A Combination Drill and Gas Conveyor Could Simplify Asteroid Extraction
Collecting material from an asteroid seems like a simple task. In reality, it isn't. Low gravity, high rotational speeds, lack…
China’s Chang’e-6 Probe Drops Off Samples From Moon’s Far Side
Three weeks after it lifted off from the far side of the moon, China's Chang'e-6 spacecraft dropped off a capsule…
Simulating the Last Moments Before Neutron Stars Merge
When stars reach the end of their life cycle, they shed their outer layers in a supernova. What is left…
Growing Black Holes Have Much in Common With Baby Stars
First looks would tell most observers that supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and very young stars have nothing in common. But…
NASA Doesn't Know When Starliner Will Return From Orbit
After helium leaks and thruster problems with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, NASA has been pushing back the return date from the…
Advanced Optics Could Help Us Find Earth 2.0
NASA has long been interested in building bigger and better space telescopes. Its Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) has funded…
Satellites are Going to Track Garbage Drifting Across the Oceans
We are all too aware of the pollution on planet Earth. There are increased amounts of plastic and garbage on…
Will Space Tourists Be Getting Heart Attacks in Space?
Astronauts are considered by many to be an elite bunch of people; healthy, fit and capable in many disciplines. Went…
Astronomers See a Black Hole Wake Up from its Ancient Slumber
Four years ago, the supermassive black hole hidden in the heart of galaxy SDSS1335+0728 roared awake and announced its presence…
Venus is the Perfect Place to Count Meteors
Watching meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere and streak across the sky as the visual spectacle known as meteors, it is…