Research reveals how plasma swirling around black holes can produce heat and light
Saturday, 11 December 2021 10:52
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have uncovered a process in the swirling masses of plasma surrounding black holes and neutron stars that can cause previously unexplained emissions of light and heat.
The process, known as magnetic reconnection, also jettisons huge plumes of plasma billions of miles in length. These findings can Machine Learning decodes Tremors of the Universe
Saturday, 11 December 2021 10:52
Black holes are one of the greatest mysteries of our Universe - for example a black hole with the mass of our Sun has a radius of only 3 kilometers. Black holes in orbit around each other give off gravitational radiation - oscillations of space and time predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916. This causes the orbit to become faster and tighter, and eventually the black holes merge in a final burst You can help scientists study the Sun
Saturday, 11 December 2021 10:52
If you ever wanted to be an astronomer, now is your chance. A new citizen science project, led by researchers at the University of Minnesota with support from NASA, allows volunteers to play an important role in learning more about the Sun by using their personal computers.
Participants will help identify bursts of plasma coming off the Sun, called solar jets, in thousands of images captur A young, sun-like star may hold warnings for life on Earth
Saturday, 11 December 2021 10:52
Astronomers spying on a stellar system located dozens of lightyears from Earth have, for the first time, observed a troubling fireworks show: A star named EK Draconis ejected a massive burst of energy and charged particles in an event that was much more powerful than anything scientists have seen in our own solar system.
The researchers, including astrophysicist Yuta Notsu of the Universit New space economy ready to lift off thanks to Finnish innovation
Saturday, 11 December 2021 10:52
The new space economy is taking a giant leap as space technology turns towards improving the future of life here on earth. As the sector grows, innovative Finnish companies are leading the way using their digital and tech-savvy expertise as well as stellar engineering skills to bring space back down to earth.
According to Morgan Stanley's Space Team the global space industry will surge to Blue Origin poised to send NFL, TV's Strahan into space
Saturday, 11 December 2021 10:34
Jeff Bezos' rocket company, Blue Origin, is about to send former NFL great Michael Strahan into space—with a football.
The co-host of ABC's "Good Morning America" and former New York Giant prepped Saturday for a morning blastoff from West Texas. Five others will join him on the 10-minute flight, including the eldest daughter of the first American in space, Alan Shepard. Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket is named for him.
FAA: No more commercial astronaut wings, too many launching
Saturday, 11 December 2021 06:10
Daughter of first American astronaut to launch on Blue Origin flight
Saturday, 11 December 2021 06:05
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is set to blast its third private crew to space on Saturday, this time including the daughter of the first American astronaut.
The spaceflight will last roughly 11 minutes, launching from the company's base in Texas and soaring to just beyond the internationally-recognized boundary of space, 62 miles (100 kilometers) high.
The six-member crew will unbuckle and enjoy a few minutes' weightlessness before the spaceship returns to Earth for a gentle parachute landing in the desert.
The launch date was pushed back because of high winds, but is now set for 8:45 am local time (1445 GMT) on Saturday.
FAA to end commercial astronaut wings program
Friday, 10 December 2021 22:14
The Federal Aviation Administration will stop awarding commercial astronaut wings at the end of this year, five months after it revised the criteria for receiving the wings.
"Newer, nimbler, faster:" Venus probe will search for signs of life in clouds of sulfuric acid
Friday, 10 December 2021 15:23
With multiple rovers landed and a mission set to return samples to Earth, Mars has dominated the search for life in the solar system for decades. But Venus has some fresh attention coming its way.
In a new report published today, a team led by MIT researchers lays out the scientific plan and rationale for a suite of scrappy, privately-funded missions set to hunt for signs of life among the ultra-acidic atmosphere of the second planet from the sun.
"We hope this is the start of a new paradigm where you go cheaply, more often, and in a more focused way," says Sara Seager, Class of 1941 Professor of Planetary Sciences in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) and principal investigator for the planned Venus Life Finder Missions. "This is a newer, nimbler, faster way to do space science. It's very MIT."
The first of the missions is set to launch in 2023, managed and funded by California-based Rocket Lab. The company's Electron rocket will send a 50-pound probe on board its Photon spacecraft for the five-month, 38-million-mile journey to Venus, all for a three-minute skim through the Venusian clouds.
Week in images: 6 - 10 December 2021
Friday, 10 December 2021 13:15
Week in images: 6 - 10 December 2021
Discover our week through the lens
Virgin Orbit adds Spire satellite to next launch
Friday, 10 December 2021 11:15
Virgin Orbit will fly a Spire cubesat in addition to several other payloads on its next LauncherOne launch, scheduled for no earlier than Dec. 22.
Successful and diverse harvest in darkness and eternal ice
Friday, 10 December 2021 10:31
Jess Bunchek, the NASA guest scientist at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) EDEN ISS greenhouse, is nearing the end of her mission in Antarctica. Bunchek has been living and working as a member of the 41st overwintering expedition at the German Neumayer III Station, operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research How TIMED Flies
Friday, 10 December 2021 10:31
Launched in 2001, NASA's TIMED mission has now spent 20 years surveying the complicated dynamics of Earth's upper atmosphere. Short for Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics, TIMED observes the chemistry and dynamics where Earth's atmosphere meets space. On its 20th anniversary, the scientific community is reflecting on what they've learned from TIMED's two decades of oper Mexico joins Artemis Accords
Friday, 10 December 2021 10:28
The government of Mexico announced Dec. 9 that it is signing the U.S.-led Artemis Accords outlining best practices for space exploration.