Category: NASA

SpaceX Preps for Launch of 4 More Astronauts to Space Station

HAWTHORNE, Calif.—Hawthorne-based SpaceX will attempt Oct. 30 to launch its third group of astronauts to the International Space Station as part of its contract with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to shuttle personnel to the orbiting outpost. The four-member crew is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at…


Top US General Says China’s Suspected Hypersonic Missile Test a ‘Sputnik Moment ‘

General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said China’s suspected hypersonic missile test is “very concerning” and near a Sputnik moment. Milley was referring to Soviet Russia’s launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, in October 1957, which caused anxiety in the United States that it was falling behind the Soviet…


Top US General Says China’s Suspected Hypersonic Missile Test Close to a ‘Sputnik Moment’

General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said China’s suspected hypersonic missile test is “very concerning” and near a Sputnik moment. Milley was referring to Soviet Russia’s launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, in October 1957, which caused anxiety in the United States that it was falling behind the Soviet…


Top US General Says China’s Hypersonic Missile Test Close to a ‘Sputnik Moment’

General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said China’s suspected hypersonic missile test is “very concerning” and near a Sputnik moment. Milley was referring to Soviet Russia’s launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, in October 1957, which caused anxiety in the United States that it was falling behind the Soviet…


Gen. Milley Calls China’s Suspected Hypersonic Missile Test a ‘Sputnik Moment’

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has called China’s suspected hypersonic missile test “very concerning” and said it was nearly a “Sputnik moment.” Milley was alluding to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, in October 1957, which caused anxiety that the United States was falling behind…


Astronomers Detect First Possible Planet Outside of Our Galaxy

NASA has announced the possibility of the first confirmed planet located outside of the Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers using NASA’s space-based telescope Chandra X-ray Observatory identified a potential exoplanet in spiral galaxy Messier 51 (M51), also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy. Exoplanets are planets outside of the solar system, but all previously confirmed and possible…


Look Up! How Our Connections to the Stars and Nature Benefit Our Past, Present, and Future

With modern technology all around us, we often forget about the cycles of nature and the cosmos that our ancestors always relied on. But our health, knowledge, culture, and future are still impacted by our connection to the sun, moon, planets, and beyond. As humans, we’ve always looked up to the stars, to the planets,…


Building Moonships for NASA Lunar Mission

The Orion spacecraft is a vital element of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024. The European Space Agency is overseeing the development of the European Service Module (ESM), the part of the Orion spacecraft that provides air, electricity, and propulsion. In November…


NASA’s Asteroid Hunter Lucy Soars Into Sky With Diamonds

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—A NASA spacecraft named Lucy rocketed into the sky with diamonds Saturday morning on a 12-year quest to explore eight asteroids. Seven of the mysterious space rocks are among swarms of asteroids sharing Jupiter’s orbit, thought to be the pristine leftovers of planetary formation. An Atlas V rocket blasted off before dawn, sending…


NASA Satellite Data Support ‘Shockingly Large’ Carbon Dioxide Fertilization Effect

A new paper from Columbia University’s Charles A. Taylor and Wolfram Schlenker that used NASA satellite data has shown that anywhere from 10–40 percent of improvements in key U.S. crop yields since 1940 could potentially be attributed to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide due to human activity. The authors noted that their findings are “on the…