DARPA is using Earth’s atmosphere as a powerful sensor, allowing the detection of events like rocket reentries and illicit detonations.
Category: space travel – Page 3
As the next administration takes shape, countless voices are vying for influence over the future of America’s space program. I’d wager one in particular — someone apparently very close to the President-elect — might be suggesting a bold new direction: “Sir. Forget racing China to the moon,” Elon Musk may be saying. “We’re almost ready with Starship. Announce we’ll launch humans to Mars by 2029 — the Apollo anniversary. You’ll go down in history! You’ll be as big as Kennedy!”
If I had that access, it’s exactly what I’d be saying.
Think about it. SpaceX is making remarkable progress on Starship. If they can overcome FAA regulatory hurdles, they could have a revolutionary, reusable Earth-to-space system operational within a year. The next step, in-orbit refueling, could take another year or two to master. By 2028, Starship could be ready for missions to the moon, Mars, or beyond. Right behind it will be Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin with New Glenn.
Right now, the remains of three private spacecraft rest on the moon, with one more lost in Earth orbit. And that is incredible.
First came Israel’s Beresheet, which crashed on the lunar surface in 2019. Next was Astrobotic’s Peregrine, which suffered an anomaly and was ordered to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere in early 2024. Then, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus became the first functioning private vehicle to land on the moon — though it landed harder than expected and didn’t live as long as planned. The company tried again with Athena earlier this month, which touched down on its side but still completed key mission objectives before running out of power. Finally, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost crossed the finish line with a fully successful landing — alive, transmitting and delivering incredible images and other results.
And this is just the beginning. Soon, the U.S.-Japanese iSpace team will attempt its own touchdown, marking yet another milestone in what is quickly evolving into a true private-sector space race.
Scientists have created solar cells using simulated Moon dust, potentially solving one of space exploration’s biggest challenges: how to generate reliable energy far from Earth.
These new cells, made with perovskite and moonglass, are lighter, cheaper, and more radiation-resistant than traditional space solar panels. Even better, they can be made using lunar materials, drastically reducing launch costs and making future Moon bases more feasible. If successful in real lunar conditions, these Moon-made solar panels could power entire off-world colonies.
Powering Space with Moon Dust.
Melting moon dust, found at the bottom of astronaut’s shoes, would save on costly, heavy transport of solar cells in space.
Whether extra dimensions prove to be physical realities or useful mathematical constructs, they have already transformed our understanding of the universe. They have forced us to reconsider fundamental assumptions about space, time, and the nature of physical law. And they remind us that reality may be far richer and more complex than our everyday experience suggests — that beyond the familiar dimensions of length, width, height, and time, there may exist entire realms waiting to be discovered and, perhaps one day, explored.
The theoretical physicist John Wheeler once remarked that “we live on an island of knowledge surrounded by an ocean of ignorance.” Our exploration of extra dimensions extends the shoreline of that island, pushing into uncharted waters with the tools of mathematics, experiment, and imagination. Though we may never set foot in the fifth dimension or beyond, the very act of reaching toward these hidden aspects of reality expands our perspective and deepens our understanding of the cosmos we call home.
As we continue this grand scientific adventure, we carry forward the legacy of those who first dared to imagine worlds beyond our immediate perception — from the mathematicians who developed the language of higher-dimensional geometry to the physicists who incorporated these concepts into our most fundamental theories. Their vision, coupled with rigorous analysis and experimental testing, illuminates a path toward an ever more complete understanding of the universe in all its dimensions.
The privately funded Fram2 mission is the first ever to take astronauts into polar orbit—and the latest sign of a “new normal” for human spaceflight.
By Lee Billings edited by Dean Visser.
Could we reach Alpha Centauri in just 60 years? The Nuclear Salt Water Rocket (NSWR) might be the answer! With speeds of up to 7.6% of light speed, this game-changing propulsion system could make interstellar travel a reality within a single human lifetime. But how does it work? What challenges stand in the way? In this episode, we break down everything you need to know about NSWR and its potential to revolutionize space travel!
Watch now and explore the future of interstellar exploration!
Paper link : https://path-2.narod.ru/design/base_e… 00:00 Introduction 00:58 How the NSWR Works and Its Breakthrough Potential 03:41 Feasibility and Engineering Challenges 06:30 The Potential Impact on Space Exploration 09:35 Outro 09:44 Enjoy MUSIC TITLE : Starlight Harmonies MUSIC LINK : https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-star… Visit our website for up-to-the-minute updates: www.nasaspacenews.com Follow us Facebook: / nasaspacenews Twitter:
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction.
00:58 How the NSWR Works and Its Breakthrough Potential.
03:41 Feasibility and Engineering Challenges.
06:30 The Potential Impact on Space Exploration.
09:35 Outro.
09:44 Enjoy.
MUSIC TITLE : Starlight Harmonies.
MUSIC LINK : https://pixabay.com/music/pulses-star…
Visit our website for up-to-the-minute updates:
A key objective of ongoing research rooted in molecular physics is to understand and precisely control chemical reactions at very low temperatures. At low temperatures, the chemical reactions between charged particles (i.e., ions) and molecules unfold with highly rotational-state-specific rate coefficients, meaning that the speed at which they proceed strongly depends on the rotational states of the involved molecules.
Researchers at ETH Zürich have recently introduced a new approach to control chemical reactions between ions and molecules at low temperatures, employing microwaves (i.e., electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from 300 MHz to 300 GHz). Their proposed scheme, outlined in a paper published in Physical Review Letters, entails the use of microwave pulses to manipulate molecular rotational-state populations.
“Over the past 10 years, we have developed a method with which ion-molecule reactions can be studied at very low temperatures, below 10 K, corresponding to the conditions in giant molecular clouds in the interstellar medium, where these types of reactions play a key role,” Valentina Zhelyazkova, corresponding author of the paper, told Phys.org.
A crew of astronauts have become the first-ever people to orbit over Earth’s north and south poles and they have done so with an incredible view thanks to the cupola installed on their spacecraft.
The Fram2 mission launched onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft that has a cupola module allowing the astronauts a 360-degree view of space and Earth. The glass dome is 2,000 square inches making it the largest single window ever flown to space. The window occupies the same space as the docking port meaning if it rendezvous with the International Space Station then the cupola won’t be equipped.
SpaceX shared a video (below) taken from the space window showing the Arctic polar region as well as the Antarctic polar region.