• In Case You Missed It/Video: The Stakes Are High with Our Return to the Moon

    With the recent glitches related to the two commercial Moon missions, an earlier NASA video on the Artemis program became all too relevant. In the video, “Farther and Faster: NASA’s Journey to the Moon with Artemis,” we hear that the stakes are high as we attempt to return to the Moon, and how we could…

  • Pic of the Week: Spiral galaxy NGC 1300

    This week’s image is from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It shows a face-on view of spiral galaxy NGC 1300, which is 69 million light-years away. Here is more about the image from NASA: Webb’s image of NGC 1300 shows a face-on barred spiral galaxy anchored by its central region, which is circular and…

  • Space Stories: Biomolecules on Mars, a “Dead” Galaxy, and the Most Distant Galaxies

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —Tohoku University: “Biomolecules from Formaldehyde on Ancient Mars“ Organic materials discovered on Mars may have originated from atmospheric formaldehyde, according to new research, marking a step forward in our understanding of the possibility of past life on the Red Planet. Scientists from Tohoku University have investigated whether the early…

  • Movies: Dune and Denis Villeneuve’s Classy Gesture

    It was a classy move by the Canadian filmmaker who gave us of this year’s most anticipated movie, Dune: Part Two. A dying man in northern Quebec had one last wish before he died – he wanted to see the second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. Once the request appeared on social media, the film team…

  • Podcast: Discussing the XPrize and More

    A recent episode of the StarTalk podcast, “Incentivizing the Future with Peter Diamandis,” provides an interesting tale about Mr. Diamanis’s early efforts to spur space inventions through the XPRIZE Foundation as well as his current efforts to spur innovation in other areas, such as healthcare. It was a good reminder about the start of Virgin…

  • Another Crew Departing for the ISS

    Later today, a SpaceX rocket with carry another crew to the International Space Station (ISS) after a few delays. The crew, shown above, consists of Alexander Grebenkin (Roscosmos), Michael Barratt (NASA), Matthew Dominick (NASA), Jeanette Epps (NASA). The new crew will be approaching a space station already containing seven crew members as well as a…

  • Space Quote: The End of NASA’s OSAM-1 Project

    “Following an in-depth, independent project review, NASA has decided to discontinue the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 (OSAM-1) project due to continued technical, cost, and schedule challenges, and a broader community evolution away from refueling unprepared spacecraft, which has led to a lack of a committed partner. Following Congressional notification processes, project management plans…

  • Another Interesting Astronomy Site: Centauri Dreams

    If you looking for some deep probes into astronomy studies and discussions, then you may want to visit the Centauri Dreams site. The site’s focus is about the possibility of interstellar travel at some point in the future. Tech writer Paul Gilster has this to say about his website: Alpha Centauri and other nearby stars…

  • Pic of the Week: A Rough Moon Landing

    This week’s image shows the Odysseus lunar lander as it is about to touch the Moon’s surface. It tipped over upon landing. Here is the statement about the image from Initiative Machines: This image retrieved from the lander on February 27 captures Odysseus’ landing strut during landing on February 22nd performing its primary task, absorbing…

  • Space Stories: DART Damage, India Plans for Orbiting Crew, and SLIM Awakes on the Moon

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —NDTV: “NASA’s Mission Not Only Altered Asteroid’s Path, But Its Shape Too, Says New Study“ A recent study suggests NASA’s DART mission, designed to test asteroid deflection methods, may have revealed more than planned. While successfully altering the target asteroid’s trajectory, scientists now believe the impact also significantly changed…