Tag Archives: NASA

Even brief trips into space can alter an astronaut’s biology — a new series of studies offers the most comprehensive look at spaceflight health since NASA’s Twins Study

Only about 600 people have traveled into space. The vast majority of astronauts in the last six decades have been middle-aged men on short-term missions of less than 20 days. Today, we are witnessing a new era of human spaceflight, with private, commercial and multinational spaceflight providers and flight companies entering the market. Missions range… Read More »

NASA announces Artemis 2 moon mission backup astronaut — Andre Douglas to support 2025 moon launch

NASA has another astronaut on standby for the first manned lunar mission in more than 50 years, scheduled to launch as early as 2025. NASA astronaut Andre Douglas will serve as backup for three U.S. astronauts on the Artemis 2 lunar orbit flight, the agency announced today (July 3). Douglas will support commander Reid Wiseman,… Read More »

Northrop Grumman names Cygnus cargo ship after fallen Challenger commander

The commander of the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle flight is being remembered on the 40th anniversary of the first space flight in a commercial spacecraft bearing his name. NASA astronaut Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, who flew on Challenger twice (first as pilot in 1984 and then as commander two years later), is also the name… Read More »

NASA says Boeing’s Starliner can stay in space beyond 45-day limit

NASA says Boeing’s Starliner capsule performed well enough on its first astronaut mission that it could remain in orbit beyond the originally envisioned 45-day limit. Launched on June 5, Starliner has docked with the International Space Station (ISS) for an indefinite mission extension. The spacecraft is in good condition and is rated to depart the… Read More »

NASA administrator voices views on China’s historic lunar farside samples and potential US access

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more. The Chinese government now has something no human has ever encountered before: rocks and soil taken from the dark side of the Moon. The successful return of Chang’e-6 to the lunar surface with its historic… Read More »

Bronze Age workshop unearths precious pigment made from a recipe lost to time

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, Sign up for free here. History is full of lost arts and techniques that researchers are still trying to decipher, such as deciphering heirloom recipes lost to time. Some of these formulations are for the… Read More »

Mars is hitting hundreds of basketball-sized space rocks every year

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more. Hundreds of basketball-sized space rocks are hitting Mars every year, leaving behind impact craters and rumbling sounds on the red planet, according to new research. Mission planners could use that information, recorded in data collected… Read More »

NASA data reveals Mars is an asteroid sandbag

Meteorites are hitting Mars 10 times more frequently than previously estimated, according to two new research papers that describe the seismic shock waves from these impacts detected by NASA’s now-defunct Mars InSight lander. The new rate is surprising. According to the findings, between 180 and 260 collisions occur annually on the Red Planet, and these… Read More »

NASA insists Boeing Starliner crew not ‘stranded’ in space

Boeing’s Starliner capsule returns to Earth pending indefinitely NASA announced Friday that it is awaiting results from new thruster tests and ongoing analysis of helium leaks that occurred during the craft’s rendezvous with the International Space Station. But agency officials insisted Starliner commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams they are not “stranded” in… Read More »

NASA says a piece of space debris found in North Carolina came from a SpaceX capsule

NASA has confirmed that a large pile of space debris discovered on a mountain road in North Carolina last month came from a SpaceX capsule headed to the International Space Station. The piece of debris was found in late May by an employee of The Glamping Collective, a luxury mountain resort in Haywood County near… Read More »