👩‍🚀Crew-11 astronauts return home safely | ✨ What are 'dark stars?' | 🖖'Starfleet Academy' feels a bit too Hogwarts-in-space

'Little red dots' could be black holes | Ancient lakes on Mars may have been covered in ice shields Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version   January 15, 2026 FOLLOW US FOLLOW US   Something amazing every day SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad Crew-11 astronauts return home safely Four astronauts are safely back on Earth after the first-ever medical evacuation of the International Space Station. Our team here at Space.com watched live at early this morning to see the splashdown. We have the full story of their condition and more on our website.  In other news theoretical dark stars could solve three big cosmic mysteries, NASA's NICER instrument on the ISS finds some strange black hole behavior and 'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' is feeling like Hogwarts meets 'Dawson's Creek' and we're not loving t.  We have all that and more for your daily read.  Keep looking up, Kenna Content Manager, Space.com Crew-11 returns after first-ever ISS medical evac The four astronauts splashed down off the coast of California early Thursday morning (Jan. 15). Read More Webb's 'little red dots' may be hidden black holes "If they were purely made up of stars, they would be the densest galaxies in the universe," one researcher said. Read More Space quiz! What fuels dark stars? Click here for the answer! Our nightmares Nuclear fusion The annihilation of dark matter particles The chemical energy as dark matter particles fuse together   Space deal of the day 2026 is the year for 'Trek': Save 37% on Paramount Plus 2026 sees Starfleet Academy and a new season of Strange New Worlds enter the Star Trek universe, so now is the time to save big on Paramount Plus and a VPN. Read More Spaceflight 'NASA at its finest': Crew-11 in good shape post return "Fundamentally, we're in space to learn. It's why NASA prepares for the unexpected --so we are ready to respond decisively and safely," stated NASA Chief Jared Isaacman Read More Science & Astronomy 'Dark stars' might explain 3 big cosmic mysteries "This is a structure we've never seen before, so it could be a new class of dark object." Read More Black holes act as 'cosmic seesaws' per NICER probe "We're seeing what could be described as an energetic tug-of-war inside the black hole's accretion flow." Read More SpaceX Starlink satellites launch on Falcon 9 from Florida Liftoff occurred at 1:08 p.m. EST on Wednesday (Jan. 14). Read More Search for Life How Mars' ancient lakes used ice shields to stay warm The findings potentially solve the paradox of how liquid water seems to have persisted on Mars even when the climate grew too cold. Read More Entertainment Robert Picardo & Gina Yashere talk 'Starfleet Academy' "It's hopeful about the future, and we need that optimistic enthusiasm right now." Read More 'Starfleet Academy' seems like Hogwarts in space The noisy fandom is about to have a field day with Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Read More Today in Space On this day: Jan. 15, 2006: Stardust spacecraft returns On January 15, 2006, NASA's Stardust spacecraft returned to Earth to drop off a capsule that contained the first samples of a comet and interstellar dust. Read More Our photo of the day: Australian bushfires from space This image shows just how large and devastating these events can be. Full Story: Space (1/14) Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. Sign Up   Follow SPACE Contact Us: Feedback | Advertise Sign Up | Update Profile | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms and Conditions Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036