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Why has it taken so long to return to the moon?

At 13:24:59 Central Standard Time on December 19, 1972, the Apollo 17 command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, about 350 nautical miles southeast of Samoa, concluding the last mission to the moon.

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Is There A 5-Mile-Long Craft Orbiting Between Planets “e” and “f” in the TRAPPIST-1 system?

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Seven missions launched to test optimized data transfer from space

Eight CubeSats and one payload supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) have reached orbit, where they will demonstrate various applications aimed at improving how data is sent around and processed. Thanks to these demonstrations, practical and—sometimes—even life-saving data enabled from space will move more efficiently and reach the right actors on time in the […]

Uranus mission concept CASMIUS to probe ice giant secrets

The ice giant Uranus is one of the most fascinating objects in the solar system, with its sideways rotation, intricate ring system, and unique family of moons. However, it is also one of the least explored objects in the solar system, owing to its extreme distance from the sun. With NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft remaining […]

NASA probe data suggests a more complex sun’s magnetic engine

A Southwest Research Institute-led study found that protons and heavy ions react differently to solar magnetic reconnection events, revealing a more complex magnetic engine powering the solar wind. Magnetic reconnection converts magnetic energy into explosive kinetic energy, powering solar events and causing space weather that impacts Earth. Magnetic reconnection energizes protons and heavy ions, sending […]

Racetrack-shaped lasers developed for bright, stable frequency combs

A new, miniature laser source developed by applied physicists in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien) could soon pack the power of a laboratory-based spectrometer—an important workhorse tool for precision environmental gas analysis—onto a single microchip.

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Chiral metasurfaces guide twisted light into free space

Light can carry angular momentum in two distinct ways. One comes from polarization, which describes how the electric field rotates. The other comes from the shape of the wavefront itself, which can twist like a corkscrew as it travels. This second form, known as orbital angular momentum, has attracted wide interest because it allows light […]

Artemis II’s long countdown: A space historian explains why it has taken over 50 years to return to the moon

While I was leading a tour of the National Air and Space Museum in January 2026, a visitor posed this insightful question: “Why has it taken so long to return to the moon?”

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Physicist recreates neutron star reaction, reveals how explosive stars forge elements

A Mississippi State physicist has produced a direct laboratory measurement of a key nuclear reaction believed to occur during explosive bursts on neutron stars. These bursts forge heavier elements—the building blocks of planets and life on Earth. The findings appear in The Astrophysical Journal.

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Woman re-arrested days after escape from Mich. cruiser captured on viral video

Bystander video shows the woman wriggling out of a half-open Muskegon Heights Police cruiser window while handcuffed before running away

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Impacts from meteors may have helped start life on Earth by creating hydrothermal vents

Meteor impacts may have helped spark life on Earth, creating hot, chemical-rich environments where the first living cells could take shape, according to research integrated by a recent Rutgers University graduate. Shea Cinquemani, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences in May 2025, has published a paper based on […]

Quantum magnetism: Spin-flip process in atomic nucleus does not account for all magnetic behavior

In the air people breathe, the water on Earth, the stars in the sky and more, atoms are the building blocks that make up the universe. Understanding the structure of the atomic nucleus is crucial for research with implications for astrophysics and in applications such as medical imaging and data storage.

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Webb reveals hidden details of W51 star formation

A team of University of Florida researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to capture photos of a star-forming region known as W51 with never-before-seen clarity and resolution. The long wavelengths of JWST’s infrared technology allowed astronomers to see the stars clearly and show what was previously hidden. Stars in the W51 region are very […]

Solar flare prompts close monitoring of space weather ahead of Artemis II launch

With NASA preparing for the Artemis II launch (expected tomorrow, 1 April), a strong solar flare earlier this week is putting space weather back into focus—and highlighting the unpredictable risks astronauts could face beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Professor Keith Ryden, leader of the Space Environment and Protection research team at the Surrey Space Centre, University of […]

‘You’re gonna have to kill me’: Man points gun at Phoenix officers before fatal OIS

The man pulled the gun from beneath his clothing and pointed it at a Phoenix Police officer as he fled, prompting officers to fire shots

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