First all-female spacewalk is back on for ISS astronauts this month
Two astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, are set to perform the first all-female spacewalk in history later this month. Their work will be part of a slew of upcoming spacewalks in an ongoing project to upgrade the batteries on the space station.
Juno performs longest-ever propulsive maneuver in a race against the sun
NASA's Juno mission, launched in 2011, has collected a wealth of information about Jupiter since it arrived in 2016. And this week the craft it pulled off a feat of precision engineering, performing its longest-ever propulsive maneuver in a race against the setting sun.
Spitzer Space Telescope sees cosmic bubbles forming around young stars
Astronomers have imaged a region of the Milky Way using the Spitzer Space Telescope and observed beautiful bubbles surrounding clusters of stars. The region is full of young stars, with new stars being born when dense clouds of dust and gas come together under gravitational pressure.
Scientists spot first alien gases from interstellar comet
In September an interstellar visitor was discovered in our solar system -- the comet 2I/Borisov. Now, a new study has looked at what the comet is made of. Studying interstellar objects gives us the chance to see how planets are formed in other areas of the galaxy.
Can you locate India’s crashed lunar lander in this image?
Last month, the Indian Space Research Organization attempted to land the Vikram lander on the moon but lost communication during the final descent. Now, NASA's orbiting lunar spacecraft, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped a picture of the area where the crash is believed to have occurred.
Scientists discovered 20 new moons around Saturn, and you can help name them
Astronomers using the Subaru telescope in Hawaii have discovered 20 news moons in orbit around Saturn. This brings the total number of moons discovered orbiting Saturn to 82, making it the planet in our solar system with the most known moons. It has surpassed Jupiter, which has 79 known moons.
China grows a cotton plant on the far side of the moon in a biological first
China has broken new ground, successfully growing cotton on the moon for the first time. The experiment was part of the Chang'e 4 project, in which China is exploring the far side of the moon with a lander. The cotton plant was one of several organisms encased in a mini biosphere aboard the lander.
New images reveal more about the history of water on Mars
Two new images reveal more about the history of water on Mars. Scientists believe that billions of years ago, Mars had a thick atmosphere that trapped heat and allowed liquid water to exist on the surface. They want to learn more about this period to see if liquid water might still exist there today.
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover practices its crucial descent separation
When the Mars 2020 spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere in two years' time and prepares to land, the rover will need to detach from the rocket-powered descent stage. This delicate operation was recently practiced here on Earth, with engineers at NASA performing a successful separation test.
NASA uses a plane to launch a craft to the very edge of space
NASA has launched a new spacecraft, the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON), for exploring the border between our planet's atmosphere and space. The ICON spacecraft was carried aboard a Stargazer L-1011 aircraft, which took it to an altitude of 39,000 feet. The craft was then deployed on a rocket.
Ice on the moon may be billions of years old, new study shows
An important step toward more long-term manned missions to the moon is locating a source of water. A new study has investigated the age and origin of lunar water and found it could have multiple different sources. Some of the ice deposits seem to be billions of years old, while others are more recent.
Image of rare blue comet captured by the European Southern Observatory
Last year, astronomers in Paris noticed a beautiful and distinctive comet, technically called C/2016 R2 but more colloquially known as the blue comet for its unusual hue. Now, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has released this new image showing the comet up close.
Help tackle light pollution by identifying photos of cities taken from the ISS
Light pollution is an environmental issue that you might not think much about, but it can have serious consequences. To understand the scale of the problem, the European Space Agency is promoting a program to catalog images of cities taken from space and is asking for the public's help in the project.
Remains of shallow, briny pools provide further evidence of liquid water on Mars
As the Curiosity rover explores Mars' Gale Crater, the data it collects tells us more about the history of the planet and whether liquid water once existed there. A new study has examined the geology of the crater to learn more about the briny ponds which once dotted the planet's surface.
NASA shows off the new spacesuits that astronauts will wear to the moon
NASA is pushing ahead with its plans to go back to the moon by 2024, and today showed off its new spacesuit for the first time. The Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit is designed to protect astronauts against temperatures ranging from minus 250 degrees to plus 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
New evidence questions whether Venus ever had oceans on its surface
Recently new research surprised astronomers and the public by suggesting that millions of years ago, Venus could have been a hospitable planet with lower temperatures allowing water to exist on its surface. However, a new study of lava flows on the surface of Venus suggests these ideas are mistaken.
See both of NASA’s explorers, Curiosity and InSight, on the surface of Mars
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is currently in orbit around the red planet and is snapping photos of its surface using an instrument called the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE). Recently, HiRISE imaged not just one but both of NASA's missions which are on the planet now.
Make a wish upon a star: Here’s how to watch this week’s Orionid meteor shower
Turn your eyes to the skies this week, because it's the time of year to observe the annual Orionid meteor shower. It will begin on October 18 and continue for several days, peaking between October 20 and 22. The meteors are the remnants of one of the most famous astronomical objects, Halley's Comet.
NASA’s InSight lander is drilling on Mars again, after being stuck for 6 months
Finally, some good news for NASA's InSight lander, which has been stuck on Mars due to a part of its drill called the mole becoming wedged in the soil. The mole has dug nearly 2 centimeters in the past week after six months of being stuck, giving hope InSight can get back to being fully operational.
Feeding off-world colonies: Leeks and tomatoes can be grown in Martian soil
In a move that takes us one step closer to creating a permanent colony on another planet, scientists have demonstrated that it is possible to grow edible food crops in soil like that found on Mars and the moon. Nine edible plant species were able to grow in simulated Martian and lunar soil.
NASA will work with Japanese space agency on lunar landing projects
The Japanese space agency, JAXA, has confirmed it will work with NASA on the upcoming Artemis mission to send humans back to the moon by 2024. NASA Administrator James Bridenstine and JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa met recently in Tokyo to affirm their commitment to a joint lunar exploration project.
Hubble images galactic visitor, interstellar comet 2I/Borisov
Hubble has captured an image of the comet which is believed to have traveled to our solar system from a different planetary system somewhere else in the galaxy. The comet, named 2I/Borisov, was first spotted by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov and now Hubble has captured the clearest image of it yet.
Report calls for changes to rules about contamination of other worlds
A new report has called for NASA to update its rules governing contamination of other planets in the course of space exploration. It points out that many of the guidelines for planetary protection were written at the beginnings of human space exploration and are in serious need of updating.
Europe’s Solar Orbiter has completed testing and is ready to explore the sun
An upcoming mission will travel within a few million miles of the sun to collect data on how our star affects the whole solar system. Testing of the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter is now complete, and the craft is being packed up and shipped to Cape Canaveral ready for its launch next year.
Rocky exoplanets are more like Earth inside than we thought
When looking for exoplanets similar to Earth, astronomers look at planets orbiting red dwarf stars which are similar to our Sun. However, new research shows that rocky exoplanets in orbit around a different type of star, a white dwarf, can have interiors that are surprisingly similar to our planet.
Curiosity rover discovers a puzzling oxygen mystery on Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover continues to make discoveries that challenge our understanding of the Martian environment. The latest strange puzzle taxing scientists is the variation of oxygen levels on Mars, as detected Curiosity's portable chemistry lab, Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM).
See the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in unprecedented detail
Scientists have revealed details about the moon by re-procesing nearly 20-year-old data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft using modern image-processing techniques.
SpaceX completes last parachute test ahead of Crew Dragon test flight
SpaceX has successfully completed its final parachute test for the Crew Dragon capsule, which will carry two NASA astronauts to the ISS later this month.
Hubble spots a wacky exoplanet with yellow skies and iron rain
Astronomers have spotted an utterly bizarre exoplanet, WASP-79b, which is located 780 light-years away and has skies which would look yellow during the day.
Inside NASA’s race to build a ventilator in 37 days
How a small team of NASA space engineers were able to design and build a lifesaving medical device in record time, explained by one of the earliest members.
Astronomers discover black hole in Earth’s galactic backyard
Astronomers have discovered the closest ever black hole to Earth, located 1,000 light-years away and part of an unusual system of two stars and a black hole.
NASA’s Perseverance rover is stacked and ready for launch to Mars
NASA's Perseverance rover is gearing up for its mission to Mars, with the rover being attached to its descent stage ready to be attached to an Atlas V rocket.
A lucky dip into Jupiter’s clouds captures stunning image of the planet
Astronomers have captured some of the highest-ever resolution infrared images of Jupiter taken from the Earth, using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii.
NASA’s massive James Webb telescope is folded down to launch size for first time
NASA'S James Webb Space Telescope has been folded down and stowed into the configuration that will be used for its launch, currently scheduled for next year.
What the solar minimum really means for life on Earth
You might have seen news coverage about how the sun's activity is dimming right now, which could cause droughts or famine on Earth. But the sun is just fine.
The Air Force successfully launches its experimental X-37B space plane
The Air Force, along with the newly-minted Space Force, will today launch their mysterious X-37B space plane on a sixth secretive mission. Here's how to watch.