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New LVK catalog adds 128 gravitational-wave candidates, more than doubling detections

When the densest objects in the universe collide and merge, the violence sets off ripples, in the form of gravitational waves, that reverberate across space and time, over hundreds of millions and even billions of years. By the time they pass through Earth, such cosmic ripples are barely discernible.

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Self-repairing spacecraft could change future missions

Healable spacecraft structures could soon be possible thanks to cutting-edge composite technology. Swiss companies CompPair and CSEM with Belgian company Com&Sens have partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) to modify their self-healing carbon fiber product for use in space transportation.

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How old is the universe? The oldest stars give us a clue

Researchers from the University of Bologna and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) along with other institutes have proposed a new way to address the Hubble tension by comparing estimates of the universe’s age rather than its expansion rate. Using precise stellar data, they determined ages for carefully selected very old Milky Way stars […]

Scientists successfully harvest chickpeas from ‘moon dirt’

As the U.S. plans to return to the moon with the upcoming Artemis II mission, a question endures: What will future lunar explorers eat? According to new research from The University of Texas at Austin, the answer might be chickpeas.

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What goes on inside a massive star before it explodes as a supernova?

When most people think of a supernova, they’re thinking of a Type II core-collapse supernova. These are massive stars that have reached the end of their time on the main sequence. They’ve used up their supply of hydrogen and continue fusing heavier elements until the star can’t support its own mass. The core collapses and […]

Japan startup’s space rocket fails for third time

A Japanese startup’s third attempt to put a satellite in orbit failed on Thursday after its rocket spiraled back to Earth shortly after takeoff.

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ESA’s Mars orbiters watch solar superstorm hit the red planet

What happens when a solar superstorm hits Mars? Thanks to the European Space Agency’s Mars orbiters, we now know: glitching spacecraft and a supercharged upper atmosphere.

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NASA finds source of Artemis II problem that forced rollback from the launch pad

NASA announced it had found the source of a helium flow blockage that forced it to roll the Artemis II rocket back from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center and delay its lunar fly-by mission until at least April.

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What Geminga’s 100 TeV cutoff may mean for cosmic-ray acceleration in the Milky Way

For the first time, the Tibet ASγ Experiment has successfully measured magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence on scales below one parsec (approximately 3.3 light-years) within the gamma-ray halo surrounding the Geminga pulsar wind nebula (PWN). This observation extends to the highest energies, above 100 tera-electron volts (TeV), providing new insights into the behavior of cosmic rays and […]

Female astronauts face clotting risks, five-day weightlessness simulation suggests

Just a few days in simulated microgravity can subtly change the way women’s blood clots, sparking bigger questions about health monitoring protocols for astronauts who can spend six months or more in orbit, say Simon Fraser University researchers. First reported in 2020, an International Space Station mission detected an unexpected blood clot in a female […]

Most compact quadruple star system yet fits within an area the size of Jupiter’s orbit

Astronomers have reported observations of a rare star system consisting of one star orbiting a system of three more tightly bound stars. This quadruple star system is described in a new study, published in Nature Communications, as the most compact quadruple star system observed to date, with all four stars fitting into an area the […]

SWOT satellite takes stock of world’s river water

In a first, a space mission led by NASA and France has tracked Earth’s rivers swelling and shrinking from month to month over the course of a year and found significantly less of a swing than previous model-based estimates. A record drought in the Amazon likely influenced the tally made by the Surface Water and […]

Mars Express orbiter captures craters on planet’s Arabia Terra

Craters, craters, and yet more craters: this snapshot from ESA’s Mars Express is packed full of them, each as fascinating as the last.

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JWST reveals surprising secrets in Jupiter’s northern lights

An international team of scientists, led by a Ph.D. researcher from Northumbria University, has made further discoveries about a spectacular feature of Jupiter’s northern lights, revealing a never-before-seen temperature structure and dramatic density changes within the top of the giant planet’s atmosphere.

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Artemis II: What’s on the menu?

The food flying aboard Artemis II is designed to support crew health and performance during the mission around the moon. With no resupply, refrigeration, or late-load capability, all meals must be carefully selected to remain safe, shelf-stable, and easy to prepare and consume in NASA’s Orion spacecraft. Food selections are developed in coordination with space […]