Thursday, May 31, 2018

VG Test Flight

Virgin Galactic's newest SpaceShipTwo aced its second powered test flight Tuesday.

VG says commercial flights could begin later this year.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Understanding Aliens

Understanding an alien message, if we ever receive one, might take the combined effort of all of us, says linguist Sheri Wells-Jensen.

She suggests we should all brush up on our basic scientific knowledge in preparation for the task.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Hypersonic Weapons

According to western analysts, Russia's new hypersonic weapons could be operational by 2020.

The Pentagon is exploring possible countermeasures.

Monday, May 28, 2018

Alan Bean

Alan Bean, the fourth human to stand on the Moon, died Saturday.  He was 86.

After retiring from NASA, Bean had a successful career as an artist.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Viruses

Viruses-- if they are in fact alive-- are the dominant life form on Earth.  So, astrobiologists are pushing to look for them on other worlds.

There are currently no plans to do that.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Global Warming

A new study of the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs argues that event, by releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide, ushered in a period of global warming that lasted 100,000 years.

It's yet another argument for a planetary defense system.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Supernova

A new study says a relatively nearby supernova between 2.5 and 8 million years ago could have affected life on Earth.

It did not cause mass extinctions, but it could have altered the course of life.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

2015 BZ509

Astronomers have found an asteroid, 2015 BZ509, that orbits in the opposite direction from everything else.

They interpret that to mean it came from another solar system.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Ringed Earths

A new study points out that rocky worlds like Earth could have rings, too.

In fact, it says astronomers may have already found some without recognizing it.

Monday, May 21, 2018

Planet Nine

Astrophysicists studying the orbits of small objects deep in the Solar System think they have more evidence for a massive, hitherto undiscovered ninth planet.

Planet Nine would be 10 times as massive as Earth and orbit the Sun at about 600 times Earth's distance.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

China Moon

China just completed a year long study of humans aboard a simulated lunar base.

China plans to put people on the Moon in the next decade.

Friday, May 18, 2018

Lunar Dust

The bad news is that a new study suggests that lunar dust is extremely toxic to human cells.

The good news is that NASA is already working the problem.

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Perspective

Walmart has announced quarterly revenues of $122.69 billion.

That means it could fund NASA at NASA's current annual budget level and still have revenues of well over $100 billion for that quarter.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Parallel Aliens

Two new studies suggest life could exist in parallel universes.

The studies were conducted by computer simulations.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Musk

Elon Musk says SpaceX hopes to launch the same Block 5 Falcon 9 twice within 24 hours next year.

That would be completely unprecedented/

Monday, May 14, 2018

Falcon 9 Success

SpaceX successfully launched its upgraded Falcon 9 last week.

It also, once again, soft landed the booster.

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Marrs Helo

NASA's Mars 2020 rover mission will include a mini-helicopter.

It would be the first heavier-than-air craft to fly on another world.

Friday, May 11, 2018

Pluto

The debate about whether Pluto is a full-fledged planet is on again.

Some people have time on their hands.

Thursday, May 10, 2018

2004 EW95

Asteroid 2004 EW95 is a carbonaceous asteroid far out in the Kuiper Belt.

Likely, it formed in the inner Solar System and flung into the depths.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

WASP-95b

WASP-95b is a huge exoplanet with no clouds in its atmosphere, astronomers say.

The lack of clouds will allow astronomers to deeply probe the constituents of the atmosphere.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Laser Cannon

Getting tiny Starshot probes to Alpha Centauri will require huge, powerful laser cannons with incredibly precise targeting systems.

That might not be the best thing to bring into this world.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Nuke In Space

A small nuclear reactor developed by NASA and the U. S. Department of Energy has passed all its ground tests.

The device could power colonies on the Moon and Mars.

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Mars Insights

NASA's Mars Insights mission was successfully launched from California this morning.

Insights is intended to probe the interior structure of Mars.

Friday, May 4, 2018

Lunar Ice

A new study of a lunar meteorite suggests subsurface water ice may be abundant on the Moon.

That would greatly facilitate lunar colonization.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

The Gallileans

Europa is famous for having a liquid water ocean under an icy shell, but Ganymede and Callisto have similar oceans.

All may potentially support life.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Perspective

Apple has reported quarterly earnings of over $60 billion.

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

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Mars 2020

The heat shield on NASA's Mars 2020 rover mission cracked during testing recently.

It's not expected to delay the mission.