This week, NASA revealed that 2020 tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record. The announcement, part of an annual release of global temperature data by NASA and NOAA (the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), revealed that our planet just keeps getting hotter. This data is an important part of our growing understanding…
You can put yourself on the scene virtually for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday (Jan. 20), thanks to the space photo app spelfie. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will officially take the reins of government Wednesday during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. That ceremony will be sparsely attended this year, thanks to social-distancing measures…
WASHINGTON — Former secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson has joined the board of directors of Maxar Technologies, the company announced Jan. 19. Wilson currently is president of the University of Texas El Paso. She was the Air Force’s top civilian from May 2017 through May 2019 and previously was a congresswoman representing New…
Shannon Walker is a NASA astronaut who served as a mission specialist on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon mission in 2020 — the first operational, commercial crew to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). She is currently serving as flight engineer for NASA’s Expedition 64, her second long-duration stint on the ISS. In 2010,…
The core stage of NASA’s giant Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket is in good shape despite its early shutdown during a crucial test this past weekend, agency officials said. The four-engine SLS core blazed to life on Saturday (Jan. 16) during a hot-fire test at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engines were…
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe spacecraft kicked off the new year with another close approach to the sun on Sunday (Jan. 17) as the sun’s activity picks up from a lull when the probe launched. 2021 will mark a busy year for the spacecraft, which will conduct a total of four close approaches to the sun,…
WASHINGTON — A static-fire test of the Space Launch System core stage ended early Jan. 16 when a hydraulic system for one its four engines hit an “intentionally conservative” limit during the test. In a Jan. 19 statement, NASA said the hydraulic system for Engine 2 on the core stage “exceeded the pre-set test limits…
SAN FRANCISCO – Private equity firm Redwire has acquired Oakman Aerospace, a Littleton, Colorado firm known for digital engineering and spacecraft development. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition announced Jan. 19 is the latest sign that Redwire is continuing to move rapidly to establish a multifaceted space company. “Oakman Aerospace adds a…
HELSINKI — Chinese private rocket firm iSpace is planning an IPO while also making progress on technology for a reusable launch vehicle. Beijing-based iSpace is planning to file an initial public offering on the Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market), a market established in 2019 to support tech companies. STAR Market announced the move…
America’s Space Commanders-in-Chief On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced a bold new plan for NASA and the nation: To send an American to the moon, and to return him safely, by the close of the decade. Kennedy’s speech, which came just six weeks after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to…
Hot on the heels of successfully snagging hunks of space rock in October, the scientists behind NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission are contemplating sending the spacecraft to study a second asteroid in 2029, this time the infamous Apophis. If that appointment comes to be, the spacecraft will arrive at Apophis in April 2029, just over…
The haze shrouding Pluto might be made up of ice crystals possessing cyanide hearts, a new study finds. Hazes, which are made of tiny motes of dust, smoke, ice and other substances, are not unique to Earth — scientists have detected hazes enveloping Mars, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter. Nor are hazes limited to planets. Saturn’s…
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WASHINGTON — Boeing has completed a requalification of software on its commercial crew spacecraft as it prepares to launch the vehicle on a second test flight as soon as late March. Boeing announced Jan. 18 it completed a “formal requalification” of the software on its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. That work included reviews of the software…
If you like science and you’re a curious person, you’re going to love How It Works, our sister publication that explores all the interesting questions about humans, the natural world and the entire universe. Below, you can read an entire issue for free. Just scroll down, enlarge to full screen and enjoy! In January 2021,…
Hey Space fans! If you love Space.com, then do we have a special treat for you. Our sister publication All About Space is offering a free look at their print magazine and you can see it here now! All About Space is a monthly magazine dedicated to bringing the wonder of space down to Earth. In addition…
SAN FRANCISCO – Aurora Insight, a Denver startup that gathers data on terrestrial and satellite communications, plans to launch the first of two cubesats on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission scheduled for liftoff Jan. 21. Satellite manufacturer NanoAvionics built the six-unit cubesats, Bravo and Charlie, and integrated them with Aurora Insight sensors. “We deploy…
Over on MagazinesDirect.com there are a huge range of titles available for print or digital subscriptions, meaning you can get every issue straight to your tablet, cellphone or other smart device. You can grab a print subscription to our best-selling magazines from just $3 for 3 issues — or if you prefer, get an entire…
Astronomers have discovered black widows and redbacks in space. While these cosmic objects don’t kill and eat their mates, the stars share their eight-legged counterparts’ violent behavior toward companions. In addition to the run-of-the-mill spider stars, the researchers also discovered a bizarre black widow-redback crossbreed. The scientists used the now-destroyed Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico…
Three years ago, two neutron stars collided in a cataclysmic crash, the first such merger ever observed directly. Naturally, scientists kept their eye on it — and now, something strange is happening. Astrophysicists observed the star collision on Aug. 17, 2017, spotting for the first time ever signs of the same event in both a…