• Pic of the Week: Deep Field South

    Last week, the European Space Agency released images from the Euclid space telescope, which was launched on July 1, 2023. The goal of the space telescope’s mission is to catalog more than 1.5 billion galaxies over a six year period. The image above shows a part of the sky called the Deep Field South. One…

  • Space Stories: Cygnus Spacecraft Damaged, AI & Astronomy, and Toxic Martian Dust

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —Ars Technica: “After a Spacecraft was Damaged en route to Launch, NASA Says it Won’t Launch“ Three weeks ago, NASA revealed that a shipping container protecting a Cygnus spacecraft sustained “damage” while traveling to the launch site in Florida. Built by Northrop Grumman, Cygnus is one of two Western…

  • Space Quote: The Cutting Continues at NASA

    “Good work by @NASA this week:-Eliminated their unused Purchasing Cards (~80%)-Terminated ~$420M in unneeded contracts, including $45M ($15M each) to three separate consultants, all for “Change Management Support Services”” -Statement on Twitter/X by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The specific “unneeded” contacts being cut beyond the three provided contracts is unclear. What is the…

  • Astronomy Question: The Coldest Planet

    Multiple Choice: What is the coldest planet in our solar system? A. JupiterB. SaturnC. UranusD. Neptune Take a guess and then check your answer by going to the “Astronomy Question Answer Sheet” page.

  • A Day in Astronomy: Birth of Wernher von Braun

    On this day in 1912, Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was born in Wyrzysk (once German, now Polish). He became an aerospace engineer for both the Germans during World War II as well as the Americans following the war. Wernher von Braun designed the V-2 rocket that terrorized Great Britain during the war. He…

  • You Knew It Was Coming – NASA Modifies Artemis Language

    As I had noted earlier, the Trump administration’s deconstruction of DEI was bound to lead to a change in the Artemis mission language. Here is the old language from the NASA site (from the time of the first Trump administration): And now the new language on today’s page: See any differences? That last sentence discussing…

  • Television: Murderbot is Almost Here

    After all the speculation, the Murderbot television series from Apple TV+ premieres on May 16. If you are a fan of The Murderbot Diaries books by Martha Wells, you know what you are in for. And if you are new to this story, you have missed out on some great storytelling. I can only hope…

  • Pic of the Week: Very Different Neighborhoods

    This week’s image is from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It shows what appears to be two close neighbors – a star and a galaxy – but looks can be deceiving. Here is more from NASA about this image: This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a sparkling spiral galaxy paired with a prominent star,…

  • What’s Next for Boeing’s Starliner?

    With the first Boeing Starliner crew now back on Earth after an extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS), it is time to ask whether there will be a third Starliner attempt. According to Reuters, NASA is currently considering a third uncrewed attempt. Steve Stich, chief of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, stated the following…

  • Space Stories: JWST Exoplanet Images, Nearby Exoplanets Located, and Exoplanet Biosignatures,

    Here are some recent stories of interest related to exoplanets. —Webbtelescope.org: “NASA’s Webb Images Young, Giant Exoplanets, Detects Carbon Dioxide“ The first planet outside our solar system was discovered in the 1990’s, but it wasn’t until more than a decade later astronomers actually obtained a direct image of one. It’s extremely difficult to image an exoplanet,…