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It's Thursday, and it is once again Starship launch day.
After last week's lab-minute launch abort, SpaceX is trying again to launch Starship V3, the biggest, baddest version of its Starship vehicle, on its second test flight. This critical test flight is incredibly important for the company as NASA has plans to use this vehicle (along with Blue Origin's Blue Moon vehicle) in future Artemis missions. But to do that, it has to launch successfully so that they can guarantee the safety of future astronauts. So watch the launch with us today (we'll be keeping our fingers crossed ... and maybe holding our breath).
Speaking of Artemis, Artemis II pilot Victor Glover shared some thoughts on NASA's plans to land astronauts near the moon's south pole. According to Glover, a landing at the moon's equator might be a much better idea. And speaking of astronauts, a group of retired NASA astronauts has banded together to defend the U.S. constitution. The group, called Astronauts for America, just announced that they will be touring colleges across the country this fall to get young people out to vote. We spoke with Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, former NASA administrator and astronaut Charlie Bolden and former NASA shuttle astronaut Cady Coleman to get the inside scoop on the group and what they hope to accomplish with their nonpartisan activism.
Check out what's big in space below:
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"We have to do what we can to ensure that the country makes it through the challenges that we're dealing with here, and that is the message that we're going to be taking to colleges and universities."
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The outgoing head of the U.S. Space Force had some stark words in his last public speech, stating that "none of us will be able to avoid the war zone" should conflict extend to space.
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NASA has long eyed the moon's south pole for its first crewed Artemis landing. But Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover says the agency should target an easier and safer place to touch down.
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The Perseid meteor shower is one of the best shooting star displays of the year.
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Just as the dinosaurs didn't disappear but rather evolved into birds, cosmic dinosaurs in the form of the JWST's Little Red Dots may fade away completely.
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A hummingbird shape in satellite data from NISAR is actually a mountaintop spotted in Antarctica.
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The best smart telescopes make viewing the universe a breeze. Treat yourself to our top picks from Unistellar, Celestron, Vaonis and more.
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Dinosaurs, Martians, and the fate of the human race? This could be more than your standard day at the office for the Enterprise crew.
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That's it for our space update today!
Will you be watching SpaceX's Starship launch today? I'm curious if they will run into the same issues they ran into last week that caused a last-minute abort, or if they've resolved the issues from the Starship V3's first test flight earlier this year. There's a lot riding on the success of this flight. With NASA planning to use Starship in future crewed Artemis missions, the stakes are very high. While today's test flight is uncrewed and will be launching Starlink satellites, future missions will have human lives at stake. So SpaceX really has to work out all of the little issues now, before there is a crew involved.
If you can't see the SpaceX launch in the sky this afternoon, you can still look up once the sun goes down to (hopefully) see some Perseid meteors as it is once again Perseids meteor shower season! This is a favorite time of year for many skywatchers, as the Perseids typically put on an especially spectacular show, or at least one that can be easier to spot than some more elusive showers. However, no matter how prolific the Perseids may be, you will still need quite a bit of patience. So get comfortable, set up with some chairs, blankets and company and follow Space.com's helpful guides for your best chance to see some spectacular shooting stars. And to stay as in the loop as possible, you can now get Space.com right in the palm of your hand with our new app available now on iOS and Android.
Ad astra, per aspera
Chelsea Gohd
Content Manager, Space.com
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