The New Space Race
Reusable rockets are real, the internet is in orbit, and we’re heading to Mars. With space manufacturing, asteroid mining, and lunar bases, the new space race has just begun, transforming life on Earth forever.
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The billionaire building space lasers to power Earth
Space startup Aetherflux has a mission straight out of sci-fi: harvest solar power in orbit and beam it down to Earth via laser.
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T-Minus: Counting down the top 10 space stories of 2024
A look back on the 10 greatest space stories of 2024, from SpaceX’s “Mechazilla” to a first-of-its-kind civilian spacewalk.
T-Minus: Kessler Syndrome
Experts answer 10 big questions about the nightmare scenario that could send us back to the pre-Space Age.
T-Minus: 10 milestones in commercial spaceflight
T-Minus looks back at 10 major milestones in the commercial space industry — including several SpaceX triumphs.
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Chernobyl fungus could shield astronauts from cosmic radiation
A recent study tested how well the fungi species Cladosporium sphaerospermum blocked cosmic radiation aboard the International Space Station.
ISS experiment will 3D print a body part in microgravity
An International Space Station experiment to test 3D-printing in microgravity could help end the organ shortage on Earth.
Chinese robot helps convert moon dust into fuel and oxygen
Chinese researchers have built an autonomous robot to set up an ISRU system for converting lunar soil into fuel and oxygen.
NASA “Flashlight” will hunt for hidden water on the moon
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight mission will use reflections from laser light to measure lunar water hidden in permanently shadowed craters.
NASA detects 50+ methane “super-emitters” from space
A new instrument aboard the International Space Station has been used to identify more than 50 “super-emitters” of methane.
Meteorite blasts “biggest new crater” NASA has ever seen into Mars
A meteorite impact that caused a marsquake and created a massive new Mars crater could shape our plans to send people to the Red Planet.
Starlink satellites can be reverse-engineered to create new GPS
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite mega-constellation could be used to create a new, more secure global positioning system for the US Army.
Einstein’s theory of general relativity passes another test, with implications for dark matter and dark energy
Scientists carried out an ultra-precise test of a core premise of Einstein’s modern theory of gravity. The theory stood up.
Space ads could earn $2 million a day, say Russian researchers
Space advertising could generate a profit, even though space ads would cost $65 million each, according to Russian researchers’ calculations.
The technology we (or aliens) need for long-distance interstellar travel
Interstellar distances are vast, and extremely advanced technology will be required if we (or aliens) want to visit other star systems.
SpaceX announces Starlink Aviation service for planes
SpaceX is launching Starlink Aviation, a new service that will make its satellite internet network available on airplanes.
Astronomers unveil world’s largest digital camera
In 2024, the LSST Camera will begin a 10-year-long survey of space that could revolutionize astronomy — if LEOsats don’t get in the way.
First-of-its-kind rocket engine nears first flight test
To build the world’s first fully reusable rocket, startup Stoke Space is completely reimagining what a rocket engine should look like.
NASA’s mission proves it can redirect an asteroid — and potentially save Earth
NASA has confirmed that its DART spacecraft altered the orbit of the Dimorphos asteroid — a huge win for planetary defense efforts.
How NASA plans to stop killer asteroids
NASA’s planetary defense researchers are tracking potentially hazardous objects in space and developing tech to destroy or deflect them.
A cure for blindness may be first product made in space
An ISS experiment suggests that manufacturing artificial retinas in space will make them more effective at reversing blindness.
SpaceX wants to save Hubble. NASA may be on board.
NASA and SpaceX may use a Dragon spacecraft to boost the Hubble Space Telescope into a higher, life-saving orbit.
Webb, Hubble capture spacecraft slamming into asteroid
DART collision images captured by NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes show what happens when a spacecraft slams into an asteroid.
A neural network discovered Copernicus’ heliocentricity on its own
Scientists trained a neural network to predict the movements of Mars and the Sun, which placed the Sun at the center of our solar system.
Scientists discover animal that doesn’t need oxygen to live
The parasite infects salmon and lives within the fish muscle, though scientists aren’t quite sure how it breaks down nutrients for survival.
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