Group Preparing to Send Messages to TRAPPIST-1
A group known as Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) is preparing to send digital messages to the Trappist-1 exoplanet system.
Space
Scooping Interstellar Fragments from the Ocean Floor
On April 6, 2022, the U.S. Space Command tweeted a formal letter confirming a meteor as originating from outside the solar system.
Dark Matter: The Scientific Method and Understanding the Unseen
The popular cosmological paradigm supposes the existence of unseen matter known as “Cold Dark Matter”.
Martian ‘A.I.-Biker’ Rovers Could Swarm Red Planet
Two-wheeled Martian rovers designed to work independently and as a team may one day search the planet’s surface like a swarm of AI-bikers.
Newly Discovered Martian Ice Craters Reveal More History of the Planet
Researchers from the American Geophysical Union look into newly discovered ice caps on Mars to learn more about the planet's beginnings.
COSMIC SETI is Going Large in the Search for Technosignatures
After decades of scanning the heavens for technosignatures, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is about to go large.
Water Plasma Space Thruster Passes Key Test
Company Hopes to Begin Space Deployment of Unique Propulsion System This Year
Company Hopes to Begin Space Deployment of Unique Propulsion System This Year
Space startup Momentus says their Vigoride water plasma thruster has successfully completed thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing.
U.S. Space Force Eyes One Hour Global Delivery
The United States Space Force hopes to employ a fleet of rockets to make one-hour delivery of cargo anywhere within the world a reality.
Ice Volcanoes Make Pluto Target in Search for E.T.
Ice volcanoes spotted on Pluto’s surface mean conditions may exist within the dwarf planet to support extraterrestrial life.
Transgenic Lettuce Will Help Astronauts Combat Bone Loss
Researchers have designed customized "transgenic" lettuce that can help astronauts combat micro-gravity-induced bone loss.
Video Shows Astrolab Moon Rover in Action
Commercial space venture Astrolab has released a video of its cutting-edge moon rover concept vehicle undergoing real-world testing.
Mars Rover Making Mad Dash to Tantalizing Life Target
NASA's Perseverance Rover is driving at a record-setting pace toward a river delta potentially teeming with signs of ancient life.
Panspermia: Meteors and Spores to the Fore
What is the evidence for the controversial theory of panspermia? Could simple forms of life really survive in outer space?
NASA’s Airborn Observatory SOFIA Makes Its Way to South America to Study Nearby Galaxies
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is equipped for scanning the South American skies with a reflecting telescope mounted aboard a Boeing 747SP.
NASA’s Roman Telescope to Directly Image Exoplanets
Program Will Narrow Gap to Directly Imaging Earthlike Exoplanets
Program Will Narrow Gap to Directly Imaging Earthlike Exoplanets
NASA is currently building the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope in hopes of directly imaging smaller and fainter exoplanets.
NASA Funds Next Phase of Exoplanet Hunting Starshade
NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has granted new funding to develop a working orbital starshade.
Complex Organic Molecules Found within Planetary Disc
Discovery Will Help the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Discovery Will Help the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Astronomers have detected the complex organic molecules dimethyl ether and methyl formate within a star’s planetary-forming disc.
Tech Talk Episode 4: Space Telescopes
In this episode of The Debrief’s Tech Talk, we look at 54 years of science since the launch of the first space telescope in 1968.
NACHO Average Space Tool, Meet NASA’s New Imager
NASA's new NACHOS imager will be able to detect volcanic activity and air quality had higher sensitivity levels than previously.
Did Curiosity Rover Spot a Flower on Mars?
NASA’s Curiosity rover has taken a picture of a rock formation on Mars that looks eerily like a tiny flower.
European Space Agency Issues Statement on Russia
Following a meeting of its member countries, the European Space Agency (ESA) has issued a formal statement regarding cooperation with Russia.
The Search for ET: What Do the Best Scientists in the Milky Way Know?
An encounter with an ET culture would be a humbling experience, since we will have to admit that our modern science was developed only over the past century out of the 4.5-billion-years-long history of Earth.
Exploring Venus in a Manta Ray Inspired Spacecraft
A new spacecraft inspired by the manta ray and designed to surf the clouds of Venus has received a second round of funding from NASA.
Perseverance Rover Spots Artificial Object on Mars
Further Review Confirms Object is Discarded Rover Drill Bit
Further Review Confirms Object is Discarded Rover Drill Bit
NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover has photographed something or the red planet’s surface that is clearly not natural.
Tatooine-Like Exoplanet Confirmed
Discovery Expected to Aid the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Discovery Expected to Aid the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Astronomers have confirmed an exoplanet orbiting two suns similar to Luke Skywalker’s fictional home Tatooine in the 1977 movie Star Wars.
NASA Rocket Ready to Chase Pulsating Aurora
NASA is readying the launch of a new rocket that will try to figure out what causes one aspect of the aurora borealis to pulsate.
The Milky-Way’s Gifts to Life Expectancy
We live in the gravitational potential well of the Milky Way galaxy, and therefore we age more slowly than the cosmos at large. By how much?
Light Sail Could Reach Proxima Centauri in 20 Years
Researchers have proposed a light sail design that should be able to survive the stresses of an interstellar voyage.
Mind the Gap: A Lesson in Cosmic Stoicism
If human beings ever locate and interact with an extraterrestrial civilization, how will we play 'realpolitik' with them?
NASA is Playing with Fire. In Space. Literally.
A new set of NASA experiments will test how fire acts and how to extinguish it in the microgravity environment of space. A follow-up to previous fire-analyzing missions, this decidedly dangerous undertaking hopes to increase fire safety for future colonists...
Evidence of Habitable Zone Planet Found Lurking in Orbit Around White Dwarf
Researchers studying a white dwarf star say they have detected signs of a possible planet orbiting within the star’s habitable zone.
Newly Discovered Trojan Asteroid Has Same Orbit as Earth
Rare Space Rock Could Service Future Deep Space Missions
Rare Space Rock Could Service Future Deep Space Missions
Physicists have discovered a Trojan asteroid orbiting the Sun at the same distance as Earth, only the second such space body discovered.
New Planet Found Orbiting Proxima Centauri
Scientists have detected signs of a third planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, which is Earth’s closest stellar neighbor.
Origins of Life on Earth May Be Extraterrestrial After All
Researchers have shown that amino acids can form peptides, the building blocks of life, in space, potentially explaining the origin of life.
China Reveals Its Newest Plans for Space Dominance
In a newly issued white paper, China has charted out the next five years of its space program's ambitious goals.
Stellar Engines: As Galaxies Emit Light, Their Expansion Reveals a Unique Phenomenon
Our observation of the behavior of galaxies reveals phenomena that have received surprisingly little attention in the scientific literature.
In the Search for E.T., Moon Size Matters
New research indicates that the size of Earth’s moon relative to the size of the planet may have been key to the development of life.
NASA’s Updated Transition Plan for the International Space Station Includes Crashing it Into the Pacific
NASA has updated its transition plan for the international space station, as it nears the end of its operational lifespan.
Deep Space Travelers May Imitate Hibernating Squirrels
Deep space travelers and others suffering from muscle loss may be able to take advantage of a trick used by squirrels during hibernation.
Exoplanet Atmosphere Mapped by Researchers
Results Will Help Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Results Will Help Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Researchers have created a three-dimensional map of the atmosphere of an exoplanet 322 light-years from Earth. The resulting 3D map of the swirling gases surrounding the Jupiter-like exoplanet is not only an astronomical first, but it should also help inform...
“Ghosts” of the Early Universe Reveal Clues, and Controversies, About the Formation of Galaxies
Astronomers have learned surprising things from the oldest and most distant galaxies in our universe, a search that has also led to a few controversies.
Laser Beams to Power Satellites in Low Earth Orbit
A new project from researchers in the U.K is aiming to use laser beams to power satellites while they are out of sight of the sun.
The Skyrora Sees Success with Test of Its Third Stage “Space Tug” Maneuvering Platform
Scottish space company Skyrora has successfully test-fired its third stage “space tug” maneuvering vehicle at its engine development complex in Fife, Scotland.
Are Earthlike Planets Plentiful Throughout the Milky Way?
Earthlike planets, which might have features like continents and liquid water on their surface, may be plentiful across the Milky Way galaxy.
Are Squids and Octopuses Actually Space Aliens?
Squids, octopuses and other cephalopods may be organisms from outer space, according to a 2018 scientific paper.
“Death Star” Moon Mimas May Have a Subsurface Ocean
Saturn’s moon Mimas, sometimes called the Death Star moon, may have a subsurface ocean capable of supporting extraterrestrial life.
The James Webb Space Telescope Has Just Reached its New Home in Space
The James Webb Space Telescope will soon begin its long-anticipated mission of peering more deeply into the history of space than any telescope has ever done.
Russian Space Junk Nearly Downs Chinese Satellite
A Chinese science satellite narrowly avoided a potentially catastrophic collision with debris from an exploded Russian satellite earlier this week. Part of a Russian anti-satellite missile test last November that drew worldwide condemnation, the same field of space junk recently...
Mars May Have Had an Ocean Three Billion Years Ago
New research indicates Mars may have had a liquid ocean on its surface 3 billion years ago even if the surface temperature was freezing. Furthermore, the researchers behind the study say that such an ocean may have been able to...
World’s First Space Studio to Launch by 2024
Space Entertainment Enterprise (S.E.E.) has announced plans for the world’s first entertainment production studio in space. With the first launch planned for the end of 2024, the new project is designed to reside aboard the Axiom Space module that will...