At the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSI) in Baltimore, Maryland, NASA engineers are busy aligning the mirrors and instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In the meantime, the mission team has provided us with another glimpse of what this observatory – a successor to the venerable Hubble Space Telescope – will see once … Read more
UNLV physicists pioneered a new laser-heating technique in a diamond anvil cell (pictured here) as part of their discovery of a new form of ice. Credit: Chris Higgins UNLV researchers have discovered a new form of ice, redefining the properties of water at high pressures. Solid water, or ice, is like many other materials in … Read more
Astronomers have detected at least three small stars masquerading as exoplanets, new research shows. The three, possibly four, stars were originally discovered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. At the time, they were classified as exoplanets. However, a new study suggests their original classification may be a case of mistaken identity, according to a statement from … Read more
The most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, the Space Launch System is now ready for a final prelaunch test for the uncrewed Artemis I mission. Known as a wet dress rehearsal, the trial includes loading the fuel tanks and conducting a launch countdown. Ultimately, the plan is to use the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket to … Read more
Little did Pfister know that he had stumbled across one of the most complete skeletons of the mighty Triceratops. “At that time, I suspected or hoped it was something special, but it took another month of excavation before I knew the extent and quality of the specimen,” he said. It’s called Horridus, a name given … Read more
WASHINGTON — SpaceX set records for the reuse of its Falcon 9 booster and the mass that rocket placed into orbit March 19 with the latest launch of Starlink satellites. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:42 a.m. Eastern. The launch took … Read more
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover looks back at its wheel tracks on March 17, 2022, the 381st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The rover’s self-driving capabilities will be put to the test this month as it begins a record-breaking series of sprints to its next sampling location. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is … Read more
Major smashups between rocky bodies shaped our solar system. Observations of a similar crash give clues about how frequent these events are around other stars. Most of the rocky planets and satellites in our solar system, including Earth and the Moon, were formed or shaped by massive collisions early in the solar system’s history. By … Read more