The hypersonic spy plane, dubbed SR-72, might already be in production. The SR-71 Blackbird hypersonic spy plane may be back and faster than ever. Or maybe not. Ambiguous wording at an aerospace-conference presentation last week suggested that the SR-72 , a successor to the infamous Cold War spy plane , might already be in production, […]
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Apollo 17 Astronaut Laments Size of Moon Rock at Trump Signing Ceremony
Ivanka Trump, adviser to President Donald Trump, examines a moon-rock sample collected in 1972 by Apollo 17 astronaut Jack Schmitt (left). Photo was taken on Dec. 11, 2017, in the White House, just after Trump signed Space Policy Directive 1, which directs to NASA to return people to the moon. MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — The […]
Mystery Solved! Discovery of Organic Molecules Explains Universe's Infrared Glow
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The universe is filled with faintly glowing infrared light, and for decades, astronomers have been trying to figure out why. But now, they’ve finally determined the source of this strange cosmic radiation: It is emitted by an organic molecule called benzonitrile, which seems to permeate every part of the known universe. […]
How I Discovered the Origins of the Cigar-Shaped Alien 'Asteroid' 'Oumuamua
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights . One of the highlights of 2017 was the discovery of the first object in our solar system that definitely came from somewhere else. At first we thought it was a comet , then an […]
Safety Panel Raises Concerns about SpaceX Falcon 9 Pressure Vessel for Commercial Crew Missions
The annual report of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel raised safety issues about commercial crew systems under development by Boeing and SpaceX WASHINGTON — An independent safety panel recommended NASA not certify SpaceX’s commercial crew system until the agency better understands the behavior of pressure vessels linked to a Falcon 9 failure in 2016. That recommendation […]
King's Dream of Equality Must Extend to Space Science
A ten-year-old sits reading in front of a mural showing the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia. Carie Lemack is co-founder and CEO of DreamUp , the first company to bring space into classrooms and classrooms into space. A former national security policy expert and advocate and producer of an Academy Award-nominated […]
How Did the Milky Way Get Its Bulge? Fast-Moving Stars May Hold Clues
An image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the bulge of the Milky Way. Many of the fainter stars are sun-like stars orbiting the bulge at different speeds depending on their makeup. Sun-like stars in the Milky Way galaxy’s central hub are zipping along at different speeds depending on how they are made, according to […]
What in the World Is Metallic Hydrogen?
Below Jupiter’s swirling cloud tops, the common element hydrogen exists in a very strange state. Paul Sutter is an astrophysicist at The Ohio State University and the chief scientist at COSI science center . Sutter is also host of Ask a Spaceman and Space Radio , and leads AstroTours around the world. Sutter contributed this […]
China Launches Earth-Observing Satellite on Long March 2D Rocket
By Tariq Malik, Space.com Managing Editor | January 14, 2018 08:13am ET A Chinese Long March 2D rocket launches a land survey satellite into orbit from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert on Jan. 12, 2018. Credit: China Great Wall Industry Corporation A Chinese Long March 2D rocket launched a new Earth-watching satellite […]
NOAA Updates Its Weather Constellation and Retires an Old Workhorse
Before NOAA retired the spacecraft on Jan. 8, GOES-13 captured images of many major storms, including this image from Sept. 1, 2017, showing Tropical Storm Lidia and Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. AUSTIN, Texas — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administratio nannounced plans Jan. 8 to retire its decade-old Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 13 to make […]
Five-Exoplanet System Discovered Thanks to Citizen Scientists
An artist’s illustration of the K2-138 system, which contains at least five planets orbiting closely around their parent star. A family of four planets orbiting a distant star was discovered last April, with the help of citizen scientists around the world. In a new paper, researchers reveal some fascinating features of this alien solar system, […]
'Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey' TV Series Will Return in 2019
A book “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” will accompany the second season of the TV series “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.” LOS ANGELES — Get ready, space fans: “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey ” has been renewed for a second season. Fox and National Geographic announced yesterday (Jan. 13) that the series will return in the spring of 2019. […]
Captain Picard of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Almost Had a Full Head of Hair
By George Marston, Newsarama Contributor | January 13, 2018 08:18am ET Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard in “Star Trek: First Contact.” Credit: Paramount Pictures Most fans have probably never seen Patrick Stewart with a full head of hair. He’s been bald since he entered the public eye as “Star Trek: The Next Generation’s” Captain Jean-Luc […]