NASA tried to scrub her story of resilience, then fired her. | Space Quiz! These stellar flares occur when a star is disrupted by the gravity of a supermassive black hole. | This Week In Space Episode 160: The Amazing Dr. Goddard
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"People see me now, and they just assume, 'oh, she had it easy,'" she says, but Rose Ferreira has had it anything but easy. The trajectory of her life has been so turbulent, in fact, that NASA, her previous employer, published a feature article about her determination on its website. That story chronicles her journey from a poverty-stricken childhood in the Caribbean and years living unhoused, to pursuing her education and rising to become a NASA intern, which ultimately led to working at the space agency full-time. NASA removed took down that article after President Trump's DEIA executive orders. Then she was fired.
On Episode 160 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Charles Slatkin to talk about the legacy of Dr. Robert Goddard, the "Father of Rocketry." Slatkin grew up during the Space Age and has become a Goddard evangelist, going so far as to purchase the historic Goddard home to convert into a museum. But his efforts don't stop there. Slatkin has started a nonprofit to not only further Goddard's legacy, but also to inspire young people, who he calls "today's Goddards," to reach for the stars. Hear this inspiring story on this episode of This Week in Space!
The Full Flower Moon 2025 rises tonight! The May full moon gets its name from the abundance of wildflowers that spring into life at this time of year, and it promises a stunning view for skywatchers around the world. The Flower Moon will be 100% illuminated at 12:56 p.m. EDT (17:56 GMT) today (May 12), at which point Earth's closest celestial companion will be well below the horizon for skywatchers across the U.S. This sets the stage for a dramatic lunar entry when the full moon rises over the southeastern horizon around 8:30 p.m. local time. If you miss the moon tonight, don't worry; it will still appear full to the casual stargazer for another night or two.
A failed Soviet Venus lander's long space odyssey has come to an end. The Kosmos 482 probe crashed to Earth today (May 10) after circling our planet for more than five decades. Reentry occurred at 2:24 a.m. ET (0624 GMT or 9:24 a.m. Moscow time) over the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia, according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos. Kosmos 482 appears to have fallen harmlessly into the sea.
A star in a faraway galaxy is sending itself into a spiral of doom, repeatedly plunging through a disk of hot gas surrounding a black hole and releasing powerful bursts of X-rays in the process. Soon, it will be torn apart. That's the assessment of what's going on in the core of a galaxy about 300 million light-years away called LEDA 3091738, where a giant black hole nicknamed "Ansky" is being orbited by a much lower-mass companion object.
The Falcon 9's first stage came back for a landing as planned about eight minutes after liftoff, touching down on the drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the 11th flight for this particular booster.
An innovative approach for fully reusable spacecraft suggests making them "sweat" to survive the scorching heat during reentry to Earth's atmosphere, allowing them to land ready for another flight. A research team from Texas A&M University has partnered with Canopy Aerospace to develop and test a 3D-printed material that releases or "sweats" a coolant gas to protect spacecraft from the intense heat encountered when travelling back to Earth at high speeds.
The night sky is bursting with celestial highlights this week. Monday brings May's full Flower Moon. Then on Tuesday, the moon glides past Antares, the red heart of Scorpius, offering a dramatic pairing (and even a lunar occultation for some lucky viewers). Later in the week, scan the skies for Berenice's Hair and the shimmering colors of stars across the spectrum, from icy blue Vega to fiery red Antares. Binoculars in hand? Even better.
Here's what's happening overhead — and why you'll want to look up.
Look up tonight to catch May's full moon, known as the Flower Moon. It'll appear full both Sunday and Monday night. Indigenous names like "Frog Moon" and "Planting Moon" reflect spring's renewal. Spot it shining among the stars of Libra or Scorpius.
On Tuesday night, the nearly full moon passes close to Antares, the red heart of Scorpius. In parts of the South Pacific and South America, the moon will cover the star — a rare treat called a lunar occultation. Binoculars enhance the view!
The faint constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice's Hair, sparkles high in the southern sky this week. Look near Leo's tail and the Big Dipper. Binoculars will reveal the Coma Star Cluster — a gorgeous scatter of stars nicknamed the Cobweb Cluster or Melotte 111.
The Summer Triangle climbs higher each evening. Look for blue-white Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Orange Arcturus and red Antares contrast beautifully. These colors hint at stellar temperatures — from Antares' cool 3,500 K to Vega's hot 10,000 K. A colorful night sky show awaits!
My favorite moon phase to look out for this week is (surprise, surprise) the full moon tonight! The exact moment of full moon occurs at 12:55 p.m. Eastern Time (1656 GMT) on May 12, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, but local moonrise times will depend on your location. If you miss the moon tonight, don't worry, it'll still appear almost full for another night or two.
Feeling inspired to take a more in-depth moonlit tour of our rocky companion? Our ultimate guide to observing the moon will help you plan your next skywatching venture, whether it be exploring the lunar seas, mountainous terrain, or the many craters that blanket the landscape. You can also see where astronauts, rovers and landers have ventured with our Apollo landing sites observing guide.
Astrophotographer Greg Meyer captured a breathtaking view of the Rho Ophiuchi stellar nursery and Messier 4 globular cluster while attending a stargazing event in Texas last month.
"A favorite among astrophotographers, I wanted to try it from a dark sky area, and I was at the Texas Star Party in April 2025," Meyer told Space.com in an email.
