Artist concept of the new Mars Chopper. (NASA/JPLraw/YouTube)Ingenuity became the first aircraft to fly on another world in the first half of 2021, exploring Mars terrain from above. This achievement proved that powered air flight is an efficient way to navigate alien worlds.Building on this success, NASA has now unveiled a computer rendering of its...
Astronaut Suni Williams on the ISS. (NASA)NASA announced on Tuesday that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain on the ISS until at least late March due to an unexpected delay in their return mission. Originally arriving in June aboard Boeing's Starliner for an eight-day stay, issues with the Starliner's propulsion system led NASA...
NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft as seen when it was unveiled at a ceremony earlier this year at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, CaliforniaNASA/Steve FreemanNASA 's X-59 aircraft has been progressing toward its first flight since development began in 2016, with the goal of resurrecting commercial supersonic travel. Next, the agency...
A blue aurora over Japan in May 2024. (Mitsuhiro Ozaki)Picture an aurora, and you likely imagine green swirls dancing across a frozen sky. While green is common, auroras can display a variety of colors depending on altitude, location, and the atmospheric gases involved.During a powerful geomagnetic storm in May 2024, an unusual blue aurora appeared...
Pilot cam view from Aurora as it reaches 82,500 ftDawn AerospaceThe dream of commercial supersonic flight is inching closer to reality. On November 12, 2024, Dawn Aerospace’s 16-ft (4.8-m) autonomous Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered plane reached Mach 1.1, officially breaking the sound barrier.Since the Concorde’s retirement in 2003, civil supersonic travel has largely faded into...
The new shield will be used on the Dream Chaser winged spacecraftSierra Space/ORNLOak Ridge National Laboratory and Sierra Space Corporation have created an advanced heat shield, inspired by 1980s Space Shuttle technology, to protect reusable spacecraft during reentry.Challenges of Atmospheric Reentry and Advances in Heat Shield TechnologyEarth's atmosphere poses a significant challenge for returning...
Generations Ships would be similar to space habitats designed in the 1970sNASA/Rick GuidiceIf you've ever dreamed of designing a spacecraft to carry humans to another star system over centuries, now's your chance. The Project Hyperion Design Contest encourages teams to develop Generation Ship concepts—self-sustaining vessels built for long-term interstellar travel.Colonizing other planets has often...
The Super Heavy about to be capturedSpaceXThe world watched in awe as SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster made a historic achievement with the first-ever tower capture landing following the Starship 5 mission launch. However, few realized just how close the event came to disaster—within just one second.This capture of Super Heavy, the massive first stage...
Like the CruiseUp concept shown here, CycloTech's BlackBird eVTOL demonstrator will feature six rotorsCycloTechAustrian aerospace company CycloTech has announced its plans to develop a demonstrator eVTOL to showcase its advanced propulsion system designed for electric flight. The company aims to unveil its "BlackBird" flying car by the end of this year, with test flights...
The coral reef off Cayos Cochinos, Honduras.Image credit: Yair Valladares/Shutterstock.comA man stumbled across probable space debris while snorkeling on Cayos Cochinos, a remote island cluster off the coast of Honduras in Central America.Mike Irmen and his family were visiting the islands when they spotted the debris conspicuously lying on the beach. The debris was...
