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Events in space often do not develop like in the movies.
But a spacecraft’s journey can offer awe-inspiring views and surprising moments that are more spectacular than fiction.
SpaceX placed its mega moon rocket and capsule Starship on the launch pad for the liftoff of its fourth test flight this week, and the exciting display did not disappoint.
The crewless Starship capsule embarked on an orbital jaunt before making a controlled re-entry and inserting its heat shield into the scorching temperatures of Earth’s atmosphere. Finally, the sturdy ship made its expected landing and splashed down into the Indian Ocean.
Milestones achieved during the flight demonstrate Starship’s eventual reusability; This will come in handy as you watch the SpaceX team send its vehicle on journeys to the moon, Mars and beyond.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s rival Boeing has made historic progress in the first crewed voyage of its Starliner spacecraft.
defying gravity
After liftoff on Wednesday, Starliner and its first human crew set a course for the International Space Station.
But the flight was not without problems, including helium leaks and thruster failures.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were greeted enthusiastically at the station Thursday afternoon after working through possible disruptions with mission control. The astronaut duo will spend the next eight days on the station.
“We are as happy as can be to be in space,” Williams said. “It couldn’t be better.”
curious things
Giant snake motifs dominate a collection of ancient rock engravings found in Venezuela and Colombia, believed to be the largest ever found.
Researchers suggest that the monumental works, which included human figures, geometric shapes and birds, were used as boundary markers of the regions where the engravers lived.
According to researchers, one of the snake engravings is approximately 42 meters long and may be the largest single rock engraving recorded in the world.
“One could be a warning sign; You’re in our backyard, you better behave yourself. The other may be a sign of identity; you are in our backyard, among our friends,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Philip Riris.
“But I don’t think they have one purpose, so they could easily be both.”
Dino-mite!
A family hike through the Badlands of North Dakota in 2022 led to an important scientific discovery. The rare dinosaur find will soon go on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Sam Fisher, his sons Jessin and Liam, then 10 and 7, and their cousin Kaiden Madsen, 9, noticed what looked like a dinosaur leg in a rock and consulted a researcher at the museum.
Initial excavations suggest it is a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, and the fossil will be on display at the museum from 21 June.
As experts at the museum clean the fossil, they will determine its true nature, and the public will be able to watch the entire process in real time.
Once upon a time a planet
Geoscientists have uncovered the first evidence of freshwater on Earth trapped within ancient crystal grains dating back about 4 billion years, much older than expected.
Researchers previously thought that the Earth at that time was completely covered by a global ocean rather than a dry land.
A new study shows that Earth’s water cycle was already working back then.
This finding means that, geologically speaking, the recipe for the beginning of life existed shortly after our world formed.
fantasy creatures
About 50,000 years ago, giant “thunderbirds” taller than humans and weighing hundreds of kilograms lived in the forests and grasslands of Australia.
But these flightless birds, known as mihirung, have been difficult to find in the fossil record until now.
When researchers uncovered a skull belonging to the species known as Genyornis newtoni, they set out to create a digital reconstruction of the creature.
The final product revealed that the giant thunderbird had a face not unlike an odd goose with a strong muscular jaw.
discoveries
Embark on a journey of curiosity with these stories:
— Engineers have outlined a new plan that will allow NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to continue making mind-blowing observations of the cosmos after the observatory went into “safe mode” multiple times this year.
—The world’s largest collection of fossilized poop is now on display at the Poozeum in Williams, Arizona; here visitors can “learn directly about the diet, behavior and environment of ancient creatures,” said owner George Frandsen.
— The latest find unearthed at the archaeological site of Pompeii is an intricately decorated blue room that researchers believe was used as an ancient Roman temple.
— Botanists have discovered that the cells of a tiny fern contain 50 times more DNA than humans, making it the largest known genome, according to new research.
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