https://phys.org/space-news/space-exploration en-us Space exploration news and updates. Space missions and science news. Planet exploration and more. Elon Musk's SpaceX on Wednesday announced it was eyeing March 14 as the earliest date for the next test launch of its giant Starship rocket, with which it hopes to one day colonize Mars. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-spacex-eyes-starship.html Space Exploration Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:38:05 EST news628965479 Correcting 50-year-old errors in the math used to understand how electromagnetic waves scatter electrons trapped in Earth's magnetic fields will lead to better protection for technology in space. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-space-physics-satellite-safety.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Mon, 04 Mar 2024 13:36:01 EST news628781759 Four astronauts headed to the International Space Station on Sunday where they will oversee the arrivals of two new rocketships during their half-year stint. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-astronauts-international-space-station-month.html Space Exploration Mon, 04 Mar 2024 03:55:42 EST news628746932 Where will you be watching the April 8 total solar eclipse? There are just a few weeks left to pick your spot to see the skies darken along a strip of North America, whether by land, sea or air. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-april-total-solar-eclipse.html Space Exploration Sat, 02 Mar 2024 08:48:46 EST news628591717 When shifting from the microgravity of a spacecraft to the gravity-rich environment of the moon or Mars, astronauts experience deficits in perceptual and motor functions. The vestibular system in the inner ear, which detects the position and movement of the head, must adjust to reinterpret new gravity cues. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-augmented-reality-astronaut-adjustment-gravity.html Space Exploration Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:17:03 EST news628514221 The first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo astronauts fell silent Thursday, a week after breaking a leg at touchdown and tipping over near the lunar south pole. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-moon-lander-century-week-touchdown.html Space Exploration Fri, 01 Mar 2024 04:28:17 EST news628489692 An increasing number of seismologists are using fiber optic cables to detect seismic waves on Earth—but how would this technology fare on the moon, and what would it tell us about the deep layers of our nearest neighbor in space? https://phys.org/news/2024-02-fiber-optic-cable-scientists-probe.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:03:27 EST news628423405 The first private U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon broke a leg at touchdown before falling over, according to company officials who said Wednesday it was on the verge of losing power. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-private-moon-lander-leg-falling.html Space Exploration Thu, 29 Feb 2024 04:42:07 EST news628404122 In July of 2023, retired commander in the U.S. Navy David Fravor testified to the House Oversight Committee about a mysterious, Tic Tac-shaped object that he and three others observed over the Pacific Ocean in 2004. The congressional hearings riveted the world by bringing Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) out of the "alien truther" realm and into the mainstream. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-west-ufos.html Space Exploration Astrobiology Wed, 28 Feb 2024 08:24:05 EST news628331041 A frequent idea in sci-fi and apocalyptic films is that of an asteroid striking Earth and causing global devastation. While the probabilities of this kind of mass extinction occurring on our planet are incredibly small, they are not zero. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-nasa-mission-collided-asteroid-didnt.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Tue, 27 Feb 2024 12:08:06 EST news628258083 Continuous research is being conducted globally on using the moon as an advanced base for deep space exploration, and Korea is no exception in these efforts. The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) successfully implemented an electrostatic environment that simulates the moon's surface conditions, not in space but on Earth. The researchers also assessed its performance and effectiveness. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-korean-electrostatic-environment-simulates-moon.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Tue, 27 Feb 2024 10:50:03 EST news628253401 For the first time since the Apollo era, an American spaceship has landed on the Moon: an uncrewed commercial robot, funded by NASA to pave the way for US astronauts to return to Earth's cosmic neighbor later this decade. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-america-spaceship-moon-private-sector.html Space Exploration Fri, 23 Feb 2024 02:18:25 EST news627877088 A new computer model mimics moon dust so well that it could lead to smoother and safer lunar robot teleoperations. The tool, developed by researchers at the University of Bristol and based at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, could be used to train astronauts ahead of lunar missions. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-realistic-robots-moon.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:02 EST news627751754 NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a spacecraft last fall—and it's double the rubble return goal. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-nasa-tally-spacecraft-amount-asteroid.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:05:47 EST news627314736 NASA is seeking applicants to participate in its next simulated one-year Mars surface mission to help inform the agency's plans for human exploration of the Red Planet. The second of three planned ground-based missions called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) is scheduled to kick off in spring 2025. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-martians-nasa-simulated-yearlong-mars.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Fri, 16 Feb 2024 12:38:44 EST news627309516 Earth-bound surgeons remotely controlled a small robot aboard the International Space Station over the weekend, conducting the first-ever such surgery in orbit—albeit on rubber bands. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-space-surgery-doctors-ground-robot.html Space Exploration Thu, 15 Feb 2024 04:18:23 EST news627193093 Another private U.S. company took a shot at the moon Thursday, launching a month after a rival's lunar lander missed its mark and came crashing back. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-company-lunar-lander-rockets-moon.html Space Exploration Thu, 15 Feb 2024 04:15:05 EST news627192898 An unmanned lunar spacecraft has captured and transmitted data analyzing 10 lunar rocks, a greater-than-expected achievement that could help provide clues about the origin of the moon, a Japan space agency official said Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-moon-japan-space-agency-clues.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Wed, 14 Feb 2024 12:45:18 EST news627137108 Space exploration is a complex and risky mission that requires careful preparation and a thorough understanding of the challenges inherent to life in space. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-astronauts-microbiomes-crucial-deep-space.html Space Exploration Astrobiology Thu, 08 Feb 2024 11:05:19 EST news626612714 US companies are set to launch for the moon on February 14, less than a month since a similar mission ended in failure with the spaceship burning up in the Earth's atmosphere, NASA said Wednesday. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-moon-mission-valentine-day.html Space Exploration Thu, 08 Feb 2024 04:50:39 EST news626590234 NASA's newest climate satellite rocketed into orbit Thursday to survey the world's oceans and atmosphere in never-before-seen detail. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-nasa-climate-satellite-blasts-survey.html Space Exploration Thu, 08 Feb 2024 04:15:27 EST news626588122 Sierra Space's shuttle-like Dream Chaser has been put through its paces at a powerful NASA vibration facility that mimics conditions during launch and atmospheric reentry, officials said Thursday ahead of its planned first flight to the ISS this year. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-rattle-chaser-spaceplane-vibration.html Space Exploration Thu, 01 Feb 2024 16:35:07 EST news626027703 An asteroid as big as a skyscraper will pass within 1.7 million miles of Earth on Friday. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-skyscraper-size-asteroid-earth-friday.html Space Exploration Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:27:26 EST news626009241 After a brief awakening, Japan's moon lander is out of action again but will resume its mission if it survives the two-week lunar night, the space agency said Thursday. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-lunar-night-japan-lander.html Space Exploration Thu, 01 Feb 2024 06:29:57 EST news625991388 A love for space exploration led Jessica Atkin, a Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences graduate student in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, to produce the first-ever moondust-grown chickpeas. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-moon-soil-student-chickpeas-amended.html Space Exploration Wed, 31 Jan 2024 09:22:08 EST news625915314 Japan's moon lander has come back to life, the space agency said Monday, enabling the craft to proceed with its mission of investigating the lunar surface despite its rocky start. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-japan-moon-lander-life.html Space Exploration Mon, 29 Jan 2024 04:13:48 EST news625724021 NASA's history-making Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has ended its mission at the Red Planet after surpassing expectations and making dozens more flights than planned. While the helicopter remains upright and in communication with ground controllers, imagery of its Jan. 18 flight sent to Earth this week indicates one or more of its rotor blades sustained damage during landing and it is no longer capable of flight. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-years-mars-nasa-ingenuity-helicopter.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Thu, 25 Jan 2024 16:52:34 EST news625423945 The European Space Agency gave the green light to two missions on Thursday, one to detect ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves and another to probe the secrets of Earth's closest neighboring planet Venus. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-gravitational-venus-missions-european-green.html Space Exploration Thu, 25 Jan 2024 12:33:17 EST news625408392 Japan's space agency said Thursday that its first lunar mission hit the tiny patch of the moon's surface it was aiming for, in a successful demonstration of its pinpoint landing system—although the probe appears to be lying upside-down. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-japan-craft-successful-pin-moon.html Space Exploration Thu, 25 Jan 2024 04:21:49 EST news625378836 Lettuce and other leafy green vegetables are part of a healthy, balanced diet—even for astronauts on a mission. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-salad-space-healthy-choice.html Space Exploration Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:51:46 EST news625146700