News

Astronauts Use Bacteria and Fungi to Harvest Metals in Space

If humankind is to explore deep space, one small passenger should not be left behind: microbes. In fact, it would be impossible to leave them behind, since they live on and in our bodies, surfaces and food. Learning how they react to space conditions is critical, but they could also be invaluable fellows in our endeavor to explore space.

DART images reveal asteroids can toss slow 'cosmic snowballs' between moons

About 15% of asteroids near Earth have small moons orbiting them, making binary asteroid systems common in our cosmic neighborhood.

Can we grow life on Mars? Experiments show potential in simulated extraterrestrial soil

Life's capacity to survive in simulated lunar and Martian soils has been explored in two papers published in Scientific Reports. Treating simulated lunar soil with both symbiotic fungi and worm-produced compost can significantly improve the likelihood of reproduction for chickpea plants growing in the soil, indicates one study. A separate paper suggests that some microbes may be able to absorb enough water from the atmosphere to grow in simulated Martian soil at atmospheric humidity levels compa

Artemis II Is Shooting for the Moon: All the Details About NASA's Historic Mission

This will be the first time humans have traveled all the way to the moon since the early 1970s.

A jellyfish or a brain? Tell us what you see in this gorgeous deep-space nebula photo

Laser-Based 3D Printing Could Build Future Bases on the Moon

Through the Artemis Program, NASA hopes to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon in its southern polar region. China, Russia, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have similar plans, all of which involve building bases near the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs)—craters that contain water ice—that dot the South Pole-Aitken Basin. For these and other agencies, it is vital that these bases be as self-sufficient as possible since resupply missions cannot be launched regularly and take se

NASA's New Odds 'City Killer' Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Crash Into the Moon

We can all thank NASA for giving us one less thing to absolutely panic about. The near-Earth asteroid called 2024 YR4, the one that got tagged a “city killer” during its brief era as a trending space villain, is not going to hit the Moon in 2032. Phew. The new call comes after fresh tracking […] The post NASA’s New Odds ‘City Killer’ Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Crash Into the Moon appeared first on VICE.

Chinese scientists use AI model to crack mystery of moon's far side

Chinese scientists have used AI to determine the chemical make-up of the moon’s far side, offering new insights into one of lunar science’s enduring mysteries. Nearly half the moon’s surface – the far side which permanently faces away from the Earth – had long remained chemically unmapped. But samples from China’s Chang’e-6 mission, combined with advanced technologies, have enabled a team led by the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (SITP) to crack the lunar chemical code. Researchers from

Intel Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake-H" Die Annotated

Intel's recently announced Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake-H" mobile processor die-shot has been annotated by Kurnal Insights. "Panther Lake-H" is a disaggregated processor, just like its predecessor, "Arrow Lake-H," and "Meteor Lake," but Intel has followed a disaggregation plan resembling that of "Lunar Lake," where an SoC tile contains the CPU cores across both the main compute complex and low-power island; the NPU, and the processor's main integrated memory controllers; the Graphics tile c

NASA's Artemis 'Course Correction' Boosts Moonward Momentum: Key Details Still Maturing

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman unveiled sweeping changes to the Artemis program, aimed at restoring momentum,… The post NASA’s Artemis ‘Course Correction’ Boosts Moonward Momentum: Key Details Still Maturing appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.

NASA's DART probe shifted the orbits of two asteroids, not just one

NASA slammed a vending-machine-sized probe into an asteroid in 2022, changing its orbit. That was the plan. The entire binary system's path around the Sun also moved. DART slammed into Dimorphos — a 160-meter-wide moonlet orbiting the larger asteroid Didymos — at over 22,000 km/h on September 26, 2022, shaving 33 minutes off its orbit. — Read the rest The post NASA's DART probe shifted the orbits of two asteroids, not just one appeared first on Boing Boing.

Lunar Impact from Asteroid 2024 YR4 Ruled Out

The latest JWST images, along with archival images taken before the asteroid was even discovered, combine to refine its trajectory. The post Lunar Impact from Asteroid 2024 YR4 Ruled Out appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Asteroid 2024 YR4 Won't Slam Into the Moon, According to NASA

Both Earth and the moon will be dodging the infamous space rock in 2032

The Author Behind 'The Social Network' Has an Asteroid Movie Coming Out

'The Last Orbit,' written by Ben Mezrich, will hit the screen directed by 'Fantastic Four' helmer Matt Shakman.

NASA's DART Mission Did More Than Just Nudge an Asteroid, Study Says

With these new findings, researchers are closer than ever to validating a key planetary defense technique.

Asteroid defense mission shifted the orbit of more than its target

NASA changed an asteroid's orbit around the sun for the first time

NASA’s DART mission slammed into the small asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, and the impact slowed its orbit around the larger Didymos – and also the pair’s path around the sun

Scientists grew chickpeas in fake moon dirt with the help of fungi

Coat a chickpea seed in beneficial fungi, plant it in a pot that's three-quarters fake moon dirt, and you can grow a harvestable crop. Texas A&M researchers pulled this off in a climate-controlled growth chamber, showing that the right fungal partner could be what makes lunar agriculture viable, according to a Reuters report. — Read the rest The post Scientists grew chickpeas in fake moon dirt with the help of fungi appeared first on Boing Boing.

Capcom's long-delayed Pragmata is now arriving a week earlier

Capcom revealed during its March 5 Spotlight showcase that Pragmata, its repeatedly delayed dystopian sci-fi adventure game, will release on April 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam. The game had been set for April 24 since its appearance at The Game Awards in December. The game’s new trailer shows previously unseen locations and gameplay moments, and new elements within the Shelter, the in-game lunar base. Pragmata was first revealed in 2020 with a 2022 re

Spring Skies Bring Cosmic Wonders: Best Astroshots of the Week [26 Feb-6 Mar]

Celebrate the arrival of spring with stunning astroshots: from the Pleiades and Seagull Nebula to lunar eclipses and the Worm Moon, captured by photographers worldwide. The post Spring Skies Bring Cosmic Wonders: Best Astroshots of the Week [26 Feb-6 Mar] appeared first on Orbital Today.