The clearest view yet of the famous Apollo 11 landing site on the moon was captured by a NASA spacecraft in orbit around our planet’s natural satellite. The agency’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter zeroed in on Mare Tranquillitatis, or the Sea of Tranquility — the place where humans first touched down on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969. Continue reading
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has detected signs of icy bodies raining down in an alien solar system. The downpour resembles our own solar system several billion years ago during a period known as the “Late Heavy Bombardment,” which may have brought water and other life-forming ingredients to Earth. Continue reading
As the United States settles in for the long winter ahead in American space launch capabilities, after a summer that witnessed the end of the Shuttle program, two radically different visions for the future have emerged, put forward by two equally different entities. Continue reading
The United States desperately needs a way to get its astronauts to space and back — and one solution could be taking NASA’s space shuttle fleet out of retirement, famed moonwalkers Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan told Congress today. Continue reading
The powerful jets of radio waves that can explode from monster black holes at the center of galaxies may erupt from much closer to these giants than previously thought, scientists say. Although black holes entrap anything that falls onto them, a vast amount of energy can radiate outward from matter rushing into the black holes. Continue reading
The retirement of the space shuttle has sparked a debate about the value of human spaceflight. Some see it as a waste of resources. Robots are better, cheaper alternatives, they say – and robotic missions don’t risk human lives. Others see the ability to fly humans into space as being tied up with national prestige, influence, and soft power. Continue reading
Honeycomb Carbon Crystals Possibly Detected in Space. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has spotted the signature of flat carbon flakes, called graphene, in space. If confirmed, this would be the first-ever cosmic detection of the material – which is arranged like chicken wire in flat sheets that are one atom thick. Continue reading
This week I recommend to follow @AstroRobonaut for interesting tweets about the Robonaut, a humanoid astronaut robot. For more Twitter follow suggestions see our astronomy list @TheAstroBlog/astronomy Weekly Stumbles: Astronomers Discover Largest and Most Distant Reservoir of Water Yet Water … Continue reading
This week I recommend to follow @NASAJPL for interesting tweets from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory which manages many of NASA’s robotic space exploration missions. For more Twitter follow suggestions see our astronomy list @TheAstroBlog/astronomy Weekly Stumbles: Twisted Tale of Our … Continue reading
This week I recommend to follow @CatherineQ for interesting tweets from an astrophysicist and science communicator. For more Twitter follow suggestions see our astronomy list @TheAstroBlog/astronomy Weekly Stumbles: Space Shuttle Legacy Includes 50 Percent More Tech Spinoffs than Apollo After … Continue reading
