• Television: Constellation on Apple TV+

    Apple TV+ has a new space station-related drama called Constellation premiering February 21. It sounds pretty eery, but at least this trauma is more at the personal level rather than the planetary level, compared to other recent space station stories. Here’s the basic story from Apple TV+: Constellation” stars Noomi Rapace as Jo — an…

  • Space Quote: A New Threat to Astronauts

    “And so, any capability that could disrupt that and that could therefore have some impact on services here on Earth and across the world should be of concern to anybody, I think. And including the fact that we have astronauts in — oftentimes in — in low orbit that — that could be at risk…

  • Pic of the Week: The Launch of the IM-1 Mission

    This week’s image shows the early morning launch of Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The rocket carries the Nova-C robotic lander, also called “Odysseus,” that includes both NASA and commercial payloads. If all goes well, the lander will be on the surface of the moon next week. This image from…

  • All Eyes on the Next Moon Mission

    The second NASA-related commercial Moon mission was set to launch earlier today, but SpaceX called it off at the last moment due to a methane issue with its Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX is expected to try the launch tomorrow. The launch of the Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission is related to NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services…

  • Space Stories: A Test of Space Suits, Water Detected on Asteroids, and China’s Growing Space Program

    Here are some recent stories of interest. —The Verge: “One of NASA’s New Spacesuits Passes Microgravity Test“ Collins Aerospace, a private company hired to create spacesuits for use outside the International Space Station (ISS), has tested its suit aboard a commercial microgravity flight, passing a milestone that lets engineers move forward toward critical design review…During the test, the…

  • The Goldilocks Zone Turned Awfully Cold for Earth

    We point of telescopes at distant solar systems searching for exoplanets in the “Goldilocks Zone,” it being defined as the habitable zone around a star where water can remain in liquid form. But that was not always the case for planet Earth, even if we are the model for this zone. A recent New York…

  • Study Findings: A Recently Formed Ocean Inside Saturn’s Moon Mimas

    Nature  abstract of the study findings: Moons potentially harbouring a global ocean are tending to become relatively common objects in the Solar System. The presence of these long-lived global oceans is generally betrayed by surface modification owing to internal dynamics. Hence, Mimas would be the most unlikely place to look for the presence of a global ocean. Here,…

  • Movie: Rebel Moon on Netflix

    In an earlier post, I mentioned those movies you don’t need to see until they come to your television. What is even easier is when they start on the television, as is the case with Netflix’s Rebel Moon. Released in mid-December, and labeled as “Part One: A Child of Fire,” you may be witnessing the…

  • Upcoming Exhibits at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

    If you are planning your next vacation, keep the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC in mind, particularly the National Air and Space Museum. The updated museum has plenty of impressive exhibits to keep you and your family busy and informed. You can also travel to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia for even…

  • Pic of the Week: Launch of the PACE Mission

    This week’s image is from SpaceX, which launched NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission into orbit earlier today (the Falcon 9 rocket engines are shown above).  The spacecraft is designed to monitor the Earth from orbit. NASA explains the mission is this way: Information collected throughout PACE’s mission will benefit society in the…