Chang’e 4 mission may have found minerals from beneath the surface of the moon
China's Chang'e 4 mission has made a major discovery: pieces of rock that could be from beneath the surface of the moon. According to the lander's spectrometer, it spotted two unexpected mineral types, low-calcium pyroxene and olivine, which match what is believed to exist in the mantle.
Watch this drone dodge an incoming soccer ball autonomously
Most drones aren't very good at avoiding incoming objects. Even the most advanced drones struggle to react to dynamic objects and adjust their trajectories accordingly. But now a team from the University of Zurich has developed a drone which can dodge, swoop, and dive to avoid an incoming object.
Remember the summer of 1969? NASA wants to hear memories of the moon landing
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. To celebrate this anniversary, NASA is launching an audio project called Apollo Stories which invites the public to submit their memories about where they were when the moon landing happened and what impact the moon landing had on them.
The earliest galaxies shone brightly in the young universe
Observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have shown that the earliest galaxies in the universe were brighter than previously thought, shedding light onto the way that the universe evolved. The earliest galaxies were brighter than scientists expected in certain infrared wavelengths.
Gold on Earth could be result of neutron star collision 4.6 billion years ago
If you enjoy a bit of bling in your life, you could have a billion year old cosmic event to thank for it. Scientists believe that the collision of two neutron stars 4.6 billion years ago could have been the source of some of Earth's heaviest elements, including gold and platinum.
Tiny drone uses A.I. to learn from nature’s best pilot, the hummingbird
One of nature's most remarkable creations is the hummingbird, which flaps its wings up to 80 times per second and which can hover in place and fly in any direction. Now scientists have used machine learning algorithms to study the way these birds fly in order to replicate their abilities in drones.
Mars has its own water cycle, explaining why it lost its water over time
Billions of years ago, Mars used to have water on its surface. But over time, this water was lost. Now scientists have created a computer simulation which shows how water vapor moves through the Martian atmosphere, and which could explain why Mars lost its water over time while Earth did not.
Microalgae could be key to efficient life support system in space
Current life support systems used in space use chemical reactions to create water and oxygen and recycle carbon dioxide. But a new system could use algae to produce oxygen, water, and even food. Tiny plants called microalgae remove concentrated carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen and plant matter.
This soft and flexible leech-inspired robot can climb walls
A robot called the Longitudinally Extensible Continuum-robot inspired by Hirudinea (LEeCH) can elongate and bend its body to climb walls, just like a leech. It is made from a shower hose with two suction cups attached and is part of a growing trend of soft robots which are flexible and adaptable.Â
Faith in superior abilities of machines is key to accepting self-driving cars
Some people love the idea of self-driving cars, while other people find the concept terrifying or creepy. A new survey has revealed the biggest difference between these groups is not how open they are to new technology in general, but whether they believe machines can outperform humans in driving tasks.
InSight’s solar panels get a spring cleaning from Martian winds
Winds on Mars caused the ultimate demise of the Opportunity rover, but they could also help extend the life of the InSight mission. The same winds that blow dust onto spacecrafts' solar panels can also blow that dust away, so scientists are now studying the way wind affects InSight's power generation.
Google has 15 million subscribers for its music-streaming services
Google is chasing its competitors in the world of music streaming services, according to subscriber numbers. It is the fourth largest paid music streaming service. Google's two paid music services, YouTube Music and Google Play Music, have reportedly passed a total of 15 million subscribers.
Historic SpaceX Falcon 9 core to go on public display in Houston
Soon visitors to the Space Center Houston will be able to see one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets that was used for NASA-commissioned missions. It was first launched on June 3, 2017, for a mission to resupply the ISS then was used again six months later for a second mission on December 15, 2017.
Hubble captures an archetypal spiral galaxy in the constellation of Leo
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured an ideal example of the archetypal spiral galaxy. The NGC 2903 galaxy is located in the constellation of Leo (The Lion) as is approximately 30 million light-years away. It is notable for its high rate of new star creation, particularly concentrated in the center.
First private Japanese rocket, MOMO-3, successfully launched this week
Troubled spaceflight company Interstellar Technologies had a success this week, when it was finally able to launch its MOMO-3 rocket into space. Two previous launches failed, but this week the launch went off successfully, marking the first successful private launch by a Japanese company.
Physicists may have detected first-ever collision of black hole and neutron star
Just weeks after it resumed operations, the National Science Foundation’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory may have detected the first ever observed merger between a black hole and a neutron star. These collisions warp spacetime, sending out gravitational waves which LIGO can detect.
Galactic mapping satellite Gaia spotted by ground-based Very Large Telescope
The European Space Agency's Gaia satellite was launched in 2013 to survey the stars in our galaxy to create a precise 3D map of the Milky Way. But now the observer has become the observee, as it the satellite is captured in this image from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope.
Supplier falsifying certifications was cause of two launch failures, NASA says
In 2009 and 2011, two NASA launches failed: the Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the satellite Glory. Both failures involved the use of a Taurus rocket. Now a NASA investigation has determined the failures were caused by faulty materials provided by the aluminum manufacturer Sapa Profiles, Inc.
See the sun rise and set on another planet in these InSight images
A pair of images taken by the Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) aboard NASA's InSight lander has captured views of the sunrise and sunset on Mars. These images are part of a Martian tradition, in which different Mars landers take images of the cycles of day and night on the planet.
See 265,000 galaxies in the epic Hubble Legacy Field mosaic
A stunning image shows an incredible 265,000 galaxies, stretching back to the early universe at 500 million years after the Big Bang. It is a mosaic of different images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope as part of its deep-field surveys, arranged into a giant overview called the Hubble Legacy Field.
Breakthrough in bioprinting could enable 3D printing of replacement organs
A technique for bioprinting tissues allows scientists to create vascular networks like those used in the body to transport blood, air, and other fluids, in a step towards 3D-printing of organs. The scientists also released a video showing a lung-like air sac which can feed nutrients to nearby tissue.
SpaceX launch to resupply ISS finally goes off after several delays
After a number of delays, the SpaceX mission to resupply the International Space Station has successfully launched. Originally scheduled for April 30, the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket had to be put on hold due to several electrical problems. But this morning around 3 a.m. ET, the rocket finally launched.
Supermassive black hole resides inside a supermassive galaxy
The eyes of the world turned to Messier 87 earlier this month when scientists released the first ever image of a black hole. Now a new image created from data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows more about the giant galaxy in which the now-famous black hole resides.
Listen in on a stellar symphony to understand the inner workings of stars
Sounds can't travel through a vacuum, but stars nevertheless give off subsonic notes caused by vibrations created deep inside their structures. And an astrophysicist from University of Wisconsin-Madison has been working on how this stellar symphony can teach us about the interior of stars.
Pluto’s atmosphere could freeze and disappear by the year 2030
Astronomers have been studying the seasonal changes to Pluto's atmosphere, and they discovered that during some seasons it gets cold enough for the nitrogen in the atmosphere to freeze. As atmospheric pressure increases over time, this could result in the atmosphere freezing away by 2030.
Hubble data shows the universe is expanding faster than previously thought
Scientists have long known that our universe is expanding, but new results from the Hubble Space Telescope show this expansion is taking place faster than previously believed. By tracking the movement of stars in a nearby galaxy, astronomers calculated the universe is expanding 9% faster than expected.
SpaceX resupply mission to International Space Station scheduled for next week
SpaceX will shortly be launching another resupply mission to the International Space Station. The launch is scheduled for 4:21 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 30. This will mark SpaceX's 17th mission as part of the NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract.
See the crater blasted into an asteroid by a Japanese spacecraft
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has been investigating an asteroid called Ryugu with their spacecraft Hayabusa2. In order to collect dust, Hayabusa2 shot at the asteroid with a small mass. Now Hayabusa2 has returned closer to the asteroid to see what impact the shot had on the its terrain.
China’s Chang’e 4 lunar mission: See Yutu on the far side of the moon
China's Chang'e 4 lander touched down on the far side of the moon and has been exploring this rarely investigated part of the lunar landscape. Now the Chinese space agency has shared images captured using the panoramic camera on the Yutu 2 rover as it explores near the landing site.
Gravitational forces at heart of Milky Way shaped this star cluster like a comet
This week's Hubble Picture of the Week is a view of the stunning Messier 62 cluster. The cluster is warped, with a long tail of stars which stretch out to one side to form a shape like a comet and its tail. It is thought this distortion is due to Messier 62's close proximity to the center of the galaxy.