Space

fire in space

NASA is Playing with Fire. In Space. Literally.

Christopher Plain·
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...
space junk

Russian Space Junk Nearly Downs Chinese Satellite

Christopher Plain·
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...
space studio

World’s First Space Studio to Launch by 2024

Christopher Plain·
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...
NATO

How NATO is Preparing for War in Outer Space

Christopher Plain·
The North Atlantic Treaties Organization (NATO) has issued a formal policy statement, which says that any attack on a member’s assets in space will be considered an attack on the entire alliance. This policy comes mere weeks after Russia put...
asteroids

Why Are Asteroids Sneaking Up on Earth?

Christopher Plain·
NASA funded scientists have identified a celestial “danger zone” where asteroids approaching Earth can go undetected by the system designed to spot such objects until it is too late. In the past, such space rocks have caused significant damage, even...
gravity moon

China Creates Gravity Chamber for Moon Simulations

Christopher Plain·
Chinese scientists have created a gravity manipulation chamber that simulates low gravity environments like those found on the moon. Inspired by previous research that involved levitating a frog, the “artificial moon” is expected to help the Chinese National Space Agency...
setii

SETI to Begin Searching for Alien Lasers

Christopher Plain·
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is adding a new set of laser detectors to its arsenal, upping its array of tools in the search for signs of life beyond Earth. Designed to detect laser pulses originating from space, including...
water on the moon

Chinese Rover Finds Water on the Moon

Christopher Plain·
China’s Chang’E-5 rover has found evidence of water molecules on the surface of the moon. Also, measurements taken by the rover indicate that the sun itself is the likely cause of the sparse yet detectable lunar water. BACKGROUND: WATER ON...
moon

First Moon Landing in 50 Years Only Weeks Away

Christopher Plain·
The first moon landing since the final Apollo missions of the early 1970’s is expected to touch down on Earth’s lone satellite sometime early this year. If everything goes according to plan, the same NASA contractor behind the lander hopes...
DART

DART Returns First Photos Readying for Asteroid Smash

Christopher Plain·
NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft has returned its first photos, proving its onboard navigation camera survived launch. Known as DRACO, which is short for Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical navigation, the lone camera carried by DART...
James Webb

Tracking James Webb Telescope in Real Time

Christopher Plain·
Curious viewers can track the progress of the James Webb telescope in real time, thanks to a new, dedicated YouTube channel. Launched a day after the telescope itself, the channel charts the current position of the groundbreaking space observatory, its...
rogue exoplanets

70 New Rogue Exoplanets Spotted by Astronomers

Christopher Plain·
70 rogue exoplanets, or planets not bound to a host star, have been discovered wandering through the Milky Way galaxy. Described as a “breakthrough discovery,” the newly identified rogue exoplanets could help researchers better understand how these space bodies develop...