Boeing quality-control needs to improve: NASA OIG finds | Space Quiz! What was the first spacecraft to orbit and land on a comet? | SpaceX to launch 4 people on historic Fram2 polar mission
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A scathing report from NASA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has highlighted several critical issues related to the development of the next version of the agency's Space Launch System megarocket, which will likely delay Artemis moon missions.
SpaceX plans to make spaceflight history later this year by launching the first crewed mission to explore Earth's polar regions. That four-person flight, which SpaceX announced today (Aug. 12), is called Fram2, in honor of the Norwegian ship that made pioneering voyages to the Arctic and Antarctic between 1893 and 1912.
Be sure to set your alarm clock for at least a couple of hours before sunrise on Wednesday morning (Aug. 14), for if you have a clear view toward the east, you'll be able to see brilliant Jupiter forming a most unusual and spectacular "double planet" with Mars.
Shenzhou 18 crewmembers Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu have been aboard the country's Tiangong space station since late April and have gotten into the Olympic spirit in orbit. Tiangong's own Olympics - which were featured in a recent video posted by Chinese outlet CCTV - opened with mission commander Ye Guangfu passing an Olympic torch to crewmates Li Cong and Li Guangsu, a transfer that involved a simulated high jump.
A decade ago, scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) had just wrapped up the yearslong process of building a comet-chasing spacecraft named after the Rosetta Stone, the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The scientists hoped the Rosetta mission would similarly reveal new clues about how our pocket of the universe assembled itself roughly 4.5 billion years ago.
The sun's stormy weather is supercharging auroras on Earth this week, due to a series of intense geomagnetic storms triggered by recent solar flares. On Monday (Aug. 12), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) detected a severe G4-class geomagnetic storm over Earth at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) that surely would have amplified northern lights displays across the United States if it had not occurred in the middle of the day.
In our Lego UCS Millennium Falcon review we found that it's incredibly detailed, it's an imposing centerpiece model that you can display, it offers a varied and enjoyable build and boasts an impressive scale too. The UCS is the Ultimate Collector's Series which is a series of detailed, large builds of iconic ships from the Star Wars franchise. You'll struggle to build this in under 12 parsecs but if you like a challenge or a collectible to show off, we recommend considering this deal.
Perseids and northern lights excite Stargazers worldwide | Space Quiz! Who first studied the concept of gravitational waves? | This Week In Space: Episode 123 - The Mighty Perseids
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In a breathtaking display of nature's beauty, skywatchers worldwide witnessed a rare natural event: the Perseid meteor shower coinciding with the northern lights.
On Episode 123 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and guest host Isaac Arthur talk with astronomer Steve Fentress about the Perseids meteor shower. Each year, there are a handful of impressive meteor showers, and one of the largest and best this year will be the Perseids. The quarter moon will set just before midnight, when the shower activity peaks, and if you're in a dark spot expect to see maybe 50-60 shooting stars per hour.
If you missed the Perseids last night or are unable to look for them in person, check out this free livestream hosted by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project. The livestream uses the project's all-sky camera, giving you a front-seat view of the dark skies over Maciano, Italy, weather permitting of course.
Rocket Lab launched its 10th mission of the year on Sunday (Aug. 11), sending aloft an Earth-observing radar satellite for the California company Capella Space. An Electron vehicle lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on Sunday at 9:18 a.m. EDT (1318 GMT; 1:18 a.m. on Aug. 12 local New Zealand time).
Binary pairings of small black holes could be used by astronomers in a cosmic game of "hide-and-seek" to hunt much larger, yet more elusive, supermassive black hole binaries. The technique could, therefore, help solve the mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so fast in the early universe.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched for a record-tying 22nd time on Sunday night (Aug. 11), sending aloft two satellites that will provide broadband coverage in the Arctic region.
Engineers from North Carolina State University (NC State) have created a plastic cubed structure that can transform into more than 1,000 configurations using only three active motors. In theory, their design - which was largely inspired by the paper-folding art of origami - offers a more efficient way to send assembly structures into space, where the robot could then "transform" to serve various purposes
Here's one more reason to hope summer and its insufferable Mustafar-like heat quickly fades into the cooler days of autumn as Marvel Comics launches "Star Wars: Darth Vader #50." This jumbo-sized final issue showcases art by Italian illustrator Raffaele Ienco that wraps up veteran writer Greg Pak's historic run on the title.
