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Friday, February 23, 2024

Intuitive Machines lands on moon in nail-biting descent of private Odysseus lander, a 1st for US since 1972

SpaceBalloon ready to fly to the edge of space (exclusive) | Intuitive Machines lands on moon in nail-biting descent | Soundscapes Project to record eclipse impact on nature

Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version

February 23, 2024

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Something amazing every day.

The Launchpad

SpaceBalloon ready to fly to the edge of space (exclusive)

(Space Perspective)

Ever wanted to see the cosmos, but not too keen on buckling-up for a rocket's high-g, explosively-controlled ascent into space? You're in luck: Space Perspective will bring you there in a balloon. "We're going to be taking unprecedented numbers of people to space."

Full Story: Space (2/23)

Intuitive Machines lands on moon in nail-biting descent

(Intuitive Machines)

It was a landmark moment for space exploration: No private spacecraft had ever soft-landed on the moon before, and an American vehicle hadn't hit the gray dirt softly since NASA's crewed Apollo 17 lander did so in December 1972. "What a triumph! Odysseus has taken the moon," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a video message the agency aired just after confirmation of a successful touchdown. "This feat is a giant leap forward for all of humanity. Stay tuned!"

Full Story: Space (2/22)

Total Solar Eclipse 2024

Soundscapes Project to record eclipse impact on nature

(NASA/Robert Lea)

While humans will enjoy the majesty of the total solar eclipse as it sweeps across several states in the U.S. on April 8, 2024, the celestial event will also be experienced by flora and fauna. That's why the NASA-funded Eclipse Soundscapes Project will observe and collate the sights and sounds of the total solar eclipse to allow humanity to better understand how such events can impact wildlife. The agency is also urging the public to join in on this effort.

Full Story: Space (2/22)

Skywatching

What is the moon phase today? Lunar phases 2024

(NASA)

Moon phases reveal the passage of time in the night sky. Some nights when we look up at the moon, it is full and bright; sometimes it is just a sliver of silvery light. These changes in appearance are the phases of the moon. As the moon orbits Earth, it cycles through eight distinct phases.

Full Story: Space (2/22)

Spaceflight

Private Varda Space capsule returns to Earth

(Varda Space Industries)

A California startup's first in-space manufacturing effort is in the books. The capsule from Varda Space Industries' W-1 mission landed in northern Utah this afternoon (Feb. 21), bringing down to Earth crystals of an antiviral drug that were grown in orbit. The success makes Varda just the third company to recover an intact spacecraft from orbit. The other two are aerospace giants SpaceX (with its Dragon vehicles) and Boeing (with its Starliner capsule).

Full Story: Space (2/22)

Science & Astronomy

The Kuiper belt could be way bigger than we thought

(NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook)

NASA's New Horizons mission, which encountered Pluto in 2015 is now riding through the deepest depths of the Kuiper Belt, is encountering a cosmic dust storm that hints there may be more going on in the outermost reaches of the solar system than we imagine.

Full Story: Space (2/23)

SpaceX

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches for record-tying 19th time

(SpaceX)

SpaceX tied its rocket-reuse record on Thursday night. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 of SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday at 11:11 p.m. EST (8:11 p.m. local California time; 0411 GMT on Feb. 23). It was the 19th mission for this Falcon 9's first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description, tying a mark the company set on a Starlink launch this past December.

Full Story: Space (2/22)

Technology

Radio signals from Orion nebula reveal new 'JuMBOS' data

(Gemini Observatory/Jon Lomberg)

Last year, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers made the startling discovery of some free-floating, planetary-mass objects in the Orion nebula that threw their ideas of planet and star formation into doubt. And now, new research has further deepened the mystery around these so-called Jupiter-mass binary objects, or JuMBOs.

Full Story: Space (2/22)

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Thursday, February 22, 2024

Watch Intuitive Machines' private Odysseus lander attempt historic moon landing today

Powerful twin solar flares erupt as cell phone outages spike | Watch Intuitive Machines attempt moon landing today | Delta Air Lines wants to fly you through the solar eclipse

Created for znamenski.spacecom@blogger.com | Web Version

February 22, 2024

CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM

Something amazing every day.

The Launchpad

Powerful twin solar flares erupt as cell phone outages spike

(NASA/SDO)

Two powerful solar flares erupted from the sun on the evening of Wednesday (Feb. 21) and during the early morning of Thursday (Feb. 22). An X1.8-class flare occurred at 6:07 p.m. ET (2307 GMT) on Feb. 21, and another, an X1.7 class flare, erupted at 1:32 a.m. ET (0632 GMT) on Feb. 22. The flares erupted from a region of the sun that "continues to exhibit strong magnetic complexity," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wrote in a statement about the events.

Full Story: Space (2/22)

Watch Intuitive Machines attempt moon landing today

(NASA TV)

We're just hours away from what could be the first moon landing by an American spacecraft in 50 years, a success that would kickstart the nation's hope to eventually establish a long-term presence on the moon as part of its Artemis program.

Full Story: Space (2/22)

Total Solar Eclipse 2024

Delta Air Lines wants to fly you through the solar eclipse

(Getty Images/Raqul Lonas/Xuanyu Han)

If you're looking for a more unique way to experience the total solar eclipse, Delta Airlines has a special flight along the path of totality available. This will be a rare way to literally follow the eclipse from within the path of totality, offering a literal birds-eye view of the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The flight started in Austin, Texas taking off at 12:15 p.m. Central Time and ends in Detroit, Michigan, at 4:20 p.m. Eastern Time on April 8, 2024.

Full Story: Space (2/21)

Skywatching

See the sun's surface rage as solar maximum approaches

(ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team)

Using images taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument on ESA's Solar Orbiter, astronomers compiled a visualization that shows how the sun has changed between February 2021 and October 2023.

Full Story: Space (2/21)

Spaceflight

Here's what's landing on the moon today

(Columbia Sportswear)

Intuitive Machines' lander, named Odysseus, will try today (Feb. 22) to become the first private spacecraft ever to touch down softly on the moon. But what is the lander carrying?

Full Story: Space (2/22)

Science & Astronomy

Scientists try to learn if neutron star collisions forge gold

(NASA/Swift/Dana Berry)

Researchers have synthesized five new isotopes that could help bring the stars down to Earth - and coax scientists a step closer to understanding how collisions between ultra-dense, dead stars could create heavy elements like gold and silver.

Full Story: Space (2/21)

Technology

Astronauts celebrate success of 1st surgery robot on ISS

(University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Craig Chandler)

One slice through rubber bands may pave a new pathway for space surgeons. A robot on the International Space Station (ISS), remote-controlled by a big team on Earth, simulated surgical cuts on Feb. 10 in a historic first for space medicine. Astronauts say this work will help them fly further from Earth than ever before.

Full Story: Space (2/22)