Space Continues to be Hard. Firefly’s Alpha Rocket Detonates Shortly After Launch
Rocket science is hard. So far, no commercial rocket launch company has ever successfully gotten to orbit on the first…
Ground-Based Observatories Could use Starshades to see Planets too
All hail the occulter: an orbiting starshade for ground-based telescopes. (more…)
This is a 3D-Printed Steel Floor Prototype for a Lunar Habitat
The ESA's has unveiled a key piece of their proposed lunar habitat, a 3D-printed steel floor frame.
NASA has too Many Spacecraft to Communicate With. Time to Build More Dishes
NASA is a sprawling organization that has to talk to everything from politicians in Washington DC to space probes that…
Pencil December 18th (tentatively) into your calendar. That’s when James Webb probably launches
You may have heard this one before, but encouraging news comes from NASA, ESA, and Arianespace today: they are now…
What Formed the Strange Troughs on Vesta?
New research suggests that the humble asteroid Vesta may have cracked open like an egg. (more…)
A Flurry of Fall Binocular Comets
Fall 2021 offers up an all-night parade of challenging telescopic comets.
There are Natural Features on Mars That Could Serve as Radiation Shelters
Mars is bombarded with radiation. Without a protective magnetic shield and a thick atmosphere like Earth's, radiation from space has…
A Black Hole or Neutron Star Fell Into Another Star and Triggered a Supernova
What happens when you slam a neutron star (or black hole, take your pick) into a companion star? A supernova,…
Here’s Lake Mead’s Record Low Water Levels Seen From Space
How bad is the drought in the western United States? A stunning depiction of the record dry spell comes in…