Tag: NASA

NASA Spacecraft to Test Asteroid Defense Concept

It’s the stuff of Hollywood movies, but the threat to Earth by hazardous asteroids is rooted in fact, not fiction. “We look at the moon, we look at the Earth, we see that it’s full of craters. More on the Moon than on the Earth, which is, of course, telling us that impacts of small…


NASA’s Revolutionary Space Telescope Launched From French Guiana

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, built to give the world a glimpse of the universe as it existed when the first galaxies formed, was launched by rocket early Saturday from South America’s northeastern coast, opening a new era of astronomy. The revolutionary $9 billion infrared telescope, hailed by NASA as the premiere space-science observatory of…


NASA Launches Revolutionary Space Telescope to Give Glimpse of Early Universe

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, built to give the world a glimpse of the universe as it existed when the first galaxies formed, was launched by rocket early Saturday from South America’s northeastern coast, opening a new era of astronomy. The revolutionary $9 billion infrared telescope, described by NASA as the premiere space-science observatory of…


NASA Confirms Next Friday for Webb Space Telescope Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—NASA is shooting for next Friday—Christmas Eve—to launch its newest space telescope. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson confirmed Friday that the James Webb Space Telescope will attempt to blast off on Dec. 24. A European Ariane rocket will provide the lift from South America’s French Guiana. The $10 billion Webb—considered the successor to the…


Elon Musk Claims ‘No Other CEO on the Planet’ Cares as Much About Safety as He Does

Elon Musk claimed on Wednesday that no other CEO on the planet cares as much about safety as he does, according to a Financial Times report. In an interview, Musk, who was named Time magazine’s 2021 Person of the Year on Monday, insisted that he had not misled Tesla’s customers about the company’s self-driving technology, including Autopilot and full self-driving (FSD),…


NASA Craft ‘Touches’ Sun for 1st Time, Dives Into Atmosphere

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—A NASA spacecraft has officially “touched” the sun, plunging through the unexplored solar atmosphere known as the corona. Scientists announced the news Tuesday during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union. The Parker Solar Probe actually flew through the corona in April during the spacecraft’s eighth close approach to the sun. Scientists said…


NASA’s Webb Telescope Promises an ‘Amazing Journey’ for Astronomy

WASHINGTON—It was finished years late at a cost far higher than planned, but NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope due for launch next week may usher in a new era in astronomy as it gathers information on the universe’s past, star formation, and whether planets beyond our solar system may be suitable for life. The orbiting…


FAA: No More Commercial Astronaut Wings, Too Many Launching

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Heads up, future space travelers: No more commercial astronaut wings will be awarded from the Federal Aviation Administration after this year. The FAA said Friday it’s clipping its astronaut wings because too many people are now launching into space and it’s getting out of the astronaut designation business entirely. The news came one…


NASA Rocket Launch Pad Set to Open in Northern Territory

The red earth of North-East Arnhem Land is sacred to local Aboriginals… and will soon open a door to the skies above. It’s the site of a new NASA rocket launch base. “In many respects this is another signal that Australia as a nation is open for launch business,” says Enrico Palermo of the Australian…


Multi-Telescope Observatory Launched Into Orbit

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida early Thursday morning, carrying NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, IXPE, into orbit. IXPE will look at extreme events as they happen in Space, revealing in more details about events like exploding stars, or spinning black holes. It can penetrate large amounts gas and dust, to…