Rhea

 On this date in 1672, Giovanni Cassini discovered Saturn's moon Rhea.

Rhea is the second largest of Saturn's many moons.

UFO

 The Pentagon's new UFO office has received several hundred reports from military personnel in its first six months.

According to the office, none of the incidents suggests alien activity.

ISS

 ISS had to dodge space debris yesterday.

A spacewalk also had to be canceled.

Water Worlds

 Astronomers have found two large exoplanets orbiting the same star 218 light years away, and both seem to be water worlds.

They could be larger versions of Europa.

Mammals

 A new study suggests mammals were already on the ascent before the big dinosaurs went extinct.

The killer asteroid simply opened the field.

Soyuz

 The Soyuz attached to ISS has suffered a massive leak, likely making it unusable.

If that's correct, in an emergency the entire ISS crew could not currently be evacuated.

Space Force

 The U. S. Space Force is establishing its first oversea base.

It's in South Korea.

Fusion

 Physicists have developed a nuclear fusion process that produces a net energy gain.  A commercial plant could be up within a decade/

Clean fusion power would end the climate matter.  It could also power starships.

Hypersonic

 The USAF has successfully tested a hypersonic missile.

It reached speeds upwards of Mach 5.

Artemis

 Artemis 1 successfully splashed down in the Pacific yesterday.

That paves the way for a crewed mission.

Artemis 1

 Artemis 1's Orion is set to come home Sunday.

It will be recovered by the U. S. Navy.

SETI

 Breakthrough Listen is funding a SETI project in South Africa.'

It will scan the MilkyWay/

Ingenuity

 Ingenuity has flown over Mars 35 times,

The highest it has flown is 46 feet.

Apollo 17

 Today  is the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of Apollo 17.

We haven't been back to the Moon since.

Venus

 NASA's aircraft-based SOFIA observatory  recently searched for life in the clouds of Venus.

It found none.

Megatsunami

 A new study finds a large body may have smacked early Mars and created a megatsunami.

It would  have  been while Mars had an ocean.  The wave could have been 800 feet high.

UFO

 A Penn State historian has developed an online course on UFOs.

The course looks at the subject from social, historical. and political perspectives.

Physics

 Physicists have developed a black hole simulation that could lead to uniting quantum physics and general relativity.

That would  be huge.

ICON

NASA has signed a contract with ICON to develop  technology to build off-world bases..

The contract is worth $57 million.

China

 China has launched a second crew to the Tiangong space station.

It will be the first crew changeover at the station.

Orion

 Artemis 1's Orion capsule reaches its maximum distance from Earth today.

It will be nearly 270,000 miles away.

Curosity

 On this date in 2011, NASA's Curiosity rover launched to Mars.

Curiosity is still roving, still exploring.

SGRB

 Astronomers gave traced 84 short gamma ray bursts to collisions of galaxies in the early universe.

SGRBs are among the most powerful events in nature.

TOS-1075 b

 Astronomers have found a super-Earth nearly ten times as massive as Earth.

It's designated TOS-1075 b.

Orion

 Artemis 1's Orion spacecraft is performing beautifully.

It recently flew within 80 miles of the lunar surface.

Power Beaming

 A charger rover on the Moon will beam power to robots exploring permanently shadowed areas.

It could be there by 2025.

Missiles

 North  Korea has test flown several missiles over the past few weeks.

The latest one was capable of reaching the United States.

Life

 Scientists have found fossils in Western Australia that  are 3.5 billion years old.

That makes them the oldest signs of life on Earth.

SBSP

 Airbus engineers say space-based solar power could work.

A space-based test could come next decade.

Artemis 1

 Artemis 1 successfully launched early this morning.

It used the most powerful rocket yet built.

Betelgeuse

 The giant star Betelgeuse has been mysteriously dimming.

Some scientists are now suggesting the dimming may be due to a passing black hole.

Apollo 12

 On this date in 1969, Apollo 12 launched.

Though struck by lightning seconds after liftoff. it continued to the Moon.

Falcon 9

 SpaceX successfully launched two satellite this morning.

It was the fifty-first Falcon 9 launch this year.

Giggles

 One biosignature JWST might  detect in the atmosphere of an exoplanet is nitrous oxide.

That's laughing gas.

Delay

 NASA has delayed the launch of Artemis 1 until at least November 15.

The delay is due to possible storms.

Araceibo

 The Araceibo radio telescope, destroyed in a hurricane, will not rebuilt.

It was perhaps the most famous scientific instrument in the world.

Wow!

 Astronomers are searching the vicinity of the origin of the famous Wow! signal for signs of alien life.

So far, nothing.

Contact

 Scientists and policy experts are working on protocols to guide humanity's response if we  receive a message from the stars.

At the moment, there might not be a unified human response.

UFOs

 U. S. intelligence officials are saying most recent UFOs are Chinese surveillance craft.

Others, they say, are weather balloons and optical illusions.

Black Holr

 A new study has found the closest known black hole-- 1.550 light years away.

It's a tiny one-- only 10 solar masses.

Laika

 On this date in 1957, the Soviets launched Laika the dog into space.

There was no plan to bring her home.

Plumes

 NASA has developed  an instrument that will automatically search for life in water plumes.

It can be used at worlds such as Europa or Enceladus.

Asteroid

 Astronomers have found a large asteroid that could potentially hit Earth at some point.

The mile-wide body would cause horrendous damage.

Planetary Defense

 Chinese scientists are proposing a network of probes n orbits similar to that of Venus to protect Earth from asteroids.

The network would serve as an early warning system.

Extremophiles

 New research suggests Earthly extremophiles-- microbes that thrive in extreme conditions-- could survive on Mars.

They could, for example, remain dormant for 200 million years.

Perspective

 Exxon Mobil has announced quarterly revenues of more than $112 billion.

That's over five times NASA's annual budget.

Uranus

 NASA is looking at a mission to Uranus.

It would launch in the 2030s.

Titan

 On this date in 2004, Cassini took the first close-up photos of Titan.

Now we know Titan to be an utterly fascinating world.

Rock Samples

 Perseverance is scheduled to cache half its rock samples by the end of the year..  They will be brought to Earth by another mission.

That could happen as soon as 2033.

V-2

 On this date in 1946, a U. S. V-2 took the first photos of Earth from space.

German V-2s, of course, were terrorizing London two years before.

UFO

 The NASA UFO study is set to begin Monday.

Its report is due next year.

Orion

 NASA is buying 3 more Orion capsules for its Artemis program.

Each will fly only once, in contrast to Dragon capsules.

Marshmallow

 Astronomers have discovered a world with the density of a marhmallow.

It orbits a red dwarf-- the smallest and most common type of star-- 150 light years away.

Oumuamua

 Five years after discovering Oumuamua, astronomers are still trying to determine what it means.

It could be telling us about the number of rogue planets in the galaxy-- or it could be an alien probe.

McDivitt

 James McDivitt, who commanded both Gemini 4 and Apollo 9, has died.

He was 93.

Meteoroid Shield

 NASA is testing the meteoroid shield for the Mars sample return mission by shooting energetic "bullets" at the material that will cover the shield.

Engineers are learning to improve their design.

Crew 4

 SpaceX' Crew 4 successfully returned home from ISS yesterday.

It marked the end of a textbook mission.

Perspective

 In a down year, JPMorgan Chase has reported quarterly earnings of $33.49 billion.

That's well above NASA's annual budget.

Aliens

 Scientist6s are developing several ways to search space for aliens.

It has become acceptable.

Tito

 Dennis Tito and his wife have bought tickets to fly to the Moon in a SpaceX Starship.

The flight is scheduled for later this decade.

Apollo 7

 Apollo 7 launched this date in 1968.

It was the first Apollo mission.

Treaty

 On this date in 1967. the Outer Space Treaty was signed.

It's still the fundamenntal space law.

Cruise

 Tom Cruise is known for doing his own stuns.

In an upcoming project that might include a spacewalk from ISS.

NoKo

 North Korea launched another ballistic missile yesterday.

It was the eighth in under two weeks.

Moon

 New research using a detailed computer simulation suggests the Moon formed in Earth orbit only hours after a Mars-sized body delivered a glancing blow to Earth.

If correct, the new theory could tell scientists about the Moon's internal structure.

Crew 5

 Crew 5 has successfully launched into orbit.

It's scheduled to rendezvous with ISS tomorrow.

NoKo

 North Korea flew a ballistic missile into space and over Japan yesterday.

It was their fifth launch in ten days and twenty-third this year.

V-2

 Eighty years ago today, the first V-2 rocket was successfully tested.

Today, we use rockets to explore deep space, but we still also use them to terrorize each other.

NASA

 Today is the 64th anniversary of the founding of NASA.

Note--even though NASA is likely associated with Kennedy, it was created under Eisenhower.

Galaxies

 Using advanced artificial intelligence software, scientists have found thousands of gravitational lenses.

The discovery could revolutionize our understanding  of galaxies.

Beads

 Scientists have found tiny glass beards in lunar samples that can be correlated to major meteor impacts on Earth.

It suggests that many of the big rocks that have hit Earth were part of groups.

Ian

 The launch of Artemis 1 has been delayed again, this time due to Hurricane Ian.

The  delay will be at least a month.

DART

 DART successfully smashed into an asteroid last night.

NASA is now analyzing the results.

DART

 NASA's DART spacecraft will slam into an asteroid tonight.

It's a step towards real planetary defense.

Launch Delay

 The launch of Artemis 1 has been delayed again.

Thia time it's due to a possible major storm.

China

 China wants to send one probe to Uranus and one to Jupiter on the same rocket.

That would be quite a trick.

Artemis

 Artemis 1 passed a fueling test yesterday.

It could still fly next week.

JWST

 A camera on JWST has suffered a glitch.

Engineers are working on it.

Mars

 China's Mars mission has returned raw data suggesting Mars did in fact once have a huge water ocean.

Scientists say the ocean could have existed as late as a billion years ago.

UFO

 The US Navy has admitted. in response to a FOIA request, that it has more UFO videos.

It refuses to release them. however, citing "harm to national security."

UFOs

 Astronomers im Kyov are reporrting UFOs are "everywhere."

Durimg World War II, pilots on both sides in Europe reported seeing "foo fighters."

Russia

 Russia says private satellites could be "legitimate targets" in wartime.

It says the US and its allies use private satellites to gather intelligence.

Exoplanets

 Astronomers have identified a new class of exoplanet-- half rock, half water.

Such worlds could support life.

Supernova

 Astronomers say they have found a way to predict when a giant star will explode.

The process involves the amount of matter surrounding the star.

Delay

 Artemis 1 will launch September 27 at the earliest.

The further delay is to fix a fuel leak.

Setback

 Blue Origin's New Shepard booster broke down shortly after launch this morning.

The emergency system worked, however.  The uncrewed capsule was thrown clear of the booster and landed safely.

Anti-sat

 Vice President Harris has announced the US will offer an UN resolution that would ban destructive tests of anti-satellite technology in space.

Besides changing military strategy, such a ban would ease the space debris problem.

Artemis

 NASA has set September 23 as the next launch date for Artemis 1.

That, of course, is only a target.

Law

Before the natural resources beyond Earth can be brought into the human economy, a legal framework must exist.

So far, it doesn't, but negotiations are underway.

Artemis

 NASA will try to fix the leak on the Artemis 1 rocket without removing ir from the launchpad.

In so doing, it hopes to preserve the possibility of a September launch.

Galaxies

 A new study suggests violent mergers of galaxies may stop star formation in the resulting galaxy.

The merger can blow cold gas out of the system, thus robbing the galaxy of the stuff of star formation.

Artemis

NASA says it may be weeks before Artemis 1 launches.

There is a fuel valve leak issue.

Drake

 Frank Drake, who conducted the first modern search for alien radio signals and developed the famed Drake Equation, has died.

He was 92.

Spectators

 NASA is expecting 400,000  spectators for the Artemis 1  launch  tomorrow.

Just like old times.

Water

 A new  study finds there is water on the lunar surface even outside of permanently shadowed areas.

The finding will help scientists work out lunar history.

Launch

 Artems 1 is now scheduled to launch Saturday.

NASA hopes it will open a  new era.

Artemis

 Yesterday's Artemis 1 launch was foiled by a balky fuel valve and overheating engine.

A Friday launch is still possible.

Launch

 The launch of Artemis 1 has been delayed.

They'll try again Friday.

Harris

 Vice President Harris is scheduled to attend the Artemis 1 launch.

The launch is set for Monday.

Starlink

 Starlink satellites will beam directly to smartphones starting next year.

It will end cellphone dead zones.

Water World

 Astronomers have found a possible water world orbiting in the habitable zone of a red dwarf.

It is 100 light years away.

Orbial Reef

 Blue Origins'  private space station, Orbital Reef, passed a big systems check.

It's scheduled to be operational in 2027.

Venus

 Rocket Labs is planning a private mission to Venus for 2025.

The probe would look for life high in the Venusian atmosphere.

Artemis 3

 NASA has announced 13 possible landing sites for Artemis 3.

All are near the lunar south pole.

Solaris

 ESA is proposing a program called Solaris that would study space-based solar power.

SBSP would provide clean, safe, abundant power while also dealing with climate change.

Artemis 3

 NASA is announcing possible landing sites for Artemis 3 today.

The mission is scheduled for 2025.

UFO

 NASA says it intends to aggressively pursue its UFO  study.

The study is scheduled to last nine months.

Phobos

 On this date in 1877, Asaph Hall discovered the Martian moon Phobos from the U. S. Naval Observatory in Washington, DC.

Now, that's the official residence of the U. S. Vice President.

Lunar Zebro

 Dutch students are working on a 5.5 pound, six-legged lunar rover.

It's called Lunar Zebro.

Artemis 1

 NASA plans to roll out its  Artemis 1 SLS moon rocket tomorrow.

Launch of  the lunar mission is set for August 25.

ESCAPING GRAVITY

 Lori Garver, former deputy administrator of NASA, and before that executive director of the National Space Society, has written an autobiography.

It's called ESCAPING GRAVITY.

Starship

 SpaceX is static firing individual engines on its Starship Super Heavy booster.

A launch could come as early as September 1.

North Korea

 Report say North Korea may have lied about the success of a recent supposed ICBM launch.

Imagine that.

Saturn

 Saturn is at opposition this month.

It's the best time to see the planet and it rings through a backyard telescope.

Iran

 Russia has launched a spy satellite for Iran.

Russia also built the thing.

China

 China has launched a reusable test vehicle into orbit.

That's about all the West kno4s about it.

Pushing

 South Korea has just put a probe into space, and India is getting ready to launch its own new rocket.

We are seeing the beginning of a worldwide push beyond Earth.

Rovers

     Curiosity has been exploring Mars for ten years.

NASA's fleet of Mars rovers have performed extraordinarily well.

BO

 Blue Origin launched another six people into suborbital space this morning.

It was BO's sixth such flight.

Russia

 A Russian satellite has been launched into an orbit that would take it within a very few miles of an American spy satellite.

Why, and what might happen are unclear.

Uhuru

 Nichelle Nichols, STAR TREK's Uhuru, has died.

She was 89.

Space Junk

 A 25-ton piece of Chinese rocket crashed uncontrolled into the Indian Ocean over the weekend.

No word yet on possible damages or injuries.

Galuleo

 On this date in 1619, Galileo became the first human to see Saturn's rings.

We've come a long way in 400 years.

ISS

 Congress has voted to extend ISS to 2030.

The extension is contingent, however, on the other partners in the program also extending.

Russia

 Russia plans to build its own space station.

It could be flying by 2028.

ISS

 Russia says it will no longer participate in ISS after 2024.

NASA is trying to find a way to keep ISS flying until 2030.

Technosignatures

 A new study argues astronomers should be on the lookout for technosignatures-- signs of technology-- on exoplanets.

One possibility would be picking up the glow of city lights on a planet's night side.

Europa

 Astronomers using Hubble have found sulfur dioxide on Europa they think was blown there from volcanic Io.

They also say it's possible the sulfur emerged from Europa itself.

Far Side

 NASA is looking at landing a commercial mission on the lunar far side in 2025.

So far, China is the only nation to have successfully executed a controlled landing on the far side.

Mariner Valley

 NASA is studying ways to explore Mars' huge canyon system, Valleris Marineris.

The canyon would give scientists relatively east access ri Mars' history.

AARO

 The Pentagon has established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office.

AARO will study UFOs as well as objects that seem to operate in air, space, and underwater.

Moon

 On this date in 1969, Man landed on the Moon.

July 20, 1969, will live, not in infamy, but in honor.

UFO

 Scientists are urging NASA to take a broad based approach in its UFO/UAP  study.

The stigma about studying UFOs seems to be going away.

Higgs

 In a major success for physics, the long theorized Higgs boson particle was discovered ten years ago.

Now, physicists are saying the so-called God particle could lead to a whole new physics.

Apollo 11

 On this date in 1969, Apollo 11 launched to the Moon.

It was the beginning of a new era in human history.

Apollo-Soyuz

 On this date in 1975, astronauts and cosmonauts launched on the joint U. S.-Soviet friendship flight.

It was the last flight of am Apollo command module.

Ukraine

 ESA will no longer cooperate with Russia on a future Mars rover.

The move is in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

K2

 Huge Comet K2 is keeping astronomers occupied.

They think it might be the most primitive object in the solar system.

JWST

 President Biden unveiled the first JWST photograph yesterday.

It  is our deepest look into space yet.

Skylab

 On this date in 1979, Skylab, America's first space station, fell to Earth.

It was q waste of man-rated technology already in place.

ASAT

 According to reports and satellite images, Russia has established a laser system at a major space facility that is capable of blinding satellites in orbit.

China is also thought to have anti-satellite capability.

NASA

 NASA is objecting to Russia's use of ISS in "propaganda."

NASA is also challenging what it sees as China's plan to dominate the Moon.

Sounding Rockets

 NASA will use sounding rockets to probe the habitability of the Alpha Centauri system.

  The rockets will carry instruments to measure ultraviolet radiation.

Bennu

 Researchers have found a landslide and a huge crater on the asteroid Bennu.

Bennu has been hit over time by even smaller bodies.

Europa Clipper

 NASA's Europa Clipper may end its mission by crashing into Ganymede or  Callisto rather than Jupiter itself.

It would be a cost cutting measure.

Pathfinder

 Pathfinder landed on Mars on July 4, 1997.

It carried Sojourner, the first rover on Mars.

Power Grid

 Scientists and engineers are concerned the electric power grid may be vulnerable to a major space weather event.

A collapse of the power grid could be disastrous.

ABC Siting

 NASA is looking for a site for its Artemis Base Camp.

It will be in a polar region, but finding a good site-- one with access to water ice and constant solar power, for example-- is complex.

Robots

 NASA is looking at sending swarms of tiny robots to explore alien oceans.

They would be only about four inches long.

UFO

 According to reports, U. S. Navy fighter planes have been chased by "swarms" of UFOs on more than one occasion.

The incidents involved perhaps 100 unidentifieds.

Perspective

 The total worth of the world economy is something like $100 trillion.

Astronomers say one small world, Vesta. has about that much in precious metals alone-- gold, silver, and platinum.

Super Earths

 A new study finds that super Earths with  hydrogen and helium atmospheres could support life.

It also finds such worlds could be stable for billions of years.

Microbes

 Scientists say microbes in the cold, salty water of the Arctic could be similar to potential life on Mars.

Such life-- extremophiles-- have expanded our view of where life  can thrive.

Artemis 1

 Artemis 1 has passed a crucial test.

NASA is now preparing for launch.

Milky Way

 Astronomers have found a big star with its own dust disk near the center of the Milky Way.

They think it's a new formation.

South Korea

 South Korea has entered  the space sweepstakes.

It has put satellites in orbit using its own Nuri rocket.

Space Tourism

 On this date in 2004. SpaceShipOne made the first privately funded manned spaceflight.

The space tourism industry is just now beginning to take off.

Artemis 1

 NASA is set to launch its Artemis 1 mission.

It will be an uncrewed,26-day lunar orbital flight.

Lauches

 SpaceX successfully launched a German military satellite this morning.

The company has another launch scheduled for tomorrow.

Signals

 Reports are that China may have picked up radio signals from an alien civilization.

Those reports are being denied by scientists involved.

Using TESS

 Astronomers have found two Earthlike worlds orbiting  a tiny star 33 light years away.

Neither would support life.

Timr Crystals

 Physicists have linked two time crystals foe the first time.

They think it could be the first step toward a new kind of quantum computer.

Goddard

 On this date in 1914, Robert Goddard was granted a patent for a liquid fuel rocket.

That same year, he was awarded a patent for a multi-stage, solid fuel rocket.

Starquakes

 Astronomers have observed "quakes" on many stars.

Observing the quakes gives them insight into stars' inner workings.

UFO

 NASA hopes its nine month long, $100.000 study will help bring UFO research into the mainstream,

For comparison. France's UFO research is led by the French space agency.

Ryugu

 The asteroid Ryugu contains material older than the planets.

That's from Japan's space agency, which snagged samples of Ryugu and brought them to Earth.

NASA

 NASA is setting up a commission to study UFOs, or UAP.

It will issue a report sometime next year.

Protein

 A Ukrainian startup. Protein Aerospace. is working on a rocket that would use spent stages as fuel during flight.

The first test flight could take place early next year.

Asteroid

 An asteroid three times the size of a blue whale whipped past Earth recently.

It misted the planet by 2.3 million miles.

Tiangong

 Another crew of three astronauts has arrived at China''s Tiangong space station.

They plan to stay six months.

Space Tourism

 Blue Origin has sent six more tourists to the edge of space.

It's the fifth tourist flight for BO.

Quasar

 Astronomers using a new technique to observe the quasar closest to Earth have picked up details never before seen.

The new data puts in question our understanding of the role black holes play in star formation.

Aliens

 A new research paper speculates there are four alien civilizations in the Milky Way that would destroy Earth if they could.

Exactly how that was researched is unclear.

Fusion

 In line with new research results, physicists have found a way to perhaps double the power generated by tokomak fusion reactors.

Such reactors could deliver power to the grid by 2030.

Trojans

 A new study by the SETI Institute suggests two worlds will only rarely share the same orbit.

Of course, that happens in our neighborhood with planets and asteroids.  Those asteroids are called Trojans.

Mining

 Mining in space, if all goes well, will be a major driver of civilization at some point.

Currently, however, there are technological, legal, and economic hurdles to overcome.

Monkeys

 On this date in 1959, two monkeys survived a short spaceflight.

It was a crucial step toward human spaceflight.

Asteroid

 A mile-wide asteroid just flew past Earth.

Had it hit, it would have caused immense damage on a regional scale.

Energy

 A new study by physicists argues we need to quickly embrace nuclear energy and renewables or risk societal collapse.

If we do, the study predicts we could be a true interplanetary species within 200 years.

Interstellar Meteorte

 Avi Loeb and Amir Siraj of Harvard have determined that a meteorite that landed in Papua New Guinea in 2014 was an interstellar object.

It was also metallic, which is interesting.

Carpenter

 On this date in 1962, Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit Earth/

It was his only space flight.

Galaxies

 Astronomers have found a spray of stars linking two galaxies.

That would make inter-galactic travel more feasible.

UFO

 According to Michio Kaku, the Pentagon now has 400 reports of UFO incidents.

In last year's report to Congress. it listed 144, of which 143 were unexplained.

Fermi

 Scientists are still struggling with the Fermi Paradox-- if there are other civilizations in the universe, why aren't they here?  A new study suggests civilizations reach a  crisis point where they either stop expanding or collapse.

Maybe scientists still concerned with this question should first tall to MUFON and the Pentagon.

Starliner

 NASA is set to launch the Bowing Starliner on a second uncrewed test flight.

The first one didn't go especially well.

Mars

 This year's Humans to Mars Summit is underway in Washington, DC.

This one expects to focus on international relations.

UFO

 Congress is holding public hearings on UFOs today.

It's the first such proceeding in fifty years.

Ingenuity

 Ingenuity suffered a communications glitch recently.

JPL says it was due to dust in the Martian atmosphere.

Amalthea

 Amalthea is a moon of Jupiter-- the largest of the swarm of tiny moons after the Galileans.

It orbits at about half the Earth-Luna distance and completes one orbit in roughly 12 hours.

NOMAD

 DARPA. the Pentagon's high tech agency, is studying ways to build large structures in space.

The program is called NOMAD.

Water

 Scientists using data from China's rover argue there may have been large amounts of water on Mars much more recently than previously thought.

Mars could have had substantial quantities of water 700 million years ago, according to the study.

Space Solar Power

 The UK is studying space solar power as a way to meet greenhouse gas emission goals by 2050.

It could have a demonstrator in orbit by 2035.

Starlink

 The head of the Russian space agency has threatened Elon Musk.

Russia objects to Musk's Starlink satellite network, which is giving Ukraine Internet access/

Young Worlds

 Some scientists say for a rocky world to support life it must be young.

Young rocky worlds are geologically active,which generates the energy and complex chemistry required for life.

NoKo

 North Korea recently launched a ballistic missile from a submarine.

It was the latest in a series of test flights.

Crew-3

 Crew-3 astronauts safely returned home yesterday.

They spent 6 months on ISS.

Exploring Luna

 Chinese scientists think lunar explores will be able to get oxygen and fuel from lunar rocks.

That'd be a big plus.

Canada

 Canada is considering extending its criminal jurisdiction to the Moon and in-space facilities.

It would apply only to crimes allegedly committed by Canadian citizens.

Tiangong

 China plans six missions to its Tiangong space station this year.

It also plans to expand Tiangong and invite commercial activity.

SpaceForge

 Welsh startup SpaceForge argues the ultimate answer to climate change is to put manufacturing into space.

Its first experiment is planned to launch this year.

Aurora

 Scientists working with the UAE's Hope orbiter have found aurora on Mars.

As Mars' magnetic field is weak and irregular, explaining the aurora is a problem.

Perspective

 In a disappointing quarterly report, Apple announced revenues of over $116 billion.

That's more than five times NASA's annual budget.

Perseverance

 Perseverance is now exploring an ancient river delta on Mars.

Scientists think its prime territory to search for evidence of life.

Crew-4

 Crew-4 has successfully launched to ISS.

It's SpaceX's second manned launch in less than three weeks-- something NASA has rarely done.

Twitter

 Elon Musk of SpaceX is buying Twitter and taking it private.

He vows to turn it into a bastian of free speech.

Plate Tectonics

 Scientists have found evidence of plate tectonics 2.5 billion years ago in China.

Earth has been sculpting its surface for quite a while.

AATIP

 According to a U. S. government report, AATIP did more than study UFOs.  For one thing, it proposed nuking the Moon.

The point was to search for certain metals that could be at the center of the Moon.

Russia

 Russia recently flight tested a new ICBM.

U. S. officials say it poses no new threat.

Europa

 A new study suggests the ridges on the icy surface of Europa may mark places where liquid water is near the surface.

That could make the search for life easier.

NoKo

 North Korea tested another missile last weekend.

It also said its resuming nuclear testing.

Aliens

 NASA is planning to send another message to the stars in an attempt to make contact with aliens.

Many who have thought about such things argue that would be extremely dangerous.

Artemis 1

 Technical issues  have led NASA to remove the Artemis 1 rocket from the launch pad.

No word yet on when the "wet dress rehearsal" might resume.

Apollo 16

 Fifty years ago today, Apollo 16 launched to the Moon.

It was the next-to-last Apollo lunar mission.

SpaceX

 According to CNBC,  SpsceX is worth $80 billion.

And it's just getting started.

Apollo 11

 Lunar dust collected by Neil Armstrong sold at auction last night for $500,000/

It had been expected to fetch twice that.

UFO

 The Pentagon UFO report reportedly contains sections on interrupted pregnancies, advanced technologies, and plans for deep space exploration and colonization.

The report could yet explode.

Gagarin

 Sixty-one years ago today, Yuri Gagarin became the first human space.

His flight may have been the high point in Soviet history.

Neptune

 Neptune is cooling at a time scientists expected it to warm.

So far, there is no explanation.

Pluto

 A new study suggests cryovoolcanoes may still be active on Pluto.

That would imply more internal heat than thought.

Axiom-1

 SpaceX successfully launched Axiom-1 this morning.

It's the first completely private crewed mission.

UFO

 A 2010 Pentagon report. just released, says there is evidence for humans being injured and even abducted by UFOs.

The 1,500 page report cites such things as possible radiation burns and illness, genetic alterations, brain damage, and "missing time" among alleged abductees-- all reported over the years by independent UFO researchers.

Hypersonic

 Pentagon officials say the US tested a hypersonic missile last month.

It reportedly reached Mach 5.

Vulcans

 Today is First Contact Day.

According to STAR TREK lore, humans first meet aliens, the Vulcans, on April 5, 2063.

Russia

 Russia is threatening to leave ISS unless Ukraine sanctions are lifted.

There is speculation that Russia would then align its space policy with that of China.

Boom

 A loud boom rattled Indiana Wednesday.

It turned out to be a fireball explosion.

Biden

 President Biden's new budget calls for $7.5bllion allocated to putting the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, according to reports.

OPINION: Insofar as such a provision would accurately reflect Democratic Party vision, it's a narrow, ultimately destructive vision.

Blue Origin

 Blue Origin has launched 6 more people into suborbital space.

All went well.

Europa

 New analysis of  the so-called chaos region of Europa suggests the oxygen level in the moon's subsurface ocean could possibly be as high as Earth's oceans.

That would increase the chances for life.

JWST

 NASA's JWST will be able to detect methane in the atmospheres of exoplanets.

That could be an indication of life.

Anti-universe

 A new theory suggests there may be an anti-uniwerse existing with our own.

Future experiments may be able to confirm or deny the theory.

JWST

 NASA is planning an announcement next week about a big discovery already made using JWST.

What is it?  For now, that's a secret.

ICBM

 North Korea  tested an ICBM yesterday, its first since 2017.

The ICBM flew over 3000 miles into space before crashing in Japanese waters.

Sulfur

 A new study finds sulfur may have played a bigger role in killing off the dinosaurs than previously thought.

Sulfur thrown into the atmosphere by the asteroid impact could have cut sunlight at the surface for decades or centuries.

Starship

 Elom Musk says Staeship may launch on its first orbital flight in May,

Starship is designed to colonize the Moon and Mars,

Exoplanets

 NASA has now confirmed 5,000 exoplanets.

That's from a very small sampling of stars.

Ganymede

 Study of recent spacecraft images of Jupiter's large moon Ganymede show hitherto unseen huge impact craters.

The images were taken last year.

Hyperrsonic

 Russia claims it has used a hypersonic missile in Ukraine.

Such weapons defeat current missile defense systems.

SLS

 NASA's SLS-- its most powerful rocket to date, is now on the launch pad.

SLS will launch Artemis missions to the Moon.

Planet 9

 Astronomers just completed another search for Planet 9.

They found nothing.

Ingenuity

 JPL has announced Ingenuity will continue flying until September, at least.

The original plan called for five flights.

UFOs

 Some argue the UFOs seen on US Navy video, among other places, are secret Pentagon craft.

If so, now might be a good time to turn them loose.

New Trek

 Yet another Star Trek series is set to debit.

STAR TREK: STRANGE MEW WORLDS will feature the first captain of the USS Enterprise, Christopher Pike.

Mars

 Perseverance has collected a seventh rock sample before heading to an ancient river delta.

The plan is to bring the samples to Earth at some point.

Russia

 Russia is threatening to end cooperation in space with the US.

Currently, one astronaut is on ISS, scheduled to return to Earth in a Soyuz.

Rings

 On this date in 1977,  astronomers discovered the rings of Neptune.

We now know that all four gas giants have rings.

White Dwarf

 Astronomers may have found an Earthlike planet orbiting in the habitable zone of  a white dwarf.

That would be an unexpected first.

Craters

 Scientists have identified a field of 30 craters in southeast Wyoming that were blasted by pieces of debris thrown up in the creation of a huge crater 280 million years ago,

They are still looking for that source impact crater.

China

 China is planning for its next generation launcher to be reusable.

NASA still doesn't have that.

Crash

 A 3-tom piece of rocket crashed on the far side side of the Moon yesterday.

Exactly where it came from is unclear.

Superhabitability

 Some scientists are looking for worlds they think would be even better homes for life than Earth is.

They call the concept "superhabitability."

Apollo 9

 On this date in 1969, Apollo 9 launched on a mission to test fly the lunar module in space.

It was another critical step towards a manned lunar landing.

Ingenuity

 Ingenuity has now successfully completed 20 flights on Mars.

That's four times as many as NASA oeiginally planned.

ExoMars

 ESA's ExoMars probably will not launch on a Russian rocket this year due to European sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

ExoMars is to search for traces of life on Mars.

Sanctions

 Russia says sanctions imposed on it because of its Ukraine invasion could damage the ISS project.

NASA has said the sanctions should not affect ISS.

Ceres

 Scientists have discovered salt deposits in a crater on Ceres.

That suggests the crater might contain a cryovolcano.

Sanctions

 NASA says sanctions imposed on Russia for attacking Ukraine will not affect ISS operations.

Of course, at some point, depending on events, that could change.

Satellites

 America has been monitoring Russian moves around Ukraine using surveillance satellites.

Those satellites and others could now be Russian targets.

UFO

 A group is pettitioning the U. S. Government to release all unclassified UFO videos in its possession.

After only a few days online, the pettition has 1,500 signatures.

Climate Change

 NASA has released an interagency government report predicting a rise in sea level of one foot by 2050.

That's in contrast to the most recent UN report on climate change, which predicts a two-inch rise by 2100, according to Bjorn Lomborg.

WASP 121 b

 Scientists studying the atmosphere of WASP 121 b have found it has metal clouds and rain of liquid rubies and sapphires.

The world is a hot Jupiter tidally locked to its star.

War

 U. S. officials are concerned Russia might attack American satellites as part of its Ukraine strategy.

That could harm America both militarily and economically.

Mars

 Perseverance and its helicopter buddy Ingenuity have now been on Mars for one Earth year.

Both are still going strong.

Asteroids

 Scientists have identified 10,000 asteroids orbiting near Earth that are big enough to do real damage if they struck our world.

It lays the foundation for an argument to build a planetary defense system.

VG

 Virgin Galactic is selling tickets to space for a limited time.

Full ride price is $450,000.

Polaris Dawn

 Polaris Dawn is a crewed commercial spaceflight scheduled for later this year.

It will try to achieve the farthest out Earth orbit ever by a crewed spacecraft.  It will also try to conduct the first spacewalk by a private flight.

The Universe

 New research suggests the universe might go through cycles of expansion, collapse, and expansion-- possibly forever.

Observations still need to confirm or deny that.

Comet

 Astronomers have found the largest comet to date.

It is 85 miles wide, nearly twice as large as Hale-Bopp.

Geoengineering

 Geoengineering is the use of technology to control the weather and the climate.

It is the ultimate answer to climate change.

Proxima Centauri

 Astronomers may have found a third planet orbiting Proxoma Centauri.

The possible world could have a quarter of Earth's mass.

Planetary Defense

 NASA has upgraded its asteroid detection system so that it covers the entire sky every 24 hours.

It's another step towards planetary defense.

India

 India plans another try at a Moon landing later this year.

The first attempt, in 2019, crashed into the lunar surface.

2020 XL5

 Astronomers have found an asteroid, dubbed 2020 XL5, that orbits the Sun in the same orbit as Earth.

It could be an interesting target for a deep space crewed mission.

MUFON

 Worldwide last month, 559 UFO sightings were reported to MUFON.

Of those, 475 came from the United States.

Meteors

 A new study suggests life on early Mars may have been hampered by meteor impacts.

The Late Heavy Bombardment may have lasted 30 million years longer than thought.

Radio Astronomy

 Megaconstellations of communication satellites could limit the effectiveness of huge new radio telescope

The satellites use certain radio frequencies, thus masking extraterrestrial activity in that part of the spectrum.

Delay

 NASA is delaying rolling out its SLS rocket until March.

The agency says the delay is not due to any problem.

Columbia

 Nineteen years ago today, space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry.

The tragedy marked the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.

WASP-189b

 Astronomers have found the atmosphere of WASP-189b is layered like Earth's-- a first for an exoplanet-- but the atmoaphere also contains various vaporized metals.

WASP-189b is a hot gas giant 322 light years away.

China

 China says it plans to continue developing its space technology, including a heavy lift launch capability, over the next five years.

It also plans to continue laying the foundation for a crewed lunar landing.

GLEAM

 Astronomers have found an object 4,000 light years away that brightens fiercely and disappears completely within a few hours.  They call it GLEAM.

They have no idea what it is.

China

 A  Chinese company is developing a fully reusable, suborrbital, point-to-point travel spaceplane.

First scheduled crewed flight is set for 2025.

TESS

 NASA's TESS planet hunter has found over 5,000 objects of interest in four years.

Most of those objects likely will turn out to be planets, but some could be something else.  Astronomers need to follow up with more detailed studies.

Opportunity

 On this date in 2004, the Opportinity rover landed on Mars.

Instead of its original 90-day mission, Opportunity explored Mars for several years-- one of NASA's great achievements.

Voyager 2

 On this date in 1986, Voyager 2 flew past Uranus.

It has since entered interstellar space.

UFO

UFO skeptics have argued that we should get more good evidence of UFOs, if they are real craft, with the advent of smartphones, for example, and they hadn't seen any such surge.

In 2021, that's precisely what we saw.

Mars

 Ingeniity's scheduled flight earlier this month was delayed due to weather.

It was the first such delay on another world.

Radian

 Radian Aerospace is developing a fully reusable orbital spaceplane that will launch from and land on runways.

It could be delivering humans and cargo to orbit by 2030.

Perspective

 Unitedhealth has reported quarterly revenue of over $73 billion..

That's more than three times NASA's annual budget.

Life

 Some scientists are questioning the current definition of "habitable planet."

They argue a broader concept is needed.

NoKo

 North Korea seems to have test launched four ballistic missiles recently.

All seem to have been short range.

UFO

 A new office investigating UFOs has been established within the Pentagon.

MUFON, for one, is not thrilled.  It doesn't trust the military.

Exomoons

 Astronomers now have two exomoon candidates.

The second might be a mini-Neptune orbi7ting an exoplanet the size of Jupiter.

SLS

 NASA reports "great progress" in putting together its huge Space Launch System rockets.

SLS is scheduled to carry astronauts to the Moon in 2024.

China

 China's Chang'e 5 lander has detected lunar water at its landing site.

The site, appropriately enough, is on the Ocean of Storms.

Diamond Rain

 Scientists have confirmed that it rains diamonds in certain layers of the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune.

Carbon is put under intense pressure, creating diamonds, which then move through the air.

STAR TREK

 The debate over who was the best captain, Kirk or Picard, is still alive and well among Trekkers.

Of course, that leaves out Janeway, Sisko, and Archer.

NoKo

 North Korea claims it has test flown a hypersonic vehicle.

U. S. officials are skeptical.

Gravity

 A new study finds gravity works the same on matter and antimatter.

That gives physicists little help in understanding the nature of antimatter.

Milky Way

 A new study suggests the outer arms of the Milky Way are lumpy and choppy, not long and graceful.

The study used Hubble data.

MUFON

 Worldwide, 594 UFO sightings were reported o MUFON last month.

Of those, 497 were in the U/ S.

Apollo 20

 On this date in 1970, NASA cancelled Apollo 20.

The Nixon administration had decided to cut NASA's budget.

JWST

 NASA is delaying deployment of the JWST sunshield.

It's studying the telescope's power system.

ISS

 The Biden administration has directed NASA to keep ISS operational theough 2030.

That's an extension from 2025.