ScientistPankaj: 'There was some tension in the room', NASA says of decision to bring Boeing's Starliner spacecraft home without astronauts

Thursday, September 5, 2024

'There was some tension in the room', NASA says of decision to bring Boeing's Starliner spacecraft home without astronauts

'Tension in the room' about returning Starliner uncrewed | Should we regulate the moon? | Tiny asteroid hit Earth today, burns up over Philippines

Created for ceo.studentlike.spuniv@blogger.com | Web Version

September 4, 2024

CONNECT WITH SPACE.COM

Something amazing every day.

The Launchpad

'Tension in the room' about returning Starliner uncrewed

(NASA)

The decision to return Starliner home without astronauts on Friday (Sept. 7) was not without controversy, NASA said of discussions with Boeing.

Full Story: Space (9/4)

Should we regulate the moon?

(NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio)

Based upon current knowledge and likely users, the only potential lunar reserve is oxygen from regolith as it is present in about the same proportion anywhere on the moon. Defining it as a reserve, however, requires economic and legal issues yet to be fully addressed.

Full Story: Space (9/4)

Skywatching

Tiny asteroid hit Earth today, burns up over Philippines

(ESA/USN/NGA/NOAA/SIO/GEBCO)

A small asteroid was on a collision course with Earth today, but don't worry. It burnt up harmlessly in Earth's atmosphere. Earlier today, the European Space Agency (ESA) said a 3-foot (1-meter) asteroid will strike the atmosphere and burn up harmlessly around 12:46 p.m. ET (1646 GMT) above the western Pacific Ocean near Luzon Island in the Philippines.

Full Story: Space (9/4)

Spaceflight

UAE on track to launch bold 7-asteroid mission in 2028

(UAE Space Agency)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency is moving forward on a one-after-another mission to the main asteroid belt. The probe will conduct high-speed flybys of six asteroids, completing the spectacular sojourn with a rendezvous and orbiting of a seventh mini-world -- and then deploy a small lander onto that final space rock destination.

Full Story: Space (9/4)

Science & Astronomy

Hubble telescope spies a sparkling 'cosmic fossil'

(NASA, ESA, C. Gallart (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias), A. del Pino Molina (Centro de Estudios de Fisica del Cosmos de Aragon), and R. van der Marel (Space Telescope Science Institute); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

The Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered an isolated cosmic fossil, which may offer new insight on galaxy formation. Located about 3 million light-years from Earth, the Tucana Dwarf galaxy sits at the far edge of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes our Milky Way galaxy. This galaxy is home to older stars, leading researchers to believe it may contain traces from the early universe, according to a statement from NASA. "Having such pristine properties enables scientists to use the Tucana Dwarf as a cosmic fossil," NASA officials said in the statement releasing the new image

Full Story: Space (9/3)

SpaceX

SpaceX to launch new Starlink satellite fleet after delay

(SpaceX)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 21 Starlink internet satellites to space from the company's Space Launch Complex 40 pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:35 a.m. EDT (1235GMT). You can watch it live on SpaceX's X account (formerly Twitter), starting about five minutes before liftoff.

Full Story: Space (9/4)

Technology

Scientists make lab-grown black hole jets

(NASA/JPL-Caltech)

An experiment using beams of protons to probe how plasma and magnetic fields interact may have just solved the mystery of how quasars and other active supermassive black holes unleash their relativistic jets.

Full Story: Space (9/3)

Search for Life

Belief in alien visits to Earth is spiraling out of control

(mik38/Getty Images)

The idea that aliens may have visited the Earth is becoming increasingly popular. Around a fifth of UK citizens believe Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials, and an estimated 7% believe that they have seen a UFO. The figures are even higher in the US - and rising. The number of people who believe UFO sightings offer likely proof of alien life increased from 20% in 1996 to 34% in 2022. Some 24% of Americans say they've seen a UFO. This belief is slightly paradoxical as we have zero evidence that aliens even exist. What's more, given the vast distances between star systems, it seems odd we'd only learn about them from a visit. Evidence for aliens is more likely to come from signals from faraway planets.

Full Story: Space (9/3)