The first shape created with the 3D Metal PrinterESA/NASA In an experiment that seems as risky as bobbing for fries, the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully conducted the first 3D metal printing in space aboard the ISS. Developed in collaboration with Airbus, the Metal 3D Printer produced the first of four test shapes. 3D printing on...
Artist's concept of Starship entering the Martian atmosphereSpaceX SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced that the first Starship spacecraft will head to Mars within two years, with crewed missions following in 2028. This effort is part of his broader vision to make humanity an interplanetary species. Musk is known for making bold predictions that occasionally come true,...
Ganymede with the impact site approximately in the centerNASA Four billion years ago, an asteroid larger than the one that ended the age of dinosaurs may have struck the largest moon in our solar system, Ganymede, knocking it off its axis and causing it to crack like an egg. Discovered by Galileo in 1610 while experimenting...
The coral reef off Cayos Cochinos, Honduras.Image credit: Yair Valladares/Shutterstock.com A 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...
Falcon 9 that will carry Polaris Dawn into orbitSpaceX SpaceX's Polaris Dawn, the first private space mission featuring a spacewalk, is set to launch on Tuesday, August 27, at 3:38 am EDT from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here’s how you can watch it. Polaris Dawn is a multi-day orbital mission...
An artist's impression of a star circling a supermassive black hole, a repeating event that seems to be at the core of AT2018fykNASA/CXC/M. Weiss Astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole consume a star in two phases and have predicted when it might take a third. If it happens, it could create a fascinating cosmic...
Even though people knew they were taking placebo pills, they still had a significant effect on mental health. Credit: Pixabay A new study indicates that taking placebo pills, even when people know they have no active ingredients, can still greatly decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. These "non-deceptive placebos" could be an effective method for enhancing...
Artist’s impression of an inhabited exoplanet. (NASA/Jay Freidlander) Given the Milky Way's age and size, we would expect to find intelligent civilizations scattered throughout. But where are they? A recent study suggests these civilizations might be so advanced that we simply can't detect them. Reevaluating the Detection of Extraterrestrial Life If extraterrestrials were observing Earth, they might...
Credit: NASA What began as a weeklong mission for U.S. astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore has stretched into a months-long stay on the International Space Station (ISS). Their eight-day mission, which started on June 5, has already lasted over two months and may continue even longer. Delayed Return Due to Spacecraft Issues Williams and Wilmore launched...
Mars lost most of its surface water billions of years agoNASA The promising news is that a massive underground ocean on Mars could cover the entire planet with a mile (1.6 km) of water. However, the downside is that this water is buried so deep and is so inaccessible that it might as well be...
