• Movie: Mutiny in Outer Space

    If Hollywood is not planning to provide any summertime space movies, maybe it’s time to check the archives for something fun from the past. One such movie is Mutiny in Outer Space, a black and white film from 1965. You can find it on the Internet Archive and Youtube. The story involves a space station…

  • Lunar Pits Offer Refuge

    If you are looking for a comfortable spot on the Moon, you could do much worse than a lunar pit. These pits have shaded portions that maintain a comfortable temperature of about 63 F. That is much better than the surface temperatures of 260 F in the day and minus 280 F at night. Such…

  • China Needs Reusable Rockets

    A few days ago debris from China’s Long March 5B rocket landed in the waters off the Philippine island of Palawan. The 1.8 million pounds of rocket brought a module to the Chinese space station. Such problems with Chinese rocket debris is a clear example that China needs to follow both SpaceX and Blue Origin…

  • RIP: Nichelle Nichols (aka Lt. Nyota Uhura)

    This weekend we lost actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek television series. She was 89. Back in 1966, her role as part of the crew on the U.S.S. Enterprise was a risky and eye-opening move by creator Gene Roddenberry in a nation divided by race (as well as…

  • ISS Research Projects

    Have you ever wondered about all of the scientific projects, past and present, on the International Space Station (ISS)? Quite a bit has happened onboard the station since it was first occupied back in November 2000. Fortunately, NASA maintains an inventory of all of these projects. The Space Station Research Explorer provides information on all…

  • Space Quotes: Russia is Pulling Out of the ISS? Maybe Not

    “Of course, we will fulfill all our obligations to our partners, but the decision about withdrawing from the station after 2024 has been made.” -Statement by Yuri Borisov regarding Russia’s participation in the International Space Station (ISS), as quoted by Reuters. Mr. Borisov was recently appointed director-general of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos. However, like his…

  • Pic of the Week: Blue Ring Around the Crater

    This week’s image may appear to be a mining pit in Arizona, but in fact it is a crater in Mar’s southern hemisphere. The blue dust near the top of the crater’s rim is frozen carbon dioxide. The image was taken from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. Here is…

  • A Red Smudge That’s 35 Billion Light-Years Away

    Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Scottish astronomers at the University of Edinburgh believe they have spotted a galaxy that is about 35 billion light-years away, showing us the galaxy as it would have appeared 235 million years after the Big Bang. This would make it the most distant galaxy ever captured by astronomers.…

  • Space Stories: Stargazing Apps, Ringless Jupiter, and Detecting Exoplanets

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —Mashable.com: “The Best Astronomy Apps for Stargazing This Summer“ Thanks to these astronomy apps, you can use your phone to see which stars and constellations are above you in real time, day or night. Whether you’re planning on stargazing, are curious about which constellations are in your location,…

  • More JWST Priorities

    Last week I noted some of the mission priorities in the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) first year. Those priorities were listed under “Exoplanets and Disks.” I thought I would highlight a few more, this time from the “Solar System Astronomy” list. Here are five more priorities: Each of these priorities come with an explanation…