New Atlas

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NASA's newest mission to look for life's ingredients and probe the universe's deep past

Michael Irving February 13, 2019

NASA has selected the newest space mission for its Explorer program: the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx). The spacecraft will search for the ingredients of life in the Milky Way, and peer as far as 10 billion years back in time.

An artist's impression of SPHEREx, the mission NASA has just selected for its Explorers program

Space

Weird new landmarks on Ultima Thule come into focus with sharpest image yet

Michael Irving January 24, 2019

On January 1 the New Horizons probe whizzed past Ultima Thule, a tiny world on the fringe of the solar system. The latest image shows the object closer and in higher resolution than ever before. With that improved clarity comes some intriguing new landmarks on the rocky surface.

The latest image of Ultima Thule shows strange pockmarks and light patches

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Automation speeds up production of nuclear space fuel

David Szondy January 20, 2019

To help power American's deep space probes, The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has automated key steps in the process to make plutonium-238 (PU-238) nuclear fuel for radiothermal generators (RTG).

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have automated part of the process of producing plutonium-238, which is ...

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Steam-powered space probes could refuel themselves indefinitely

David Szondy January 13, 2019

A team of researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a prototype steam-powered space probe using water as a propellant. The World Is Not Enough spacecraft can operate indefinitely by topping off on ice gathered while visiting asteroids and other bodies to fuel future travels.

The WINE spacecraft could mine water on asteroids and comets to provide itself with an unlimited ...

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First images from Ultima Thule reveal bowling pin-shaped world spinning like a propeller

Michael Irving January 1, 2019

The New Horizons probe has successfully rendezvoused with Ultima Thule, a tiny world on the edge of the solar system. The first images have now arrived, revealing a bowling pin-shaped object that spins like a propeller.

An artist's impression of Ultima Thule, which will be seen in much more detail in the ...

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NASA clears Dream Chaser spaceplane for full production

Nick Lavars December 30, 2018

Sierra Nevada Corporation is picking up the pace in its mission to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station using a next-generation spaceplane, with NASA giving its Dream Chaser vehicle the production all clear following a design and performance review.

Space

Blast offs and bubbly: The year in space, 2018

David Szondy December 27, 2018

When it comes to space travel, and space in general, 2018 has been a busy year. It was one marked by remarkable technological firsts, dramatic incidents, and new milestones set. Oh, and space champagne. So, let's look back on the highlights of the year in space, 2018.

Space

Virgin Galactic succeeds in touching space

David Szondy December 13, 2018

After years of preparation, testing, and tragedy, Virgin Galactic has touched the edge of space. This Thursday in the skies over Mojave, California, the company's VSS Unity fired its hybrid rocket engine for a full minute, propelling her pilots at Mach 3 to an altitude of 51.4 mi (82.7 km).

Earth as seen from VSS Unity at the edge of space

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NASA probe finds water on asteroid Bennu

Michael Irving December 10, 2018

NASA’s asteroid-hunting probe OSIRIS-REx, only arrived at the asteroid Bennu a week ago, and it’s already made a startling discovery. After analyzing data gathered by the craft, the team found that Bennu is rich in water molecules, locked away in clay minerals.

A mosaic image of the asteroid Bennu, snapped by OSIRIS-REx from a distance of 24 km ...

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Space Tango plans to place autonomous robotic factory in orbit

David Szondy November 21, 2018

Commercial spaceflight looks set to produce tangible products for use on Earth after Space Tango announced that it is developing an autonomous, robotic orbital platform called ST-42 that will take advantage of the microgravity environment to produce items for various industries.

Artist's rendering of the ST-42 orbital platform