NASA is working with SpaceX to develop its Starship human landing system (HLS) for use during the Artemis III and Artemis IV missions to land American astronauts near the South Pole of the Moon. The Starship HLS will be powered by two variants of the company’s Raptor engines—one optimized to operate in atmospheric pressure at sea-level …
Mission managers have given the go for the launch of three new crew members aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft to the International Space Station at 11:44 a.m. EDT on Friday. NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub will ride the Soyuz crew ship and dock to the Rassvet module just …
Robotics, lab maintenance, and microbiology were the top priorities aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 69 crew members also had time set aside for Earth science operations and biomedical duties. Astrobee, the toaster-sized, cube-shaped free-flying robotic helper was activated today inside the Kibo laboratory module. Student-written algorithms were uplinked to the orbital …
Payloads: Circadian Light: The Circadian Light start-of-next-day assessment was performed. The Circadian Light investigation tests a new lighting system to help astronauts maintain an acceptable circadian rhythm. This can help enhance cognitive performance during a long-duration mission and help combat monotony through automated, varied, and gradually changing lighting sequences and settings. Earthshine from ISS: Earthshine …
Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have installed the first of four RS-25 engines on the core stage of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will help power NASA’s first crewed Artemis mission to the Moon. During Artemis II, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian …
Tuesday was filled with health research and science hardware maintenance for the Expedition 69 crew. The rocket to launch the next crew to live aboard the International Space Station has also rolled out to its launch pad. Four flight engineers kicked off the day with a health examination checking vital signs such as temperature, blood …
Astronaut Frank Rubio Breaks the U.S. Record for Longest Spaceflight: Yesterday, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, spending his 355th consecutive day on the ISS. Rubio is scheduled to land on September 27th and will ultimately spend 371 consecutive days in orbit. Payloads: Exploration Environmental …
Calling all music buffs! This one’s for you. We’re gearing up for the Sept. 24 landing of NASA’s first asteroid sample and we want you to provide the soundtrack. Your song requests could be featured during a week of live episodes on Third Rock Radio and on the official Return of the Rock playlists. Third …
The rate at which the universe is expanding, known as the Hubble constant, is one of the fundamental parameters for understanding the evolution and ultimate fate of the cosmos. However, a persistent difference called the “Hubble Tension” is seen between the value of the constant measured with a wide range of independent distance indicators and …
By Rick Smith A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so relentless that nothing nearby – not stars, not even light – can resist its pull. Astrophysicist Kavitha Arur can’t resist it either. She’s been fascinated with black holes since childhood. “I always enjoyed mysteries and solving puzzles, and astronomy is …
