Tag: space

Three decades later, first brown dwarf ever found offers a surprise

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In 1995, astronomers confirmed the discovery for the first time of a brown dwarf, a body too small to be a star and too big to be a planet – sort of a celestial tweener. But it turns out that was not the full story. Researchers now have taken a fresh look at that brown dwarf and learned that it actually is not a single brown dwarf but rather […]

Webb telescope reveals surprising details of Pluto’s moon Charon

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Observations by the James Webb Space Telescope are giving scientists a fuller understanding about the composition and evolution of Pluto’s moon Charon, the largest moon orbiting any of our solar system’s dwarf planets. Webb for the first time detected carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide – both frozen as solids – on the surface of Charon, a spherical body about 750 miles (1,200 km) in diameter, researchers said on Tuesday. […]

NASA narrows Crew-9 lineup to accommodate astronauts aboard ISS

(Reuters) – NASA said on Friday it will replace two crew members for an upcoming SpaceX flight to accommodate the two astronauts aboard the International Space Station who had arrived on Boeing’s faulty Starliner capsule. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both former military test pilots who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will replace Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson on the SpaceX mission. Last week, NASA officials deemed issues with Starliner’s propulsion […]

SpaceX to return Boeing’s Starliner astronauts from space next year, NASA says

By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two NASA astronauts who flew to the International Space Station in June aboard Boeing’s faulty Starliner capsule will need to return to Earth on a SpaceX vehicle early next year, NASA officials said on Saturday, deeming issues with Starliner’s propulsion system too risky to carry its first crew home as planned. Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both former military test pilots, became the first crew to ride […]

Nearby exoplanet could be first known ocean world: Webb telescope

By Pierre Celerier PARIS (AFP) – A planet relatively close to Earth could be the first ever detected with a potentially life-sustaining liquid ocean outside our Solar System, according to scientists using the James Webb space telescope. More than 5,000 planets have been discovered outside of the Solar System so far, but only a handful are in what is called the “Goldilocks zone” — neither too hot or too cold — that could host liquid […]

Black hole observed ‘awakening’ for the first time

PARIS, June 18, 2024 (AFP) – Astronomers have been able to observe a supermassive black hole waking up and setting the heart of its host galaxy alight for the first time, the European Southern Observatory said on Tuesday. The galaxy 300 million light years from Earth in the Virgo constellation had been quiet for decades until late 2019, when it suddenly began to shine brighter than ever before. The centre of the galaxy — where […]

Virgin Galactic completes final spaceflight before two-year pause

  WASHINGTON, June 8, 2024 (AFP) – Virgin Galactic on Saturday successfully completed its last spaceflight before heading into a two-year pause on commercial operations to upgrade its fleet, as the space tourism company seeks to finally turn a profit. “Galactic07 is back on terra firma, now as astronauts!” the company said on X, formerly Twitter, referring to a team of two pilots and two passengers. “Our pilots, crew and spaceship have landed safely at […]

Apollo 8 astronaut dies in small plane crash at age 90

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2024 (AFP) – William Anders, the former US astronaut who took the historic “Earthrise” photo from space over 55 years ago, died in a plane crash on Friday at the age of 90, his family said. Anders had been piloting a small plane which crashed off the coast of Washington state on Friday morning, his son told US media. Anders was alone in the plane. His body was later recovered by a […]

China lunar probe takes off from Moon carrying samples

BEIJING, June 4, 2024 (AFP) – A module of a Chinese lunar probe successfully took off from the far side of the Moon on Tuesday carrying samples to be taken back to Earth, state media reported. The achievement is a world first, and the latest leap for Beijing’s decades-old space programme, which aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030. The ascender module of the Chang’e-6 probe “lifted off from lunar surface”, […]

Boeing will try to launch its first crew on Starliner, again

By Gianrigo Marletta with Issam Ahmed in Washington CAPE CANAVERAL, June 1, 2024 (AFP) – Troubled aerospace giant Boeing will try once more to fly its first crew to the International Space Station aboard a Starliner spaceship on Saturday, after the last attempt was scrubbed hours before liftoff. Following checks by engineering teams, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are “go” for launch atop a United Launch Alliance rocket at 12:25 pm (1625 GMT) […]

EarthCARE satellite to probe how clouds affect climate

By Juliette Collen PARIS, May 26, 2024 (AFP) – Will clouds help cool or warm our world in the years ahead? The EarthCARE satellite will soon blast off on a mission to find out, aiming to investigate what role clouds could play in the fight against climate change. The collaboration between the European Space Agency and Japan’s JAXA space agency is scheduled to launch Tuesday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California’s Vandenberg base. […]

‘Danger behind the beauty’: more solar storms could be heading our way

By Daniel Lawler PARIS, May 18, 2024 (AFP) – Tourists normally have to pay big money and brave cold climates for a chance to see an aurora, but last weekend many people around the world simply had to look up to see these colourful displays dance across the sky. Usually banished to the poles of Earth, the auroras strayed as far as Mexico, southern Europe and South Africa on the evening of May 10, delighting […]