• Space Quote: A Thank You From Russia

    “Say hello to the entire American team. They proved themselves to be very worthy in this situation and lent us a helping hand…You set an example for the whole world on how to work together in the most challenging and difficult situation. Let many politicians learn from you.“ -Statement by Yuri Borisov, head of Russian…

  • Space Stories: ISS Leak, Revamped Space Council, and Asteroid Space Stations

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —CBS News: “Soyuz Ferry Ship Temperatures Remain Within Limits Despite Major Coolant Leak“ Temperatures in a Russian Soyuz crew ferry ship docked at the International Space Station — a lifeboat for three of the lab’s seven crew members — remain within safe limits despite a dramatic overnight leak in the spacecraft’s…

  • Podcast: Solar Sailing to the Stars

    On a recent episode of the Clear + Vivid podcast, Alan Alda interviewed NASA engineer Les Johnson about his efforts to develop a solar sail that can take us to the stars. He is the Principal Investigator for the NEA Scout, which was launched into space during the Artemis I mission and is now heading…

  • Rocket Lab’s Electron Launches from MARS

    Rocket Lab has big plans for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) where tomorrow it will launch the first of its U.S. based Electron rockets. The December 18th mission from the Virginia spaceport will depart from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. While Rocket Lab has been launching the Electron from New Zealand, it is starting up operations…

  • Gift Ideas: Popular Astronomy Books

    If you are looking for another gift idea for the holidays, maybe you should consider one of the many popular astronomy books. Here are the 10 most popular from Goodreads: Cosmos, by Carl Sagan A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, by Carl Sagan The Demon-Haunted…

  • Pic of the Week: The Hunter’s Sword

    This week’s image is from NASA’s now retired Spitzer Space Telescope as well as the agency’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), now called NEOWISE. Here is a little more from the Sci.News story: Also known as NGC 1976, Messier 42 (M42), LBN 974, or Sharpless 281, the Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula in the…

  • A Day in Astronomy: The Last Lunar Footprint

    On this day in 1972, Apollo 17 commander Eugene Cernan was the last human to be on the Moon. He was the eleventh human to ever step on the Moon. Here is the full crew of Apollo 17: Eugene A. Cernan, Commander Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans, Command Module Pilot Mr.…

  • Space Stories: Bezos on the Moon, Strange Oort Objects, and Europe Visits Venus

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —Reuters: “Bezos’ Space Company Teams with Lockheed, Boeing for NASA Moon Lander Pitch“ Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin is partnering with Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp to pitch a lunar lander to NASA as the agency seeks to send humans to the moon again, the companies announced on Tuesday.…

  • Where is This? December 12, 2022 Quiz

    Take a look at the image above. Can you determine where this image originated? Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the menu and selecting the “Where is This?” The Answer Sheet page.

  • Lunar Traffic Jam – Japan Heads to the Moon

    While the Orion spacecraft was heading back to Earth, the Japanese HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander was on its way to the Moon. The name HAKUTO refers to the white rabbit that lives on the moon in Japanese folklore. The Japanese private firm iSpace is behind the lunar mission, becoming the first private company to…