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Could a solar storm derail the Artemis II mission?

Every mission to deep space is fraught with danger. A hardware failure during launch, an equipment malfunction far from Earth, or a small space rock hitting the vehicle are all scenarios astronauts will train for.

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5 reasons why the Artemis II mission is a big deal

The Artemis II mission, scheduled to launch on Wednesday, will send four astronauts on a 10-day journey from Earth around the moon—the first time humans will travel that far into space since 1972. While the crew will not land on the moon, the mission marks a major step toward returning people to the lunar surface. […]

FAST observes a peculiar rotating radio transient that also switches to pulsar states

Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), Chinese astronomers have explored the behavior of a rotating radio transient (RRAT) known as RRAT J1574+4703. The new observations found that this object switches between RRAT and normal pulsar states. The finding was detailed in a paper published March 25 on the arXiv pre-print server.

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Unexplained sky flashes from the 1950s: Independent analysis supports their existence

Historical observations from an observatory in Germany have now independently verified evidence for brief, mysterious flashes of light in the night sky, first picked up by an American astronomical survey in the 1950s. Through fresh analysis of a German survey from the same period, independent researcher Ivo Busko, a now-retired developer at NASA, has uncovered […]

It’s happening: Historic Moon mission set for launch

On Wednesday three men and one woman are set to embark on the first crewed journey to the moon since 1972, a landmark odyssey that aims to launch the US into a new era of space exploration.

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Moon rocket and weather are on NASA’s side for the first astronaut launch in decades

After weeks of fuel leaks and other issues, NASA faced a trouble-free countdown Tuesday on the eve of astronauts’ first trip to the moon in more than half a century.

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Florida tourists gather to ‘witness history’ ahead of Moon launch

Jason Heath had ventured with his family from northeastern Maine to the Sunshine State for a vacation—but soon found out they were set to “witness history” with the launch of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission.

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Saturn’s magnetic bubble is lopsided compared to Earth’s, suggests new study

Saturn’s magnetic shield is asymmetrical compared to Earth’s, suggests a new study involving University College London (UCL) researchers, and this is likely a result of its fast rotation coupled with the heavy material it pulls around it.

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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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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 […]

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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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 […]