NASA's Perseverance rover hits the Mars rock gold mine: 'It has been all we had hoped for and more'

Perseverance strikes gold: 'All we had hoped for and more' | Planetary Science Caucus 'alarmed' by plans to slash NASA | Space Quiz! From which constellation does the Lyrid meteor shower typically fall? Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version April 17, 2025 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad (NASA/JPL-Caltech) Perseverance strikes gold: 'All we had hoped for and more' NASA's Perseverance rover is reveling in a scientific bonanza on Mars after finding a diverse array of rocks that are providing eager scientists a glimpse into the planet's ancient history. Read More (Space.com / Josh Dinner) Planetary Science Caucus 'alarmed' by plans to slash NASA Bipartisan U.S. Congressional Planetary Science Caucus co-chairs have chimed into the NASA budget conversation: "We are extremely alarmed by reports of a preliminary White House budget that proposes cutting NASA Science funding by almost half and terminating dozens of programs already well underway, like the Mars Sample Return mission and the Roman Space Telescope," they jointly wrote in a statement. Read More Space Quiz! From which constellation does the Lyrid meteor shower typically fall? Learn the answer here! Orion Libra Lyra Leo (NASA) NASA continues stack of Artemis moon rocket (photos) NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) continues to make progress toward its Artemis 2 mission planned for next year. SLS is currently being stacked inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, where, the final pieces of the rocket are being assembled. Read More Skywatching (Space.com) Where to see the Lyrid meteor shower 2025 For the best show, head outside during the early morning hours of April 22, as this is the peak of the meteor shower, ideally between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. local time, just before dawn. Read More Spaceflight (JAXA) Glitch forces Japan's Hayabusa2 probe into 'safe mode' The Japanese asteroid-sampling spacecraft Hayabusa2 has been forced into protective "safe mode" while journeying through deep space. After delivering sample of Ryugu to Earth, the main spacecraft embarked on an extended mission to scope out yet another asteroid. Hayabusa2 is now headed for the small, near-spherical asteroid 1998 KY26, which it's expected to reach in 2031. But it is not currently plain sailing for the extended mission. Read More Science & Astronomy (ESO/L. Calçada) Double-star system with sideways exoplanet discovered Scientists have perhaps discovered the weirdest planetary system ever seen. Not only does this system feature the first-ever "polar planet" to be discovered, meaning the world exists on a sideways orbit, but that planet also circles around two stars. But that's not all - those parent stellar bodies are also brown dwarfs, better known as "failed stars." Read More Technology (European Space Agency) This scientist helped build NASA's asteroid response plan Lindley Johnson has been a pioneer in blueprinting warning and response scenarios to any potential impact of Earth by an asteroid or comet. He led the establishment of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA in January 2016. Prior to NASA, he served 23 years of Air Force active duty working on a host of national security space systems. Space.com talked with Johnson, the space agency's Planetary Defense Officer Emeritus, now in phased retirement mode, about his decades of work in shaping a global response and reaction to a rocky world smacking into our planet. Read More   Sign Up  |    Update Profile  |    Unsubscribe Privacy Policy  |    Cookies Policy  |    Terms and Conditions CONTACT US: FEEDBACK  |    ADVERTISE Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036

NASA astronaut Don Pettit and 2 cosmonauts will return to Earth on April 19

NASA astronaut Don Pettit will return to Earth on April 19 | Katy Perry just became the 1st pop star to sing in space | Aisha Bowe becomes 1st Bahamian woman to reach space Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version April 16, 2025 CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM       Something amazing every day. SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad (NASA) NASA astronaut Don Pettit will return to Earth on April 19 NASA astronaut Don Pettit and two cosmonaut colleagues will return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday night (April 19), if all goes to plan. The journey home for Pettit, Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner will begin Saturday at 5:57 p.m. EDT (2157 GMT), when their Russian Soyuz spacecraft undocks from the ISS' Rassvet module. The trio will touch down on the steppe of Kazakhstan, southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan, just a few hours later, around 9:20 p.m. EDT (0120 GMT and 6:20 a.m. local Kazakh time on April 20). NASA will webcast the homecoming live, and Space.com will carry the agency's feed if it's made available. Read More (Blue Origin) Katy Perry just became the 1st pop star to sing in space Katy Perry isn't the first performer with space ambitions. In fact, megastars Lance Bass, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber all hoped to be first at one time or another in the last decade. Here's a look at those efforts and our take on why they fizzled. Read More Spaceflight (Blue Origin) Aisha Bowe becomes 1st Bahamian woman to reach space In high school, Aisha Bowe's guidance counselor told her she wasn't suited for a career in aerospace engineering, and that she should try cosmetology instead. On Monday (April 14), Bowe became the first Bahamian woman to fly to space. Read More Science & Astronomy (Robert Lea (created with Canva)) Matter-spewing 'singularities' could eliminate dark energy A new model of the cosmos does away with the universe's two most troubling and mysterious elements, dark energy and dark matter, collectively referred to as the dark universe. Here's the idea. The new concept replaces the dark universe with a multitude of step-like bursts called "transient temporal singularities" that erupt throughout the entire cosmos. Read More Technology (ESO/L. Calçada) How AI is helping scientists hunt for alien Earths A machine-learning algorithm trained on synthetic planetary systems has been let loose - and in the process has identified nearly four dozen real stars that have a high probability of hosting a rocky planet in their habitable zone. Read More Search for Life (NASA/JPL-Caltech) Finding alien life on Saturn's moon Titan will be tough With rivers, lakes and even seas made of liquid methane and ethane, plus a hidden underground ocean of water, Saturn's moon Titan has long fascinated scientists as a place where alien life might exist. Read More Star Wars (Lucasfilm / Disney) Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 is this weekend After skipping 2024, Star Wars Celebration is back on April 18-20 with a long-awaited return to Japan. This means that plenty of Star Wars news is coming our way soon, including updates on upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, at least one video game reveal, book and comic book publishing conversations, and much more. Read More   Sign Up  |    Update Profile  |    Unsubscribe Privacy Policy  |    Cookies Policy  |    Terms and Conditions CONTACT US: FEEDBACK  |    ADVERTISE Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036