Featured Posts
Scientific American
24 Jul 2019, 16:00 UTC
It barely got a mention in the media, but in June the U.S. Navy briefed members of Congress on UFOs. The fact that we live in a culture where this is only a minor news story gives me pause; if someday extraterrestrial life actually visits Earth, the story will least make the top 10 list of "Most Significant Things That Have Happened in Human History." To be fair, the briefing was classified, so we don't actually know what Congress was told. But according to a 2015 survey, 56 percent of Americans already "believe" in UFOs, regardless of what Navy pilots may or may not have seen.
No E.T. Life Yet?
24 Jul 2019, 16:00 UTC
It barely got a mention in the media, but in June the U.S. Navy briefed members of Congress on UFOs. The fact that we live in a culture where this is only a minor news story gives me pause; if someday extraterrestrial life actually visits Earth, the story will least make the top 10 list of "Most Significant Things That Have Happened in Human History." To be fair, the briefing was classified, so we don't actually know what Congress was told. But according to a 2015 survey, 56 percent of Americans already "believe" in UFOs, regardless of what Navy pilots may or may not have seen.
SciTech Daily
24 Jul 2019, 08:34 UTC
All atoms and molecules emit distinctive spectral lines across the spectrum, the details of which depend on the internal structures of the species (for example, the vibration and rotation properties of molecules) and how they are excited by their environments.
Scientists Update HITRAN to Help Model Exoplanet Atmospheres
24 Jul 2019, 08:34 UTC
All atoms and molecules emit distinctive spectral lines across the spectrum, the details of which depend on the internal structures of the species (for example, the vibration and rotation properties of molecules) and how they are excited by their environments.
Universe Today
24 Jul 2019, 08:30 UTC
On Friday, July 19th, China’s Tiangong-2 (“Heavenly Palace”) space laboratory successfully entered Earth’s atmosphere under controlled conditions and burned up above the South Pacific Ocean. This marked the successful completion of all of Tiangong-2’s tasks, which constituted China’s second attempt at testing their capability to conduct research and human operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
China’s Tiangong 2 was Destroyed Last Week, Burning up in the Atmosphere Over the South Pacific Ocean
24 Jul 2019, 08:30 UTC
On Friday, July 19th, China’s Tiangong-2 (“Heavenly Palace”) space laboratory successfully entered Earth’s atmosphere under controlled conditions and burned up above the South Pacific Ocean. This marked the successful completion of all of Tiangong-2’s tasks, which constituted China’s second attempt at testing their capability to conduct research and human operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Scientific American
23 Jul 2019, 20:00 UTC
The spacecraft is set to harness the power of sunlight alone to alter its orbit around Earth
Solar Sailing Success: Planetary Society Deploys LightSail 2
23 Jul 2019, 20:00 UTC
The spacecraft is set to harness the power of sunlight alone to alter its orbit around Earth
NASA Space Station Blog
23 Jul 2019, 17:30 UTC
A quartet of Expedition 60 astronauts are relaxing today ahead of planned operations to receive a new space freighter on Friday. Meanwhile, a pair of cosmonauts checked Soyuz spacecraft systems and collected air samples aboard the International Space Station.
Astronauts Relaxing Ahead of U.S. Cargo Mission
23 Jul 2019, 17:30 UTC
A quartet of Expedition 60 astronauts are relaxing today ahead of planned operations to receive a new space freighter on Friday. Meanwhile, a pair of cosmonauts checked Soyuz spacecraft systems and collected air samples aboard the International Space Station.
astrobites
23 Jul 2019, 15:47 UTC
Despite our home planet being embedded in it, the Milky Way and its immediate environment remain an enigma to astronomy. Once thought to have few satellite neighbors, The Milky Way has been found to have many dwarf galaxies orbiting it. New stellar streams are being uncovered as well, likely remnants of past gravitational interactions with dwarf galaxies, in which the Milky Way pulled rivers of stars from its now-dissipated partners. This burst of discoveries of new nearby and entangled structures are thanks to advancements in technology allowing astronomers to observe dimmer objects and to track stars with greater precision.
Ghosts of Spiral Arms Past
23 Jul 2019, 15:47 UTC
Despite our home planet being embedded in it, the Milky Way and its immediate environment remain an enigma to astronomy. Once thought to have few satellite neighbors, The Milky Way has been found to have many dwarf galaxies orbiting it. New stellar streams are being uncovered as well, likely remnants of past gravitational interactions with dwarf galaxies, in which the Milky Way pulled rivers of stars from its now-dissipated partners. This burst of discoveries of new nearby and entangled structures are thanks to advancements in technology allowing astronomers to observe dimmer objects and to track stars with greater precision.
Universe Today
23 Jul 2019, 14:57 UTC
The man known as the ‘father of flight control’ – Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. – has died at the age of 95. Kraft joined the NASA Space Task Group in November 1958 and became the first flight director. He created the concepts of mission planning, and real-time monitoring and control for the first U.S. crewed spaceflight missions and became a driving force in the U.S. space program.
Chris Kraft, Legendary NASA Flight Director, Dies at 95
23 Jul 2019, 14:57 UTC
The man known as the ‘father of flight control’ – Christopher C. Kraft, Jr. – has died at the age of 95. Kraft joined the NASA Space Task Group in November 1958 and became the first flight director. He created the concepts of mission planning, and real-time monitoring and control for the first U.S. crewed spaceflight missions and became a driving force in the U.S. space program.
Astronomy Now
22 Jul 2019, 19:31 UTC
Seeking to become the fourth nation to successfully land on the Moon, India launched an ambitious robotic lunar mission named Chandrayaan 2 on Monday, targeting a touchdown near the lunar south pole on 6 September.
