Mars Landing

"When the first astronauts land on Mars, they may have the descendants of a microwave-oven-size device to thank for the air they breathe and the rocket propellant that gets them home. " https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-oxygen-generating-experiment-moxie-completes-mars-mission?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=moxie20230906

Falcon 9

"Early on Saturday morning, at 1:45 am local time, a Falcon 9 rocket soared into orbit from its launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida." https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/07/spacex-roars-back-to-orbit-barely-two-weeks-after-in-flight-anomaly/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Mega Constellation

"Shareholders of a pension fund that includes Amazon stock have sued the company, its founder Jeff Bezos, and its board of directors for "breaching their fiduciary duty" as part of a contract to acquire launch services for the Project Kuiper megaconstellation." https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/09/pension-fund-sues-jeff-bezos-and-amazon-for-not-using-falcon-9-rockets/

Exoplanet models

"Scientists have been working on models of planet formation since before we knew exoplanets existed." https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/08/we-dont-understand-how-a-freakishly-heavy-exoplanet-could-have-formed/

Deep Space Network

"NASA officials sounded an alarm Tuesday about the agency's Deep Space Network, a collection of antennas in California, Spain, and Australia used to maintain contact with missions scattered across the Solar System." https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/nasas-artemis-i-mission-nearly-broke-the-deep-space-network/?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=ars&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_mailing=Ars_Orbital_090623&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bdce8643f92a434ca85f247&cndid=45206598&hasha=ecc4eb5a460f31b456c54514153c0893&hashb=126020d02221c0fc5a17b7aa92eeaba8b008e1db&hashc=64a20f24338333901e4cb7afc40a3cfae56c6770df59fc13cf25a5ce36d78b01&esrc=bouncex&utm_content=B&utm_term=ARS_OrbitalTransmission

Starlink

"The Starlink satellites have been visible in the sky the last couple of nights, and there will be a few more opportunities to see the train of lights in the sky." https://www.wcnc.com/article/tech/science/aerospace/when-see-starlink-satellite-train-night-sky-space-lights/275-6c964878-6187-4b1a-aa3d-0eb8e5de58b9

New Comet

"A newly discovered comet is swinging through our cosmic neighborhood for the first time in more than 400 years." https://phys.org/news/2023-09-northern-hemisphere-comet-years.html

Asteroid Sample

"NASA’s first asteroid samples fetched from deep space parachuted into the Utah desert Sunday to cap a seven-year journey." https://apnews.com/article/nasa-asteroid-sample-return-utah-9918c2c13b689e01800de4ea42d60188

STEVE

"Steve was a sensation when scientists stumbled across it a few years ago, thanks to the eagle eyes and excellent photography of the Alberta Aurora Chasers Facebook group." https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/Swarm_helps_discover_Steve_s_long-lost_twin?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Jim Free

"Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA, will deliver a keynote address on Wednesday, July 31, at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) in Boston." https://www.issnationallab.org/release-issrdc2024-jim-free-nasa/?utm_source=edm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=issrdc_2024&utm_content=jf

Stars in The Sky

"When you look up at the 200 billion trillion (ish) stars, you probably don't think about adding another – but NASA aims to launch an artificial "star" over the USA before the end of the decade." https://www.iflscience.com/nasa-will-soon-launch-an-artificial-star-into-orbit-over-the-usa-75197?utm_source=The+IFLScience+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b103b44fb7-TWIS-JULY-27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-c13f3c4e60-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=b103b44fb7&mc_eid=561ee916fc

Chiron

Did you know? "A native of the Kuiper Belt formed over 4 billion years ago, Chiron was recently (at least in astronomical terms) gravitationally dislodged from there and tossed into the current closer climes. Exploring it is now much easier than if it were still in the Kuiper Belt, over three times further away." Astronomy Magazine March 2021 "Mission to Centaurs" pp. 24-31

Starliner

"There is still no return date for Boeing's stranded Starliner astronauts, who have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) since June after their spacecraft developed multiple issues, NASA has announced. " https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/boeing-starliner-astronauts-remain-stuck-on-international-space-station-with-no-set-return-date-nasa-announces?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

NASA vein

"A vein-filled rock is catching the eye of the science team of NASA’s Perseverance rover." https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-scientists-find-intriguing-mars-rock?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=perseverance20240725

Centaurus

Did you know? "What lies ahead for Centaurus on final approach to Chiron? Raw exploration, fundamental discoveries, and the honor of being the first to visit the last large unexplored population of bodies this side of the Oort cloud: the Centaurs, of which Chiron was was the first discovered and is the best known." Astronomy Magazine March 2021 "Mission to Centaurs" pp. 24-31

James Webb

"An international team of astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has directly imaged an exoplanet roughly 12 light-years from Earth." https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-webb-images-cold-exoplanet-12-light-years-away?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=webb20240724

Centaurus

Did you know? "Centaurus crossed that billion miles from Earth to Chiron to make the first reconnaissance of the amazing outer solar system. Once all the precious images and spectra are collected to turn Chiron from a point of light into a real place, Centaurus will transmit them back to its international science team, the most ever assembled for any solar system mission." Astronomy Magazine March 2021 "Mission to Centaurs" pp. 24-31

Northern Lights

"There’s a good chance Pennsylvania residents could see the dazzling aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, this weekend if the weather cooperates, according to space weather forecasters." https://patch.com/pennsylvania/across-pa/northern-lights-possible-weekend-over-pa?utm_source=local-update&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alert

Telescopes

"The first telescopes, known as refracting telescopes, were built in the early 17th century by Dutch eyeglass makers." https://www.popsci.com/science/telescopes-history/?utm_term=pscene072324&utm_campaign=PopSci_Newsletter&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email

Titan

"Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is the only planetary body in the solar system besides our own that currently hosts active rivers, lakes, and seas." https://news.mit.edu/2024/study-titans-lakes-may-be-shaped-by-waves-0619?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Warren Hoburg

"NASA astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg will deliver a keynote address at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) in Boston on Thursday, August 1, 2024." https://www.issnationallab.org/release-issrdc2024-hoburg/?utm_source=edm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=issrdc_2024&utm_content=wh

Low Earth Orbit

"Space policy in low Earth orbit (LEO) will be the focus of a keynote address at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) from Jinni Meehan, assistant director for space policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)." https://www.issnationallab.org/release-issrdc2024-keynote-meehan-ostp/?utm_source=edm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=issrdc_2024&utm_content=ostp

Permanent spot on Jupiter

"In 1665, Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini observed a giant dark spot on Jupiter, which he called the "Permanent Spot."" https://www.space.com/jupiter-great-red-spot-origin?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Gyroscope on Hubble

"The Hubble Space Telescope has experienced ongoing problems with one of its three remaining gyroscopes, so NASA has decided to shift the telescope into single gyro mode." https://www.universetoday.com/167444/hubbles-back-but-only-using-one-gyro/#google_vignette

Objectives of James Webb Telescope

"One of the main scientific objectives of next-generation observatories (like the James Webb Space Telescope) has been to observe the first galaxies in the Universe – those that existed at Cosmic Dawn." https://www.universetoday.com/167363/new-simulation-explains-how-supermassive-black-holes-grew-so-quickly/

SpaceX Vehicles

https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Days getting longer

"Days on Earth are growing slightly longer, and that change is accelerating. The reason is connected to the same mechanisms that also have caused the planet’s axis to meander by about 30 feet (10 meters) in the past 120 years." https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-funded-studies-explain-how-climate-is-changing-earths-rotation?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=climate20240719

Mars Colony

"What a wonderful arguably simple solution. Here’s the problem, we travel to Mars but how do we feed ourselves? Sure we can take a load of food with us but for the return trip that’s a lot. If we plan to colonise the red planet we need even more. We have to grow or somehow create food while we are there." https://www.universetoday.com/167408/fish-could-turn-regolith-into-fertile-soil-on-mars/

Lethal Stars

"Which Stars are Lethal to their Planets? Many years ago, there was a viral YouTube video called “History of the entire world, i guess,” which has been an endless source of internet memes since its release. One of the most prominent is also scientifically accurate—when describing why animals couldn’t start living on land, the video’s creator, Bill Wurtz, intones, “The Sun is a deadly laser.” " https://www.universetoday.com/167413/which-stars-are-lethal-to-their-planets/

Atmosphere

"Earth’s protective atmosphere has sheltered life for billions of years, creating a haven where evolution produced complex lifeforms like us. The ozone layer plays a critical role in shielding the biosphere from deadly UV radiation. It blocks 99% of the Sun’s powerful UV output. Earth’s magnetosphere also shelters us." https://www.universetoday.com/167427/earths-atmosphere-is-our-best-defence-against-nearby-supernovae/#google_vignette

Star Explosion

"The American space agency NASA says a huge star explosion is expected to light up the night sky later this year. NASA describes it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” event." https://www.google.com/amp/s/learningenglish.voanews.com/amp/nasa-nova-explosion-to-be-once-in-lifetime-event-in-night-sky/7664089.html

NASA Damages

"The owner of a home in southwestern Florida has formally submitted a claim to NASA for damages caused by a chunk of space debris that fell through his roof in March." https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/06/family-whose-roof-was-damaged-by-space-debris-files-claims-against-nasa/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

VRO

Did you know? "VRO will also advance knowledge of our own solar system, multiplying the number of known asteroids, comets, and Kuiper Belt objects many times over. And it catapult the currently known population of Centaurus from a few hundred to many thousands--perhaps even 10,000 --by the mid-2020's. This will in turn offer Centaurus more flyby targets to visit, further increasing the impetus to get it funded and flying." Astronomy Magazine March 2021 "Sky Scanner" p. 26

National Science Foundation

Did you know? "The National Science Foundation project (with contributions by the U.S. Department of Energy and private and donors like Simonyi Foundation) is, at its heart, a giant 8.4 meter patrol telescope. When it comes online in 2023, it will repeatedly scan the skies every night and analyze images for any differences--objects that newly appear, change in brightness, or move in unexpected ways. This ability will make dramatic scientific contributions to studies from everything from novae to supernovae to dark matter and gamma-ray bursts." Astronomy Magazine March 2021 "Sky Scanner" p. 26

Odyssey Spacecraft

"NASA's Odyssey spacecraft, the longest-running mission at Mars, circled the Red Planet for the 100,000th time today, the mission team announced in a statement." https://www.space.com/mars-odyssey-100000-orbits-olympus-mons-image?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

NEOWISE

"After more than 14 successful years in space, NASA’s NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission will end on July 31." https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-neowise-infrared-heritage-will-live-on?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=neowise20240701

Asteroid Impacts

"A large asteroid impacting Earth is highly unlikely for the foreseeable future. But because the damage from such an event could be great, NASA leads hypothetical asteroid impact “tabletop” exercises every two years with experts and decision-makers from federal and international agencies to address the many uncertainties of an impact scenario." https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-asteroid-experts-create-hypothetical-impact-scenario-for-exercise?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=cneos20240702

Binary Asteroids

"Binary asteroids are two asteroids that orbit each other. Their existence had long been theorized, but never confirmed, until NASA’s Galileo probe launched on a mission to Jupiter in 1989. " https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-are-binary-asteroids?utm_campaign=warming&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email21&s_src=warming&s_subsrc=email21

James Webb Telescope

"The James Webb Space Telescope takes constant observations, including images and highly detailed data known as spectra. Its operations have led to a ‘parade’ of discoveries by astronomers around the world. It has never felt more possible to explore every facet of the Universe." https://esawebb.org/news/weic2420/?lang

Protostellar Outflow

"The astronomers found an intriguing group of protostellar outflows, formed when jets of gas spewing from newborn stars collide with nearby gas and dust at high speeds." https://esawebb.org/news/weic2415/?lang

James Webb Telescope

"A team of scientists used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to parse the composition of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus." https://esawebb.org/news/weic2417/?lang

National Moon Day

NATIONAL MOON DAY "National Moon Day on July 20 commemorates the day man first walked on the moon in 1969. NASA reported the moon landing as being “...the single greatest technological achievement of all time.”" https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-moon-day-july-20?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=10474146&hashed_email=6c23328441e0f46865e8039a24ce7ccf8880f2d7&email=yeremiah%40aol.com

Chrystal's on Mars

"For nearly 10 years, NASA’s four-wheeled robot has been climbing the foothills of Mount Sharp, a tall mountain on Mars that stands above an ancient crater, uncovering mysteries with each of its layers. In its latest discovery, the Martian explorer stumbled upon a field of rocks made of pure sulfur, a chemical element that could hold precious clues to the Red Planet’s watery past." https://gizmodo.com/nasas-curiosity-rover-uncovers-trove-of-yellow-crystals-on-mars-2000476772

2014 Space Race

"Back in 2014, the United States held its own little internal space race. NASA chose two companies to bring us back to the International Space Station, providing them with funding to build a crewed space vehicle: One established, long-proven aerospace engineering firm, and one upstart run by a guy who names all his kids like they’re Warhammer figures. " https://qz.com/boeing-starliner-launch-elon-musk-spacex-space-race-1851459330?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Spaceflight Changes

"Spaceflight and exploration have changed tremendously over the past 25 years. Since 1999, we've seen the birth of a vibrant private spaceflight sector, led by Elon Musk's SpaceX, and the rise of an ambitious and increasingly accomplished new space power: China. (India has made great strides as well.)" https://www.space.com/spaceflight-evolution-next-25-years-moon-mars

Jupiter's Spot

"A steady diet of smaller storms may be what fuels Jupiter’s Great Red Spot — and a decline in small storms may be causing it to shrink." https://news.yale.edu/2024/07/18/new-explanation-jupiters-great-shrinking-spot

LRO

"LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) was the first U.S. mission to the Moon in over 10 years." https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/

Cave on Moon

"Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/scientists-underground-moon-cave-astronauts-space/

Young Galaxies

"Young galaxies in the early Universe underwent significant burst phases of star formation, generating substantial amounts of ionising radiation." https://esawebb.org/news/weic2418/?lang

Humble Neutrino

"The humble neutrino, an elusive subatomic particle that passes effortlessly through normal matter, plays an outsized role among the particles that comprise our universe. To fully explain how our universe came to be, we need to know its mass. But, like so many of us, it avoids being weighed." https://scitechdaily.com/decoding-the-universes-ghost-project-8-is-closing-in-on-the-elusive-neutrino/

Space X

"NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission safely returns to Earth … The tech demo hitching a ride on NASA’s Psyche spacecraft … And studying ancient life on Earth to better understand Mars … A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!" https://scitechdaily.com/this-week-nasa-spacex-crew-6-splashdown-psyche-spacecraft-hitchhiker-ancient-life-on-earth/

Axiom Mission

"Axiom Mission 2 pilot John Shoffner and aerospace engineer and reigning Miss United Kingdom Jessica Gagen will join a panel of guests to discuss increasing access to space and expanding the space industry workforce at the 13th annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC). This panel takes place on day 3 of the conference, which will be held at the Marriott Copley Place in Boston, July 29-August 1, 2024."https://www.issnationallab.org/release-issrdc2024-stem-panel/?utm_source=edm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=issrdc_2024&utm_content=sp

Mission to Mars

"The crew of a NASA mission to Mars emerged from their craft after a yearlong voyage that never left Earth."https://apnews.com/article/nasa-simulated-mars-habitat-exit-7fd7d511ca22016793d504b1a47f97ee

Unexpected Structures

"A NASA satellite has spotted unexpected X- and C-shaped structures in Earth’s ionosphere, the layer of electrified gas in the planet’s atmosphere that allows radio signals to travel over long distances."https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/nasa-spots-unexpected-x-shaped-structures-in-earths-upper-atmosphere-and-scientists-are-struggling-to-explain-them

Europe's New Rocket

"Europe's big new rocket, Ariane-6, has blasted off on its maiden flight."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c19km33k1mpo

Galactic Managerie

"This menagerie includes three spiral-shaped galaxies, an elliptical galaxy and a lenticular (lens-like) galaxy. Somehow, these different galaxies have crossed paths to create an exceptionally crowded and eclectic galaxy sampler."

https://esahubble.org/news/heic2205/?lang

FAA

"The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring an investigation into the recent anomaly suffered by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket."https://www.space.com/faa-investigation-spacex-falcon-9-failure-starlink-launch

Supermassive Blackholes

"Most known black holes are either extremely massive, like the supermassive black holes that lie at the cores of large galaxies, or relatively lightweight, with a mass of under 100 times that of the Sun. Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are scarce, however, and are considered rare "missing links" in black hole evolution."

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-finds-strong-evidence-for-intermediate-mass-black-hole-in-omega-centauri/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Milky Way

"This summer, you can gaze at the Milky Way without the need for a telescope, but you may have to drive a bit to get a good view."

https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/science/4754364-milky-way-see-without-telescope-july-august/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

Ariane 6

"Ariane 6 will be available in two versions depending on the performance required: a version with two boosters, called Ariane 62, and Ariane 64 with four boosters."https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Launch_vehicles/Ariane_6_overview

NASA volunteers

"The four volunteers who have been living and working inside NASA’s first simulated yearlong Mars habitat mission are set to exit their ground-based home on Saturday, July 6. NASA will provide live coverage of the crew’s exit from the habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston at 5 p.m. EDT."https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/volunteer-crew-to-exit-nasas-simulated-mars-habitat-after-378-days/

Ejected Boulders

"The 37 ejected boulders range in size from 1 metre to 6.7 metres across, based on Hubble photometry. They are drifting away from the asteroid at around one kilometre per hour. The total mass in these detected boulders is about 0.1% the mass of Dimorphos. The boulders are some of the faintest objects ever imaged in the Solar System."https://esahubble.org/news/heic2307/?lang

Chapea

"As many of us experienced during lockdowns, it’s not easy to stay sane and productive in an enclosed environment."

https://www.digitaltrends.com/space/nasa-chapea-crew-leaving/

SpaceX

"SpaceX has won the right to tackle a monumental task: destroying the International Space Station (ISS)."

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spacex-wins-nasa-contract-to-destroy-the-international-space-station/

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

"Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have mapped scorching pavement in Phoenix where contact with skin — from a fall, for example — can cause serious burns."

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-ecostress-maps-burn-risk-across-phoenix-streets?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=Latest20240702

Shadows

Snapple Real Fact #1812: Shadows are darker on the Moon.