Space
Space missions have long exemplified humankind's indomitable spirit and boundless ambition. Once the reserve of nations, space is fact opening up to commercial enterprises and could soon be the must-go destination for tourists – provided the accumulation of debris doesn't turn Earth's orbit into a no-go zone. All this comes as missions beyond the Moon provide greater insights into our solar system and more powerful telescopes give us a glimpse at exoplanets light years away. New Atlas keeps you up to date with the latest space news and fantastic images from all corners of the Universe.
SpaceX is on a mission to reuse as much of its launch systems as possible. Part of this strategy involves catching pieces of rocket as they plummet back toward Earth, something the company managed to pull off for the first time following yesterday’s landmark Falcon Heavy launch.
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Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has completed its fifth, final, and most dangerous parachute test. It was released from a balloon and dropped safely to the desert floor at the White Sands Missile Range with three of its six parachutes deliberately rigged to malfunction. -
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket is off again. With a slew of government satellites and important spacecraft onboard, the world’s most powerful operational vehicle lifted off into the night sky for the first time in what the company calls one of the most challenging launches in its history.
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With oceans of liquid methane, Saturn’s moon Titan is one of the most fascinating places in the solar system. To better understand this weird world, scientists recreated Titan’s alien oceans in the lab, producing new types of crystals that don’t occur naturally on Earth but may be common on Titan.
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Saturn sports an impressive ring system, but Uranus also has some, although they’re usually too faint to see without a powerful telescope. Striking new images shows these rings in very clear detail thanks to thermal imaging, allowing astronomers to measure their temperature for the first time.
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The latest methane measurements on Mars to generate some intrigue among planetary scientists stems from the largest ever reading of the gas taken during the Curiosity rover's seven-year mission, which again raises the prospect of microbial life existing at some time, some place on the Red Planet.
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The first polarized light from a gamma ray burst billions of light years away is helping astronomers gain a better understanding of collapsing stars and other high-energy phenomena. Originating in the constellation of Fornax, the light brighter than a billion suns came from massive jets of plasma.
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