ScientistPankaj: SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn astronauts splash down to end historic spacewalk mission (video)

Polaris Dawn astronauts splash down to end historic mission | Space Quiz! What is the diameter of the James Webb Space Telescope Mirror? | This Week In Space podcast: Episode 128 - Starliner is Back!

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September 16, 2024

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The Launchpad

Polaris Dawn astronauts splash down to end historic mission

(SpaceX)

Polaris Dawn has landed. The historic SpaceX astronaut mission - which conducted the first-ever private spacewalk, among other achievements - returned to Earth today (Sept. 15), splashing down safely in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida at 3:36 a.m. EDT (0736 GMT).

Full Story: Space (9/15)

Space Quiz! What is the diameter of the James Webb Space Telescope Mirror?

Learn the answer here!

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 128 - Starliner is Back!

(TWiS)

Starliner is back and, by all accounts, could have returned with its crew had it been necessary. However, with NASA's "safety forward" approach prevailing, the spacecraft landed uncrewed on September 6, three months after it docked with the International Space Station. Now, the work begins to try to solve the problems- largely software changes, dealing with balky thrusters, and helium leaks- so that the Starliner Crew 1 can fly next year. But how did we get here? What's NASA's take on the latest Starliner mission? And, perhaps above all, how will Boeing approach the program moving ahead? We'll bring you the latest and greatest--and fear not, we have Tariq here to keep us fair.

Full Story: Space (9/13)

Skywatching

Super Harvest Moon lunar eclipse: How to watch Sept. 17

(Seung-il Ryu/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A partial lunar eclipse of September's Super Harvest Moon is coming, and if you're plagued with cloud cover, or are just in the wrong part of the planet, we've got you covered. You can watch the celestial event online! On Tuesday (Sept. 17), the Full Harvest Moon will experience a partial lunar eclipse that will be visible for North and South America (except for Alaska), Europe, most of Africa, western Asia, and parts of Antarctica. This eclipse will take place during a "supermoon," which will make the moon appear slightly larger in the night sky.

Full Story: Space (9/13)

Spaceflight

Why Boeing's Starliner came home uncrewed from the ISS

(NASA)

The decision to send Boeing's Starliner capsule home uncrewed from the ISS was driven in part by time constraints, according to NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore.

Full Story: Space (9/13)

Science & Astronomy

Could we turn the sun into a gigantic telescope?

(Mark Johnston)

While the sun may not look like a traditional lens or mirror, it has a lot of mass. And in Einstein's theory of general relativity, massive objects bend space-time around them. Any light that grazes the surface of the sun gets deflected and, instead of continuing in a straight line, heads toward a focal point, together with all the other light that grazes the sun at the same time.

Full Story: Space (9/15)

Technology

SpaceX Super Heavy rocket gets supersonic wind tunnel test

(NASA)

A model of SpaceX's Starship Super Heavy rocket has passed NASA wind tunnel testing, marking another milestone in its development as part of plans to launch future Artemis missions to the moon. NASA tested a 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy rocket in the transonic Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at the space agency's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. The model was subjected to high-speed forced air, simulating the air resistance and flow the booster will experience during different stages of fligh

Full Story: Space (9/13)

Search for Life

Sprinkling of cosmic dust may have kick-start life on Earth

(NASA image by Robert Simmon and Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, based on MODIS data)

The origin of life on Earth has long remained a mystery. Many theories suggest that life emerged from "prebiotic chemistry," in which organic compounds formed and repeatedly self-organized until life as we know it developed. However, scientists have noted that the rocks that make up Earth's surface are relatively deficient in reactive and soluble forms of the essential elements needed for this prebiotic process, such as phosphorus, sulfur, nitrogen and carbon.

Full Story: Space (9/14)

Star Wars

'Star Wars Outlaws' finally lets fans play as the scoundrel

(Ubisoft)

If you've ever played a game set in the galaxy far, far away, there's a very good chance you found yourself beneath the robes of a brave, lightsaber-wielding Jedi. But while the Force-flinging power fantasies fulfilled in entries like last year's excellent "Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" are a ton of fun, sometimes you just prefer the comfort of a good blaster by your side. Enter the recently released "Star Wars Outlaws," an open-world action-adventure that forgoes hokey religions and elegant weapons in favor of a good old fashioned scoundrel story set between the events of "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." With Han Solo encased in carbonite during that time period, scrappy protagonist Kay Vess essentially fills in for the iconic character, navigating the galaxy's criminal underworld in a fashion that'd make the scruffy-looking Nerf herder proud.

Full Story: Space (9/13)