Commentary In a recent Politico interview, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) administrator Bill Nelson warned readers that this space race is fraught with danger. For example, if China gets “to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research,” he said, “it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re…
Astronomers Astonished by Ring Around Frigid Distant World Quaoar
WASHINGTON—The small distant world called Quaoar, named after a god of creation in Native American mythology, is producing some surprises for astronomers as it orbits beyond Pluto in the frigid outer reaches of our solar system. Researchers said on Feb. 8 they have detected a ring encircling Quaoar akin to the one around the planet…
Blue Origin Awarded Its First NASA Interplanetary Launch Contract for Mars Mission
WASHINGTON—Blue Origin, the private space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, was awarded its first interplanetary NASA contract on Thursday to launch a mission next year to study the magnetic field around Mars, the U.S. space agency and company said. Plans call for Blue Origin’s recently developed New Glenn heavy-lift rocket to blast off with…
Elon Musk Says to Attempt Starship Launch in March
SpaceX may attempt a Starship rocket system launch in March, its billionaire chief Elon Musk said in a tweet on Saturday. “If remaining tests go well, we will attempt a Starship launch next month,” Musk said, in a response to a user’s tweet about Starship. Musk had in January said that there was a “real…
Jupiter’s Moon Count Jumps to 92, Most in Solar System
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Astronomers have discovered 12 new moons around Jupiter, putting the total count at a record-breaking 92. That’s more than any other planet in our solar system. Saturn, the one-time leader, comes in a close second with 83 confirmed moons. The Jupiter moons were added recently to a list kept by the International Astronomical…
Astronomers Document a Not-so-Super Supernova in the Milky Way
WASHINGTON—Supernovas are not always so super. These explosions that mark the death of a star often are spectacularly energetic. But once in a while they are a complete dud. Scientists on Wednesday detailed one of the duds—a massive star that had so much of its material siphoned off by the gravitational tug of a companion…
For First Time, Researchers Confirm Exoplanet Using Webb Telescope
Researchers say they have confirmed an exoplanet—a planet orbiting another star—using NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for the very first time. The planet, known as “LHS 475 b”, is almost exactly the same size as Earth. Researchers say the planet is a few hundred degrees warmer than Earth. Presenting their findings at an American…
Green Comet Zooming Our Way, Last Visited 50,000 Years Ago
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—A comet is streaking back our way after 50,000 years. The dirty snowball will come within 26 million miles (42 million kilometers) of Earth Wednesday before speeding away again, unlikely to return for millions of years. So do look up, contrary to the title of the killer-comet movie “Don’t Look Up.” Discovered less…
Asteroid to Pass Closer to Earth Than Satellites
An asteroid roughly the size of a minivan will skim past Earth on Thursday night, coming closer than some satellites to the Earth’s surface, NASA reported on Wednesday. NASA calculated that the asteroid will make one of the closest approaches to Earth ever recorded, but will safely miss the planet. The space agency’s impact hazard…
US to Test Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft That Could Eventually Fly People to Mars
A top NASA official revealed this week that the agency is teaming up with the Department of Defense (DOD) to test a spacecraft engine powered with nuclear fission by 2027, an effort that is part of a long-term NASA plan to send crewed missions to Mars. In a press release on Tuesday, NASA administrator Bill…
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