The timetable for the first manned flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon may have been thrown into question after the spacecraft appeared to suffer a serious engine malfunction. An "anomaly" was reported during a static fire test that may have resulted in the release of toxic rocket propellants.
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Toyohashi University of Technology has developed an inside-out fire extinguisher for use inside spacecraft. Instead of spraying out extinguishing agents at a fire, the Vacuum Extinguish Method sucks the flames into a vacuum chamber, where they can be safely suffocated or extinguished.
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A piece of Space Age history is getting a new lease with news that Blue Origin plans to refurbish and operate the famous test stand used to develop the Saturn V moon rockets.
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TRAPPIST-1 is one the most fascinating planetary systems discovered so far. Now, two new studies have looked at the habitability of these planets, with a focus on radiation from the star and tides caused by the other planets. Strangely enough, these factors could help make them more liveable.
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Astronomers have discovered a rare superflare more powerful than anything observed on our Sun in modern times, erupting from a small, cold star roughly the size of the planet Jupiter.
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A team of astronomers led by MIT has confirmed that NASA's unmanned Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space telescope has discovered its first Earth-sized exoplanet. Called HD 21749c, it orbits the main-sequence star HD 21749, 52 light years away from Earth.
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Scientists have discovered a tiny fragment of a comet in a meteorite. The bulk of the rock itself was once an asteroid, but when the team cracked it open and analyzed the inside, they found that the growing asteroid must have swept up the seed of a comet billions of years ago.
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Based on radar data returned by NASA's Cassini orbiter in 2017 during its final flyby, researchers have determined that the small methane lakes set on hills in the northern hemisphere of Titan are over 100 m deep, providing new clues as to how Titan's methane-based hydrologic cycle works.
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From smart spacesuits to solar surfing, 18 high-tech projects have been selected for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program that is designed to push the envelope of space technology. The dozen and a half early studies are being funded to aid in the exploration of the Moon and beyond.
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NASA has selected the ride for its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, awarding SpaceX the US$69 million launch contract. If all goes to plan, DART will lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket in June 2021 to demonstrate how a spacecraft collision can alter the trajectory of an asteroid.
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