A study by researchers at the Technical University of Munich in Germany reports that Earth’s rotation is gradually slowing, and if this trend continues for millions of years, a day could eventually last 25 hours instead of 24. The study used a ring laser in southern Germany to detect tiny changes in Earth’s rotation. Over […]
Scientists Predict Earth’s Rotation will Make Days 25 Hours Long Read More »
Far below the surface of distant super-Earth exoplanets, vast oceans of molten rock could be generating powerful magnetic fields capable of protecting the planets from hazardous cosmic radiation and other high-energy particles. Earth’s magnetic field arises from movements in its liquid iron outer core, a process called a dynamo. However, larger rocky planets like super-Earths
Rocky Exoplanets Might be Shielded from Radiation by Magma Oceans Read More »
NASA footage showed four International Space Station crew members splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday following the first-ever medical evacuation in the station’s history. NASA video showed the capsule carrying American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui touching down off the coast of San
ISS Crew Safely Returns to Earth after a Medical Evacuation Read More »
Spaceflight places significant physical strain on astronauts, leading to muscle loss, bone thinning, and fluid shifts. A new study in PNAS shows that microgravity also causes the brain to change shape. On Earth, gravity helps hold the brain in position, while surrounding cerebrospinal fluid cushions it. Scientists have long known that without gravity the brain
Microgravity Spaceflight Causes Astronauts’ Brains to Shift and Deform Read More »
How does a star affect the makeup of its planets, and what does this mean for their habitability? Luke Bouma of Carnegie studies this using natural ‘space weather stations’ around at least 10% of young M dwarfs. He is sharing his research at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. M Dwarf Planets: How
M Dwarf Plasma Rings Offer Hints On Planet Habitability Read More »
A few years back, asteroid mining was a hot topic. As the commercial space sector expanded rapidly, turning space into a commercial frontier seemed within reach. The idea of using spacecraft to rendezvous with and mine Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) and then transport them to space-based processing facilities was almost as ambitious as sending commercial crews
Assessing the Feasibility of Asteroid Mining: Insights from a New Study Read More »
A study by two physicists at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) found that, on average, clocks on Mars run about 477 microseconds faster per day than those on Earth. Although this time difference remains extremely small, it can significantly impact efforts to synchronize clocks precisely between Earth, the Moon, and Mars.
Researchers Determine How Much Faster Time Moves on Mars Read More »
On November 13, the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamic Explorers (EscaPADE) mission was launched into space aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. EscaPADE is a NASA mission made up of two identical spacecraft, each roughly a meter in size, called Blue and Gold. Its mission is to investigate the magnetic and plasma environment surrounding
EscaPADE Is Intended to Carry Out Research On Mars Read More »
Scientists from the Southwest Research Institute and UT San Antonio are studying how space weathering alters lunar surface materials to improve interpretation of the Moon’s far-ultraviolet maps. Revealing Lunar Evolution Through Apollo Sample Analysis In their recent work, the team examined how space weathering affects the FUV spectral response. A few Apollo-returned grains revealed how
Lunar Soils Reveal the Impact Of Space Weathering on Ultraviolet Reflectance Read More »
When a meteor flashes through the sky, it’s more than a striking sight—it’s nature delivering a time capsule to Earth. Inside are clues to the solar system’s earliest days and the processes that shaped planets, including our own. In a recent Space Science Reviews paper—soon to be included as a chapter in an upcoming textbook—Lawrence
Meteorite Samples Are Time Capsules of The Early Solar System Read More »