Science

If anyone has a good idea on how to put a nuclear fission power plant on the Moon, the US government wants to hear about it. NASA and the nation’s top federal nuclear research lab on Friday put out a request for proposals for a fission surface power system. NASA is collaborating with the US Department

There is a growing amount of space debris, comprising everything from dead spacecraft and spent rocket parts to the junk created by anti-satellite tests. This junk is whizzing around at incredible speeds, posing a serious threat to communications satellites and the International Space Station (ISS). The Russian ASAT test last week even sent astronauts aboard

Data from almost four decades ago can suggest the presence of a ninth planet in the Solar System. The hypothetical Planet Nine has been in the talks among scientists for some time but no one has yet observed it. Michael Rowan-Robinson, professor of astrophysics at Imperial College London, dived into 38-year-old data and now he

Mars has now emerged as the new frontier, with most space-faring nations focussing on the exploration of the Red Planet. The idea behind exploring Mars is to find signs of life, understand its climate, and figure out natural resources. However, a new research suggests that explorers looking for ancient life on Mars could be misled

Over the years, businesses have increasingly turned to automation and robotics for undertaking many jobs. Since COVID-19 forced people to the confines of their homes, many enterprises introduced robots to perform tasks to help reduce human contact. From cleaning floors to disinfecting, the kind of tasks that robots can do has expanded manifold. Yet when

Have you ever imagined what the sound of a nebula in deep space is like? Thanks to NASA, we can now hear the sound of the Butterfly Nebula through data sonification as it soars across space at more than 966,000kmph. The data sonification process converts data to sound. The Butterfly Nebula, also known as NGC

A question that has often intrigued scientists is from where do all the heavy metals, including gold and uranium, come from? How did they originate? While all heavy metals have formed under extreme conditions inside stars or due to stellar explosions and collision of neutron stars, the question remains: when and why was the material

There has been a lot of debate on whether space-time travel through wormholes is possible or not. Most studies have suggested these hypothetical shortcuts are not possible as any passage of a vehicle through one would instantly lead to its collapse. However, a new theory says space-time travel through wormholes may be possible after all.

Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in our solar system, has the most spectacular and complex ring system. Earth may soon have its own set of rings, according to researchers at the University of Utah, US. These rings which may develop around our planet, however, will be made up of space

A Russian anti-satellite missile test has created a debris field in low-Earth orbit of more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris, forcing the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter in their spacecraft for safety, the US said. This direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile test has also likely generated thousands of smaller

There’s some good news for people suffering from Type 1 diabetes. More than 40 healthcare professionals and legal experts have for the first time issued guidance for using Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology-driven systems to manage their condition. Traditional monitoring of Type 1 diabetes involves taking blood samples and calculating precise insulin dosages to maintain blood sugar levels. This

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia’s Roscosmos plan to launch their joint Mars rover mission in 2022. It was earlier planned to take off in 2020, but got delayed for several reasons. The main cause behind the delay is that the journey from Earth to Mars is only attempted when the planets are favourably

NASA is sending Snoopy, the iconic and adorable character from Peanuts, to the Moon aboard its first Artemis mission early next year. Snoopy became the world’s first beagle to land on the lunar surface in the Peanuts comic strips by the late Charles M. Schulz in 1969. More than 60 years later, it is again

NASA took to Instagram to share an image that showed the remnants of a supernova, a large explosion that takes place at the end of a star’s life cycle. And, it is indeed remarkable. NASA said the event was created by the death (explosion) of a white dwarf star. A white dwarf is usually stable.

US businessman Glen de Vries, who flew into space with “Star Trek” actor William Shatner on last month’s Blue Origin flight, has died in a plane crash, police said Friday. The small aircraft came down in Hampton Township, New Jersey, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) west of New York City, shortly before 3:00pm (19:00 GMT)

Space research is one of the major fields of exploration today. Discoveries and speculations backed by technological advancements are opening up new vistas for human life. Amidst these endeavours, a lot of effort is being put to find the best way to produce oxygen on the Moon. Scientists seem to have found a solution to

One of the most worrying questions that weigh on the minds of scientists, astronomers as well as the general public is whether the Earth is threatened by a potential asteroid collision? Despite being addressed by the scientific community, this question crops up time and again. Now, a NASA scientist has tried to put all speculation

Four astronauts, three from NASA and one from the European Space Agency, arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday and docked their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule with the orbiting laboratory to begin a six-month science mission. The rendezvous came about 21 hours after the team and its capsule were launched atop a SpaceX Falcon

NASA scientists have found evidence for a new transiting circumbinary planet. The term refers to any planet which orbits around two different stars. The evidence was received using an unprecedented technique. Researchers used NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to discover this unique planet. With the use of TESS and its predecessor Kepler space telescope

NASA and private rocket company SpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit late on Wednesday en route to the International Space Station, including a veteran spacewalker and two younger crewmates chosen to join NASA’s future lunar missions. The SpaceX-built launch vehicle, consisting of a Crew Dragon capsule perched atop a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, climbed into

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has soared through the Red Planet’s skies for the 15th time. The chopper, which arrived on Mars attached to the belly of the Perseverance rover, landed within the targeted zone on the Martian surface, said NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which manages the Ingenuity mission. Initially, when NASA was making the

NASA has shared an image of a nebula captured by its Hubble Space Telescope that looks like a deep tunnel in space. The nebula is formed by a dying star, named HD 44179, which has been shedding its outer layers for about 14,000 years. The star is similar to the Sun, but it is dying

Heinz has produced a ketchup that is becoming popular for more than just its flavour. Made from tomatoes grown in Mars-like conditions, the Marz Edition ketchup reignites the memories of Matt Damon working hard to grow potatoes in his 2015 movie The Martian. A team of 14 astrobiologists worked for months to achieve a similar

A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts back to Earth after a busy six months on the International Space Station landed Monday off the coast of Florida, a NASA live broadcast showed. Slowed by the Earth’s atmosphere, as well as four huge parachutes, the Dragon capsule was able to withstand the dizzying descent thanks to its

NASA’s four-member SpaceX Crew-2 mission is targeting a return to Earth on Monday, November 8. The splashdown is expected to be off the coast of Florida, USA. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, was earlier scheduled to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) on November 7. However, mission teams delayed the return due to

Many of us who enjoy nature, wildlife or just being outdoors have one thing in common – we all love the sensorial experiences that the outdoors provides. Like the sight of the flowing river, the touch of cool breeze in the mountains, the smell of the forest, calls/ songs of the birds to name a

The European Space Agency (ESA) has shared a stunning wide image of one of the biggest impact basins in the Solar System, located on Mars. Hellas, with a diameter of 1,430 miles (2,300km) and a depth of over 4.3 miles (7km), is believed to have formed between 3.8 billion and 4.1 billion years ago after

Astronomers and amatuer skywatchers will get to see the longest lunar eclipse of this century this month. In two weeks from now, on November 19 (Kartik Purnima), Earth will pass between the Sun and Moon, creating a shadow on the Moon’s surface. The near-total lunar eclipse will peak just after 1:30pm IST, when the Earth

NASA is gearing up for the launch of its first planetary defence test, which will involve a spacecraft intentionally crashing into an asteroid to impact its trajectory. The US agency has filled the spacecraft with fuel, performed some final tests, and is running rehearsals for the final mission. Named Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the

A federal judge on Thursday rejected a lawsuit by Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin against the US government over NASA’s decision to award a $2.9 billion (roughly Rs. 21,559 crore) lunar lander contract to rival billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Judge Richard Hertling of the US Court of Federal Claims in Washington granted the government’s

Astronomers from India have observed an X-ray binary system in space, known as GRS 1915+105, using the AstroSat, the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission. At a distance of some 28,000 light-years away from the Earth, this system is a superluminal low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB). It was first detected in August 1992. But AstroSat observations confirmed

Agnikul Cosmos, an Indian space tech startup looking to take advantage of the massive space travel opportunity of the next decade, has been grabbing headlines in the recent times. From signing deals with Alaska Aerospace Corporation in the US, to signing an MoU with ISRO for accessing its infrastructure and technical expertise, Agnikul Cosmos has made giant leaps

The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a new mission where human-made emissions of greenhouse gases will be tracked from space. ESA, in collaboration with the European Union’s (EU) Earth-monitoring programme Copernicus, announced this mission during the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow on November 2. It will incorporate a constellation of satellites called