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Latest by G. Torbet

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NGC 4254 as seen with MUSE on ESO’s VLT at several wavelengths of light

Very Large Telescope captures a cosmic fireworks display

A series of five stunning images of nearby galaxies could help to unravel the mystery of how stars form.
Space News
Here, Ball Aerospace technician Larkin Carey can be seen carefully removing Webb’s "lens cap" from the Aft Optics Subsystem which has kept the observatory’s sensitive instruments clean, contaminant-free, and protected from stray light throughout the integration and test process.

How NASA is testing the James Webb Space Telescope before its launch

The James Webb telescope has suffered a series of delays but is creeping towards launch, with the completion of three milestones in its final round of testing.
Space News
NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough inserts a device called a science carrier into the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), which contains 48 Hatch chile pepper seeds NASA started growing on July 12, 2021 as part of the Plant Habitat-04 experiment. Astronauts on station and a team of researchers at Kennedy will work together to monitor the peppers’ growth for about four months before harvesting them. This will be one of the longest and most challenging plant experiments attempted aboard the orbital lab.

Some like it hot: Astronauts are growing chili peppers on the space station

Astronauts on the International Space Station are adding a new item to their menu of space-grown food: Chili peppers.
Space News
The Hubble Space Telescope is deployed on April 25, 1990 from the space shuttle Discovery. Avoiding distortions of the atmosphere, Hubble has an unobstructed view peering to planets, stars and galaxies, some more than 13.4 billion light years away.

It lives! NASA restores Hubble with a switch to backup hardware

The much-beloved Hubble Space Telescope looks like it will be able to resume operations soon, after a month of nail-biting issues with its hardware.
Space News
Two enormous galaxies capture your attention in this spectacular image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope using the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). The galaxy on the left is a lenticular galaxy, named 2MASX J03193743+4137580. The side-on spiral galaxy on the right is more simply named UGC 2665. Both galaxies lie approximately 350 million light-years from Earth, and they both form part of the huge Perseus galaxy cluster.

A pair of sparkling galaxies shine in this Hubble image

This week's beautiful image of space captured by Hubble shows two large galaxies, part of the Perseus cluster, against a background starfield.
Space News
VSS Unity takes off from Spaceport America on Sunday, July 11

Richard Branson makes it to the edge of space in Virgin Galactic flight

Richard Branson has made it to the edge of space along with five others in the first fully crewed test flight of Virgin Galactic's spaceplane VSS Unity.
Space News
A self-portrait of NASA's Curiosity rover taken on Sol 2082 (June 15, 2018). A Martian dust storm has reduced sunlight and visibility at the rover's location in Gale Crater.

Curiosity investigates how rocks on Mars could preserve signs of life

A new study using data from the Curiosity rover has shed light on what indicators of life have been preserved or destroyed through the history of Mars.
Space News
VMS Eve carrying the VSS Unity space plane.

Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed space flight delayed due to weather

Virgin Galactic has delayed the first fully crewed space flight of its VSS Unity spaceplane today by 90 minutes due to bad weather.
Space News
Jeff Bezos Blue Origin

Blue Origin goes after Virgin Galactic over what counts as space

Ahead of the billionaire space race this month, Blue Origin is throwing shade at Virgin Galactic over what counts as a trip to space.
Space News
NASA Hubble Space Telescope

Cross your fingers that NASA can fix Hubble by switching to backup hardware

The Hubble telescope is currently broken, but NASA engineers are ready to switch to backup hardware to try to fix it.
Space News
This artist's impression depicts NASA's Cassini spacecraft flying through a plume of presumed water erupting from the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Could there be microbial life in the ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus?

Saturn's moon Enceladus could be capable of supporting microbial life similar to that found on Earth around hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
Space News
spacecraft: ESA/ATG medialab; Jupiter: NASA/ESA/J. Nichols (University of Leicester); Ganymede: NASA/JPL; Io: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona; Callisto and Europa: NASA/JPL/DLR

Researchers solve the mystery of Jupiter’s strange pulsating X-ray auroras

Jupiter has many oddities we're still learning about, such as its strange X-rays auroras somewhat comparable to the northern lights here on Earth.
Space News
The SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply ship is pictured approaching the International Space Station June 5, 2021, carrying over 7,300 pounds of new science, supplies and solar arrays to replenish the Expedition 65 crew.

SpaceX Cargo Dragon splashes down safely off the coast of Florida

An uncrewed SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule carrying research on a return journey from the International Space Station has splashed down off the coast of Florida.
Space News
An image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope depicts the open star cluster NGC 330, which lies around 180,000 light-years away inside the Small Magellanic Cloud. The cluster – which is in the constellation Tucana (the Toucan) – contains a multitude of stars, many of which are scattered across this striking image.

Hubble captures a star cluster in hues of red, white, and blue

This week's Hubble image is, appropriately enough, a star cluster called NGC 330 which glitters in shades of red, white, and blue.
Space News
The SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply ship is pictured approaching the International Space Station June 5, 2021, carrying over 7,300 pounds of new science, supplies and solar arrays to replenish the Expedition 65 crew.

How to watch the SpaceX Cargo Dragon depart from the Space Station this week

This Tuesday, a SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule will depart from the International Space Station, carrying 5,000 lbs of cargo. Here's how to watch.
Space News
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took this selfie at a location nicknamed "Mary Anning" after a 19th century English paleontologist. Curiosity snagged three samples of drilled rock at this site on its way out of the Glen Torridon region, which scientists believe preserves an ancient habitable environment.

What’s up with the methane on Mars? Curiosity is finding out

A new study hopes to unravel the mystery of methane on Mars by examining the differences in methane levels between Martian day and night.
Space News
The white dwarf ZTF J1901+1458 is about 2,670 miles across, while the moon is 2,174 miles across. The white dwarf is depicted above the Moon in this artistic representation; in reality, the white dwarf lies 130 light-years away in the constellation of Aquila

Tiny, fast-spinning white dwarf is the most massive ever discovered

Researchers from the W. M. Keck Observatory have found an unusual white dwarf which is both the smallest and the most massive ever observed.
Space News
insect robot sticky footpads robotbricks bn 1

Tiny insect-inspired robot has speed of a cockroach and agility of a cheetah

Scientists from the University of Berkeley have taken inspiration from insects to design a fast, agile, tiny robot with sticky footpads.
News
ExoMars parachute deployed during high-altitude drop tests

Watch the European Space Agency test its Mars rover parachute

The European and Russian ExoMars rover is scheduled to travel to Mars in 2022, and agencies recently performed a high-altitude test of the rover's parachute.
Space News
The Hubble Space Telescope is deployed on April 25, 1990 from the space shuttle Discovery. Avoiding distortions of the atmosphere, Hubble has an unobstructed view peering to planets, stars and galaxies, some more than 13.4 billion light years away.

Hubble woes continue as NASA prepares to switch to backup hardware

The computer problems plaguing the Hubble Space Telescope continue, with NASA attempting to switch over to backup computers in order to fix the issue.
Space News
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its Left Mastcam-Z Camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover's mast. This image was acquired on Jun. 15, 2021 (Sol 114).

Mars helicopter Ingenuity is getting ready to try its fastest flight yet

The plucky little Mars helicopter Ingenuity is preparing to venture out far away from its rover companion on its most challenging flight to date.
Space News
NASA Perseverance rover

Perseverance rover is driving itself around Mars using auto-navigation system

As the Perseverance rover explores Mars, engineers at NASA are trying out a new capability which lets the rover navigate itself around the rocky terrain.
Space News
This illustration shows the distant Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein as it might look in the outer Solar System. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is estimated to be about 1000 times more massive than a typical comet, making it arguably the largest comet discovered in modern times. It has an extremely elongated orbit, journeying inward from the distant Oort Cloud over millions of years. It is the most distant comet to be discovered on its incoming path.

Largest comet ever discovered is 1,000 times the typical mass

Comets are typically are 6 miles across, but scientists have recently discovered a mega comet that is 10 times that diameter.
Space News
Illustration of one of the eight CYGNSS satellites in orbit above a hurricane.

Researchers use satellites to track ocean microplastics from space

Environmentalists have been raising awareness about microplastics in the oceans. Now, researchers are using a NASA satellite to track the problem.
Space News
Ingenuity Helicopter in 3D: NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is seen here in 3D using images taken June 6, 2021, by the left and right Mastcam-Z cameras aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover.

How engineers for NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter do tech support on another planet

Ever wondered how NASA fixes software glitches on its explorers? Here's how engineers are fixing problems with the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars.
Space News
Tracks in the martian regolith captured by China's Zhurong rover.

See and hear China’s Zhurong rover exploring the surface of Mars

The China National Space Administration has shared video and audio footage of the Zhurong rover in action on the surface of Mars.
News
The bright white region of this image shows the icy cap that covers Mars’ south pole, composed of frozen water and frozen carbon dioxide. ESA’s Mars Express imaged this area of Mars on Dec. 17, 2012, in infrared, green and blue light, using its High Resolution Stereo Camera.

Could there be underground lakes on Mars’s southern pole?

A new study suggests that there could be large subsurface lakes on Mars, though it seems to be too cold for liquid water to exist in the area.
Space News
The Hubble Space Telescope is deployed on April 25, 1990 from the space shuttle Discovery. Avoiding distortions of the atmosphere, Hubble has an unobstructed view peering to planets, stars and galaxies, some more than 13.4 billion light years away.

Hubble has a computer problem and it’s proving difficult to fix

The Hubble Space Telescope is experiencing a computer problem and is not collecting scientific data. Engineers are working on a fix, but it's proving difficult.
Space News
VSS Unity glides home after second supersonic flight in 2018

Virgin Galactic cleared to fly space tourists on SpaceShipTwo

The age of space tourism is almost here. Virgin Galactic has been cleared to fly paying customers on its suborbital spaceplane, the SpaceShipTwo.
Space News
Spacewalkers (from left) Shane Kimbrough and Thomas Pesquet work to install new roll out solar arrays on the International Space Station’s P-6 truss structure on June 16, 2021.

Astronauts deploy a second new solar array for the International Space Station

Astronauts are making progress on upgrading the power system for the International Space Station, completing a spacewalk to install a second new solar array.
Space News
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took a selfie with the Ingenuity helicopter, seen here about 13 feet (3.9 meters) from the rover. This image was taken by the WASTON camera on the rover’s robotic arm on April 6, 2021, the 46th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

How NASA’s Perseverance rover captured its iconic selfie

Earlier this year, NASA released a now-iconic image of the Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars. Ever wondered how that shot was taken?
Space News
Artist’s animation of Betelgeuse and its dusty veil

Mystery solved: Astronomers discover what’s up with Betelgeuse

The mystery of Betelgeuse's dimming has been solved, thanks to observations which show that the star was obscured by a cloud of dust.
Space News
mars 2020 perseverance rover

The sound of science: Why audio is the next frontier in Mars exploration

For most of human history, space exploration has been carried out with visual technologies like telescopes. Now, astronomers are turning to microphones
Emerging Tech Features
This image, taken with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3, features the spiral galaxy NGC 4680. Two other galaxies, at the far right and bottom center of the image, flank NGC 4680. NGC 4680 enjoyed a wave of attention in 1997, as it played host to a supernova explosion known as SN 1997bp. Australian amateur astronomer Robert Evans identified the supernova and has identified an extraordinary 42 supernova explosions.

This beautiful galaxy captured by Hubble defies classification

This week's image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows no less than three galaxies, including one which can't easily be categorized.
Space News
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