A fifth state of matter, known as a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), has been created in the microgravity of the International Space Station for the first time. This exotic and rare form of matter is only produced when a gas of boson like particles are cooled to temperatures just above absolute zero (about -459.67F). Creating the … Read more
NASA and ESA find evidence that the first stars and galaxies formed much earlier than researchers thought, beyond the reach of the Hubble Space Telescope Hubble can see the universe back to within 500 million years of the Big Bang Experts used the telescope to determine the age of the first stars and galaxies The … Read more
Giant hexagonal storm that has raged around Saturn’s north pole for over four decades is caused by massive cyclones deep in the planet’s atmosphere, study shows Researchers created a computer model to simulate conditions found on Saturn They then ran the simulation to see if a hexagonal polar storm would be formed They found these … Read more
Elon Musk has said SpaceX’s Starship rocket that could one day carry humans to Mars is the company’s ‘top priority’ from now on. In a company email, Musk urged SpaceX employees to accelerate progress on Starship ‘dramatically and immediately’, a week after its historic first crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch … Read more
NASA has awarded a $187 million contract to Northrop Grumman to build a crew module that astronauts will stay in before landing on the Moon. Known as the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO), it will be the size of a small flat and form part of the Lunar Gateway, a small space station that will … Read more
Former NASA astronaut and geologist Kathy Sullivan has become the first woman to dive to lowest point on Earth, known as Challenger Deep, inside the Mariana Trench. Sullivan, 68, emerged from the submersible DSV Limiting Factor (LF) on Sunday, which performed a successful expedition at more than 35,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. LF, built … Read more
Skyscraper-sized asteroid travelling at 11,000mph will zip past Earth at a distance of 3.1 million miles this weekend The asteroid has been called 163348 (2002 NN4) and was first spotted in 2002 It will make its closest approach to the Earth at 04:20 BST on Saturday 6 June The 1,870ft space rock is more than 400ft … Read more
NASA set to pay Russian space agency $90 MILLION for a seat on the Soyuz rocket to take a US astronaut to the ISS despite the SpaceX launch May 30 NASA made a $90 million deal with Roscomos for a seat on a Russian rocket The seat is for astronaut Kate Rubins who will go … Read more
Fitbit follows Dyson and NASA in developing a ‘low cost’ emergency ventilator to treat coronavirus patients during the pandemic FitBit’s ‘Flow’ ventilator has been designed to be intuitive and easy-to-use The firm hopes it will reduce demand on the specialists who oversee ventilators Emergency ventilators will be used when traditional models are unavailable The FitBit … Read more
It may have been an American dream to send the first privately funded rocket into orbit this week. But I can reveal that the SpaceX mission, which saw two astronauts blast off on Saturday and safely dock at the International Space Station less than a day later, has thoroughly British roots. The Flight Director at … Read more