ScientistPankaj: Artemis 2 astronauts simulated a day in the life on their moon mission. Here's what they learned (exclusive)

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Artemis 2 astronauts simulated a day in the life on their moon mission. Here's what they learned (exclusive)

Helium leak delays astronaut launch of Starliner to May 21 | Artemis astronauts simulate moon mission 'day in the life' | Blue Origin targeting May 19 for next crewed flight

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May 15, 2024

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The Launchpad

Helium leak delays astronaut launch of Starliner to May 21

(NASA)

The crewed debut of Boeing's Starliner capsule has been pushed back an additional four days. Starliner had been scheduled to lift off this Friday (May 17) on Crew Flight Test (CFT), a mission that will send NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the International Space Station (ISS) for a roughly eight-day stay. But that's no longer the plan. Teams detected a small helium leak in Starliner's service module and have pushed the target date back to May 21, Boeing announced in an update today (May 14).

Full Story: Space (5/14)

Artemis astronauts simulate moon mission 'day in the life'

(NASA)

Astronauts flying to the moon face that situation in spades: Once everything is on the spacecraft and they're on the way, there's no way to add to or change anything on the Orion spacecraft. So the Artemis 2 crew practiced a "day in the life" of their moon mission, expected to fly there in 2025, to see if there were any little items they may have forgotten.

Full Story: Space (5/15)

Spaceflight

Blue Origin targeting May 19 for next crewed flight

(Blue Origin)

Blue Origin's human-spaceflight drought will end this weekend, if all goes according to plan. Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company announced today (May 14) that it's targeting Sunday (May 19) for its latest suborbital space tourism effort. The mission, known as NS-25, will lift off from Blue Origin's West Texas site during a window that opens at 9:30 a.m. EDT

Full Story: Space (5/14)

Science & Astronomy

Sun unleashes biggest solar flare of current cycle

(NASA/SDO)

A massive sunspot on the sun's surface just left us another parting gift just as it rotates out of sight from our perspective here on Earth. The sunspot, designated, AR3664, has been crackling with solar flares for days. On May 10, it erupted with an X5.8-class flare, and within the past 12 hours, a trio of X-class flares erupted from the sun measuring at X1.7, X1.3 and a whopping X8.7, the largest solar flare of the current 11-year solar cycle.

Full Story: Space (5/14)

SpaceX

SpaceX launches its 50th mission of the year (video)

(SpaceX)

SpaceX launched 20 of its Starlink internet satellites today (May 14), on the company's 50th orbital mission of 2024. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink spacecraft -- 13 of which feature direct-to-cell capability - lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 2:39 p.m. EDT (1839 GMT; 11:39 a.m. local California time).

Full Story: Space (5/14)

Technology

Satellite images of illustrate Palestinians fleeing Rafah

(Planet Labs PBC)

Satellite images taken earlier this month offer a spaceborne perspective of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. They include scenes such as a before-and-after sequence that illustrates Palestinian civilians fleeing Rafah, a view of damaged buildings in the region and conglomerates of Israeli hardware.

Full Story: Space (5/14)

Search for Life

Curiosity rover follows possible Mars river remnant

(NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Last week, Curiosity reached the north side of Pinnacle Ridge, part of a rock wall that looms over Gediz Vallis. In fact, after Curiosity navigated bumpy ground to do that, it found that the ridge's south side is navigable. That left Curiosity's overseers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California with a choice: Should they keep on their planned course, continuing to drive along Gediz Vallis until they reach a point where the rover can cross it? Or should they take a diversion to explore Pinnacle Ridge's south side?

Full Story: Space (5/14)

Telescopes & Binoculars

Best telescopes in 2024: Observe and image the cosmos

(Jason Parnell-Brookes)

The best smart telescopes have revolutionized the way we explore the night sky by effortlessly merging imaging technology with astronomy. Smart telescopes come equipped with integrated electronics, connectivity features and are largely controlled via smartphone apps that enhance your stargazing experience. Designed for both novice astronomers and seasoned stargazers, smart telescopes cater to a wide range of users with different experience levels.

Full Story: Space (2/7)

Entertainment

New Book, 'Challenger: A True Story of Heroism & Disaster on the Edge of Space'

(Simon & Schuster)

Weaving together an incredibly detailed and compelling narrative of NASA's tragic space shuttle Challenger disaster, a new non-fiction account of the historic event arrives today from Adam Higginbotham, the New York Times bestselling author of "Midnight in Chernobyl."

Full Story: Space (5/14)