Voyager 1, After Major Malfunction, Is Back From the Brink, NASA Says

15 June 2024 at 15:36

The farthest man-made object in space had been feared lost forever after a computer problem in November effectively rendered the 46-year-old probe useless.

An illustration depicting the Voyager 1 spacecraft.

Edward Stone, 88, Physicist Who Oversaw Voyager Missions, Is Dead

NYT: Science

Sam Roberts

14 June 2024 at 19:15

He helped send the twin spacecraft on their way in 1977. Decades and billions of miles later, they are still probing — “Earth’s ambassadors to the stars,” as he put it.

Mars Got Cooked by a Recent Solar Storm

NYT: Science

Robin George Andrews

13 June 2024 at 13:18

Days after light shows filled Earth’s skies with wonder, the red planet was hit by another powerful outburst of the sun.

Four Astronauts Spent 3 Days in Space. Here’s What It Did to Their Bodies and Minds.

NYT: Science

Kenneth Chang

12 June 2024 at 10:29

An extensive examination of medical data gathered from the private Inspiration4 mission in 2021 revealed temporary cognitive declines and genetic changes in the crew.

Jared Isaacman, left, and Hayley Arceneaux, two of the four Inspiration4 crew members, during the mission in 2021.

A Big Whack That Made the Moon May Have Also Created Continents That Move

NYT: Science

Lucas Joel

12 June 2024 at 05:04

Computer simulations suggest that a collision with another planetary object early in Earth’s history may have provided the heat to set off plate tectonics.

William A. Anders, 90, Dies; Flew on First Manned Orbit of the Moon

NYT: Science

Richard Goldstein

8 June 2024 at 17:42

During the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, his color photograph of an emerging Earth, known as “Earthrise,” became an icon and driving force for the environmental movement.

William A. Anders said of his journey around the moon: “Here we came all the way to the moon to discover Earth.”

Boeing’s Starliner Overcomes Malfunctioning Thrusters to Dock at Space Station

NYT: Science

Kenneth Chang

6 June 2024 at 16:00

Two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, opened the hatch of the spacecraft and boarded the outpost in orbit.

The Boeing Starliner capsule en route to docking with the International Space Station on Thursday.

SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Successfully Completes 1st Return From Space

NYT: Technology

Kenneth Chang

6 June 2024 at 12:50

The company achieved a key set of ambitious goals on the fourth test flight of a vehicle that is central to Elon Musk’s vision of sending people to Mars.

The SpaceX Starship launching on its fourth flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on June 6, 2024.

SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Successfully Completes 1st Return From Space

NYT: Science

Kenneth Chang

6 June 2024 at 12:50

The company achieved a key set of ambitious goals on the fourth test flight of a vehicle that is central to Elon Musk’s vision of sending people to Mars.

Boeing Starliner Carries NASA Astronauts to Orbit in ‘Milestone’ Flight

NYT: Science

Kenneth Chang

5 June 2024 at 15:47

The launch marks a long-delayed win for the aerospace giant, and the next step in NASA’s reliance on the private sector for its human spaceflight program.

The Starliner lifting off from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, Boeing’s first mission with astronauts aboard, who would take about a day to reach the International Space Station.

The Long, Difficult Road of Boeing’s Starliner Capsule

NYT: Science

Kenneth Chang

5 June 2024 at 13:44

Here’s a timeline of the setbacks that proceeded the spacecraft’s first trip to orbit with astronauts on board.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Space Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

A New Search for Ripples in Space From the Beginning of Time

NYT: Science

Kenneth Chang

3 June 2024 at 11:02

As it studies cosmic microwaves, the Simons Observatory in Chile aims to help prove or disprove cosmic inflation, a notion that the universe expanded rapidly in the moment after the Big Bang.

Manhattanhenge 2024: When and Where to Watch

NYT: Science

Katrina Miller

28 May 2024 at 23:29

The annual event brings New Yorkers together to celebrate longer days, warmer weather and epic summer sunsets.

People watching Manhattanhenge at sunset in New York City on Tuesday.

Rivers of Lava on Venus Reveal a More Volcanically Active Planet

NYT: Science

Robin George Andrews

27 May 2024 at 11:00

New software let scientists re-examine old radar images, providing some of the strongest evidence yet that volcanoes continue to reshape the hellish planet.

NASA Astronauts to Wait Another Week for Boeing Starliner Launch

NYT: Science

Kenneth Chang

24 May 2024 at 14:56

Officials from NASA and Boeing say they have worked out a solution to a helium leak that has kept the Starliner astronaut capsule grounded.

The astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on their way to the Starliner spacecraft on May 6, before the launch was called off.

ESA Euclid Telescope’s New Images Search Dark Universe

NYT: Science

Katrina Miller

23 May 2024 at 07:06

The European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope’s latest release shows off the device’s capabilities.

Supernova or Coronavirus: Can You Tell the Difference?

NYT: Science

Katrina Miller

21 May 2024 at 05:00

A scientist finds beauty in the “visual synonyms” that exist in images seen through microscopes and telescopes.

Comet Fragment Explodes in Dark Skies Over Spain and Portugal

NYT: Science

Robin George Andrews

19 May 2024 at 21:00

A brilliant flash of blue, green and white on Saturday night came from a shard of an as yet unidentified comet that was moving around 100,000 miles per hour, experts said.

Ed Dwight Goes to Space 63 Years After Training as 1st Black Astronaut

NYT: Science

Amanda Holpuch

19 May 2024 at 18:34

Edward Dwight was among the first pilots that the United States was training to send to space in 1961, but he was passed over. On Sunday, he finally made it on a Blue Origin flight.

Edward Dwight was one of six people who went to space aboard the Mission NS-25 crew capsule from Blue Origin on Sunday. Upon exiting, he raised his arm and said, “Long time coming.”

The Northern Lights Forecast in the U.K.

NYT: Science

Isabella Kwai

18 May 2024 at 11:49

Sightings of the aurora borealis are unlikely in the U.K. this weekend, but the northern lights could return on Monday, forecasters said.

The northern lights near High Pike, England, early on Saturday.

New Star Wars Plan: Pentagon Rushes to Counter Threats in Orbit

NYT: Science

Eric Lipton

17 May 2024 at 18:31

Citing rapid advances by China and Russia, the United States is building an extensive capacity to fight battles in space.

A rocket carrying the Pentagon’s secretive X-37B crewless space plane launching last year from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Alarmed by Climate Change, Astronomers Train Their Sights on Earth

NYT: Science

Katrina Miller and Delger Erdenesanaa

14 May 2024 at 03:00

A growing number of researchers in the field are using their expertise to fight the climate crisis.

Penny Sackett, former director of the Australian National University’s Mount Stromlo Observatory, just outside Canberra, in the remains of the observatory, which was destroyed in a 2003 wildfire.

Elon Musk’s Diplomacy: Woo Right-Wing World Leaders. Then Benefit.

NYT: Technology

Ryan Mac， Jack Nicas and Alex Travelli

12 May 2024 at 11:33

Mr. Musk has built a constellation of like-minded heads of state — including Argentina’s Javier Milei and India’s Narendra Modi — to push his own politics and expand his business empire.

Northern Lights Set to Return Tonight as Extreme Solar Storm Continues

NYT: Science

Katrina Miller， Ivan Penn and Emmett Lindner

11 May 2024 at 16:00

Electrical utilities said they weathered earlier conditions as persistent geomagnetic storms were expected to cause another light show in evening skies.

A NASA satellite recorded the sun releasing a powerful solar flare on Friday night. Elevated solar activity this week has contributed to powerful geomagnetic storms in Earth’s atmosphere.

Northern Lights Forecast: How to See the Aurora Borealis This Weekend

NYT: Science

Claire Moses

11 May 2024 at 14:13

The Space Weather Prediction Center said solar activity would be high again on Saturday.

Northern lights hung over the Lofoten Islands in Norway in March.

Northern Lights Are Visible as Solar Storm Intensifies: What to Know

NYT: Science

Katrina Miller and Judson Jones

11 May 2024 at 13:13

Officials warned of potential blackouts or interference with navigation and communication systems this weekend, as well as auroras as far south as Southern California or Texas.

Some NASA Satellites Will Soon Stop Sending Data Back to Earth

NYT: Science

Raymond Zhong

3 May 2024 at 16:47

Three long-running satellites will soon be switched off, forcing scientists to figure out how to adjust their views of our changing planet.

Marine stratocumulus clouds over the southeastern Pacific Ocean, captured by NASA’s Terra satellite in 2002.

Video: China’s Chang’e-6 Far Side of the Moon Launch

NYT: Science

Katrina Miller

3 May 2024 at 12:04

If successful, the Chang’e-6 mission will be the first in history to return a sample from a part of the moon that we never get to see from Earth.

Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower 2024: Peak Time and How to Watch

NYT: Science

Katrina Miller

2 May 2024 at 12:06

The event will be active when the moon is just a sliver in the sky, but it is less easy to see in the Northern Hemisphere than other meteor showers.

Halley’s comet over Easter Island in 1986. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is the result of debris from Halley’s tail.

Killer Asteroid Hunters Spot 27,500 Overlooked Space Rocks

NYT: Science

Kenneth Chang

30 April 2024 at 09:00

With the help of Google Cloud, scientists churned through hundreds of thousands of images of the night sky to reveal that the solar system is filled with unseen objects.

An algorithm and cloud computing identified overlooked space rocks. Most, in green, are in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but other items in orange share Jupiter’s orbit, and items in light blue are closer to Earth.

Killer Asteroid Hunters Spot 27,500 Overlooked Space Rocks

NYT: Technology

Kenneth Chang

30 April 2024 at 09:00

With the help of Google Cloud, scientists churned through hundreds of thousands of images of the night sky to reveal that the solar system is filled with unseen objects.

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