space exploration

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Mercury Might Be the Diamond Planet
Mercury Might Be
the Diamond Planet
new study
Jul 22, 2024 9:14 AM CDT

Mercury Might Be the Diamond Planet

Study suggests it has a miles-thick layer of the gems beneath the surface

(Newser) - Mars gets all the buzz , but Mercury just gained some bragging rights among the planets—a new study suggests it may have a layer of diamonds 9 miles thick, located deep below its surface, reports Live Science . These diamonds exist only in theory at the moment, but the study in...

Scientists Just Found a Cave on the Moon

Radar data confirms existence of one, and lots more are likely up there

(Newser) - Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon—not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago—and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts. An Italian-led team reported Monday that there's evidence for a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known...

Space Telescope Captures Galaxies 'Penguin' and 'the Egg'

Images mark the Webb telescope's second anniversary

(Newser) - The Webb Space Telescope has captured a pair of glowing, interacting galaxies, per the AP . The observatory operated by NASA and the European Space Agency photographed the two galaxies 326 million light-years away, surrounded by a blue haze of stars and gas. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles. The...

Earthlings to Get First Look at Soil From Moon's Far Side
China Plants a Flag on
the Far Side of the Moon
UPDATED
Jun 4, 2024 11:17 AM CDT

China Plants a Flag on the Far Side of the Moon

Its lunar lander has wrapped up a historic mission to gather rocks and soil

(Newser) - A Chinese spacecraft is headed back to Earth after collecting soil and rocks from the far side of the moon—a first for any nation, reports the Guardian . The unmanned Chang'e-6 lander took off from the moon on Tuesday after wrapping up its two-day gathering mission. The China National...

Rivals: Musk's SpaceX Is an 'Anti-American' Empire

Critics gripe to 'NYT,' claiming space launch company is no 'accidental monopoly'

(Newser) - Elon Musk's SpaceX is the topic of conversation in the latest deep dive by the New York Times into his business practices, and the upshot is: His rivals aren't happy. They claim that although SpaceX is now a major player in the space launch arena, with NASA and...

Mayan Intercropping Could Be Key to Food on Mars
Mayan Intercropping Could
Be Key to Food on Mars
NEW STUDY
May 12, 2024 1:45 PM CDT

Mayan Intercropping Could Be Key to Food on Mars

Researchers are experimenting with the ancient method on Martian-like dirt

(Newser) - The international space community has its sights set on humans landing on Mars by the mid-2030s, but a big question remains once astronauts get there: what will they eat? Researchers in the Netherlands at Wageningen University & Research are working to solve that particular problem in the long-term, when humans...

How to Get Mars Rocks to Earth for Cheap? NASA Shrugs

Space agency seeks ideas to revive Mars Sample Return Mission

(Newser) - Calling all innovators: NASA is looking for out-of-the-box ideas about how to get Martian rocks to Earth in the next 15 years without breaking the bank. The space agency says it can't achieve this top priority before 2040 with the $5 billion to $7 billion in funding currently outlined....

Railroad on the Moon? It May Be in the Works

Northrop Grumman enlisted to explore construction, costs, and risks

(Newser) - Now that scientists have some ideas about how to build roads on the moon , focus is turning to a potential lunar railroad. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) envisions a future in which a network of rails covers the lunar surface, transporting humans, resources, and supplies from one...

Gravitational Wave Detector Will Be a 'Game-Changer'

2035 LISA mission will hunt for ripples in space-time

(Newser) - As part of his theory of general relativity, Albert Einstein predicated a body accelerating in space would create radiating ripples in space-time. He was, of course, correct. But he was wrong about one thing. Einstein believed gravitational waves, even those caused by the collision of massive objects, would be too...

Photo Explains Why Japan's Moon Lander Isn't Talking

It landed upside down, and its solar panels aren't getting juice from the sun

(Newser) - The good news is that Japan landed a spacecraft on the moon , making it only the fifth nation to accomplish the feat. The bad news is that the SLIM craft landed upside down, on its nose, reports Space.com . The glitch explains why mission controllers in Japan have been unable...

After Leak, Spacecraft Has 'No Chance' of Landing on Moon

'Space is hard,' NASA says

(Newser) - Astrobotic Technology says there's no longer any hope of its Peregrine probe landing on the moon. In an update posted on X Tuesday, the Pittsburgh-based company said that due to a fuel leak detected hours after liftoff Monday, "there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on...

'We Are on Our Way to the Moon!'
Historic Moon Mission
Might Be in Peril
UPDATED
Jan 8, 2024 1:20 PM CST

Historic Moon Mission Might Be in Peril

Private company's spacecraft develops fuel leak en route to first landing in more than 50 years

(Newser) - Updated throughout. The first US moon landing in more than 50 years was in jeopardy Monday after a private company's newly launched spacecraft developed a "critical" fuel leak. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology raced to orient its lander toward the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight, as battery...

NASA Releases 'Stunning' Images of a Jupiter Moon

It's been more than 20 years since we got this close to the volcanic Io

(Newser) - A NASA spacecraft paid a rare visit to an old friend over the holiday weekend—the volcanic Jupiter moon of Io, reports NPR . The Juno craft made a close flyby, at just under 1,000 miles, for the first time in 20 years and captured new photos that NASA is...

In a First, NASA Craft Heads to Metal Asteroid

Until now, exploration has been limited to surfaces of rock, ice, and gas

(Newser) - NASA's Psyche spacecraft rocketed away Friday on a six-year journey to a rare metal-covered asteroid. Most asteroids tend to be rocky or icy, and this is the first exploration of a metal world. Scientists say it may be the battered remains of an early planet's core and could...

India Can't Rouse Its Moon Lander
India Can't Rouse
Its Moon Rover
Sep 22, 2023 2:00 PM CDT

India Can't Rouse Its Moon Rover

Lander and rover are dormant at the frigid south pole after a 2-week nap

(Newser) - India's mission to the moon can already be counted as a historic success, but this might put a damper on how it ends: The nation's space agency can't rouse its lunar lander or lunar rover after a two-week nap, reports New Scientist . The machines deliberately went into...

You Might Be Able to Spot a Comet This Week

Newly discovered Nishimura would require an early wake-up and good binoculars

(Newser) - A comet that last zipped by our planet around the year 1590 is on its return trip, and it makes its closest approach to Earth on Tuesday, reports EarthSky . Those who hope to catch a glimpse of Comet Nishimura might be able to do so if they rise before dawn...

India's Lunar Rover Keeps Doing Its Moon Walk

No glitches so far after historic touch-down earlier this week

(Newser) - India's lunar rover continued its walk on the moon Friday after the historic touch-down of India's spacecraft near the moon's south pole earlier this week, the country's space agency said. The rover's data collection and experiments could help determine if there is oxygen and hydrogen...

Russia's First Moon Mission in Decades Ends in a Crash

Luna-25 lander rams into the moon while preparing to land

(Newser) - Russia's first attempt to return to the moon since 1976 has ended in an explosion. The nation's Luna-25 lander spun out of control while preparing to land and rammed into the moon's surface, reports CNN . "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist...

India Tries Again to Nail Moon Landing

After failed 2019 mission, country launches Chandrayaan-3 with a rover and lander

(Newser) - An Indian spacecraft blazed its way to the far side of the moon Friday in a follow-up mission to its failed effort nearly four years ago to land a rover softly on the lunar surface, the country's space agency said. Chandrayaan-3, the word for "moon craft" in Sanskrit,...

Astronomers 'Hear' Black Hole Collisions
Astronomers 'Hear'
Black Hole Collisions
new study
Jun 29, 2023 7:55 AM CDT

Astronomers 'Hear' Black Hole Collisions

Major discovery seems to affirm a theory of Albert Einstein

(Newser) - Scientists have observed for the first time the faint ripples caused by the motion of black holes that are gently stretching and squeezing everything in the universe, per the AP . They reported Wednesday that they were able to "hear" what are called low-frequency gravitational waves—changes in the fabric...

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