Astronomy

September 16, 2024

Watch Two SpaceX Polaris Dawn Astronauts Take the First Ever Private Spacewalk

The future of commercial space travel seems to be here. The first-ever private spacewalk took place early morning on Thursday, September 12. Two of SpaceX‘s private Polaris Dawn astronauts, American billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, took turns and spent about 10 minutes standing up out of their Dragon capsule's hatch. The pair have become the first non-professional crew to carry out what is considered one of the riskiest maneuvers in space.

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August 13, 2024

Scientists Discover Possible Ocean of Water Beneath Mars’ Surface

We typically think of Mars as dry, desolate, and rocky but many scientists believe that the Red Planet once had lakes, rivers, and possibly oceans. Earlier this year, scientists uncovered vast ice deposits on Mars, but a new breakthrough reveals—for the first time—that there may be a lot more water hidden beneath the planet's surface. These exciting findings—published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—stem from data gathered by NASA’s InSight Lander.

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July 24, 2024

From Earth to Venus: NASA Sends Missy Elliott’s Hit Song ‘The Rain’ Into Space

On July 12, “The Rain (Super Dupa Fly)” by Missy Elliott became the second song to be transmitted into space, following The Beatles' “Across the Universe” transmission in 2008. With the help of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the hip-hop track was beamed across 158 million miles to Elliott's favorite planet, Venus, in 14 minutes. Brittany Brown, the director of digital and technological communication, originally pitched the idea to Elliott's team.

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July 15, 2024

Colorful Infographics Explore the Mysterious World of Exoplanets

Since 1992, when the first exoplanet was confirmed, over 6,600 have been discovered in 4,868 planetary systems. Inspired by these discoveries, Slovakian artist and designer Martin Vargic has created two visual representations that are aesthetically beautiful and scientifically fascinating. One infographic, the Exoplanet Zoo, shows over 1,100 known exoplanets arranged by the amount of heat they receive from their relative stars.

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