National Aeronautics and Space Administrion

Since its inception in 1958, NASA has accomplished many great scientific and technological feats in air and space. NASA technology also has been adapted for many nonaerospace uses by the private sector. NASA remains a leading force in scientific research and in stimulating public interest in aerospace exploration, as well as science and technology in general. Perhaps more importantly, our exploration of space has taught us to view Earth, ourselves, and the universe in a new way. While the tremendous technical and scientific accomplishments of NASA demonstrate vividly that humans can achieve previously inconceivable feats, we also are humbled by the realization that Earth is just a tiny "blue marble" in the cosmos. Check out our "Thinking About NASA History" folder online as an introduction to how history can help you.

Thursday, June 5, 2025

New Shepherd Flight

"An international crew of four men and two women blasted off and rocketed to the edge of space Saturday, enjoying a few minutes of weightlessness and an out-of-this-world view before plunging back to Earth to wrap up Blue Origin's twelfth New Shepard passenger flight."https://www.cbsnews.com/news/blue-origin-launches-six-passengers-on-sub-orbital-trip-to-the-edge-of-space/?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=ars&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_mailing=ARS_Rocket_060525&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bdce8643f92a434ca85f247&cndid=45206598&hasha=ecc4eb5a460f31b456c54514153c0893&hashb=126020d02221c0fc5a17b7aa92eeaba8b008e1db&hashc=64a20f24338333901e4cb7afc40a3cfae56c6770df59fc13cf25a5ce36d78b01&esrc=bx_multi2nd_orbitalent&utm_term=ARS_RocketReport

Star TOI 6894

"Star TOI-6894 is just like many in our galaxy, a small red dwarf, and only ~20% of the mass of our Sun. Like many small stars, it is not expected to provide suitable conditions for the formation and hosting of a large planet."https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/jun/giant-planet-discovered-orbiting-tiny-star?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Small Binary Stars

"A team of researchers in China have discovered a stunning binary system in which a stellar object known as a pulsar orbited inside the outer layers of its companion star — which it accomplished after stripping its host's innards and dispersing them into space."https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientists-startled-discovery-small-star-173046443.html

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Ming Dynasty Astronomy

"In October 1408, in Ming Dynasty China, court astronomers recorded a strange celestial event: a bright yellow object, unmoving in the sky, shining steadily for over ten nights."https://gizmodo.com/after-600-years-astronomers-finally-solve-the-mystery-of-the-missing-guest-star-2000610416?utm_source=gizmodo_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2025-06-03-pm

Supermassive blackhole

"A new study from Johns Hopkins University suggests that supermassive black holes—those cosmic behemoths lurking at the centers of galaxies—might already be generating the kinds of high-energy particle collisions researchers have spent decades trying to recreate here on Earth."https://gizmodo.com/physicists-propose-cheaper-alternative-to-particle-colliders-supermassive-black-holes-2000610662?utm_source=gizmodo_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2025-06-03-pm

WASP 121b

"Observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have provided new clues about how the exoplanet WASP-121b has formed and where it might have originated in the disk of gas and dust around its star."https://charmingscience.com/webb-reveals-the-origin-of-the-ultra-hot-exoplanet-wasp-121b/

Andromeda Galaxy

"It may come down to a coin toss as to whether the Milky Way collides with the Andromeda Galaxy within 10 billion years."https://www.sciencenews.org/article/uncertain-milky-way-andromeda-collision?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c92f5d78644b3ac5d5b4