Space, NASA and Science News

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SpaceX launches 99th operational mission of the year

SpaceX knocked out its 99th operational flight of the year with a Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral on Friday night.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/18/spacex-set-to-launch-starlink-mission-from-cape-canaveral-if-winds-die-down/?

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? Practicing for Mars

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Four volunteers will soon spend 45 days locked inside a 650-square-foot module at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Axios Houston's Jay R. Jordan writes. The experiment will mimic a Mars landing to help the space agency determine how astronauts will react to real-life scenarios in the safety of a simulated environment. The crew will enter NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog facility on Nov. 1. They'll perform experiments as if they were on the Martian surface, such as growing vegetables, cultivating shrimp and taking virtual spacewalks. Engineers will also simulate communication lapses with mission control, which are anticipated for real-life astronauts as they travel to Mars. Go deeper.

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Where do Boeing’s Starliner, other space efforts fit as company tries to reinvent itself?

New Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said he’s looking at the beleaguered company’s portfolio and everything outside of its core businesses of commercial aircraft and defense could face uncertain futures.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/23/where-do-boeings-starliner-other-space-efforts-fit-as-it-tries-to-reinvent-itself/?

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SpaceX liftoff matches record for Space Coast launches in a year

The Space Coast saw its 72nd launch of the year on Wednesday evening equaling the total number of orbital missions flown in 2023 and with 10 weeks still to go.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/23/spacex-launch-tonight-would-match-space-coast-record/?

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NASA astronaut hospitalized after SpaceX Crew-8 splashdown return off coast of Florida

A NASA astronaut suffered a medical issue and was hospitalized in Florida on Friday after returning to Earth from a nearly eight-month stay in space. NASA said the astronaut who as not identified returned to Houston after an overnight stay.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/25/weather-clears-for-spacex-crew-8-to-head-home-to-florida/?

NASA astronaut remains in the hospital after returning from an extended stay in space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA astronaut was taken to the hospital for an undisclosed medical issue after returning from a nearly eight-month space station stay extended by Boeing’s capsule trouble and Hurricane Milton, the space agency said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/nasa-astronauts-spacex-splashdown-f99e1724b4c131e68e0cf8c30274fc11?

NASA astronaut hospitalized after SpaceX Crew-8 splashdown return off coast of Florida

A NASA astronaut suffered a medical issue and was hospitalized in Florida on Friday after returning to Earth from a nearly eight-month stay in space. NASA said the astronaut who as not identified returned to Houston after an overnight stay.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/25/weather-clears-for-spacex-crew-8-to-head-home-to-florida/?

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SpaceX launch sets Space Coast record for the year

A SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral on Saturday evening marked the 73rd launch from the Space Coast in 2024, the most ever in one year.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/26/spacex-launch-tonight-would-set-space-coast-record-for-the-year/?

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SpaceX launches space station resupply mission with sonic boom warning from booster return

SpaceX sent up 6,000 pounds of cargo on a resupply mission to the International Space Station on Monday night with the rocket booster’s return trip bringing a sonic boom to parts of Central Florida.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/11/04/sonic-boom-warning-given-for-spacex-cargo-mission-to-space-station-monday-night/?

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NASA’s Crew-8 astronauts don’t reveal hospitalization details, but discuss strain of Earth return

Details were not revealed about who and why one of the three NASA astronauts of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission had to be hospitalized after their return to Earth last month, but all three discussed Friday the slow recovery each faces after spending more than 235 days in space.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/11/08/nasas-crew-8-astronauts-dont-reveal-hospitalization-details-but-discuss-strain-of-earth-return/?

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Winter Park power couple headed back to space on Blue Origin flight

Once was not enough. Winter Park power couple Marc and Sharon Hagle traveled to space on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket back in 2022. Now they're set to fly again.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/11/15/winter-park-power-couple-headed-back-to-space-on-blue-origin-flight/?

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SpaceX

SpaceX is aiming to launch Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, on its sixth test flight today. President-elect Donald Trump plans to attend the launch in Boca Chica, Texas, according to reports. This comes as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has gained significant influence in the formation of Trump's incoming administration. Starship is also the vehicle selected to land US astronauts on the moon as soon as 2026. Last month, SpaceX succeeded for the first time in bringing back and safely landing the rocket's booster, called Super Heavy, which is taller than a 20-story building. Similar to the last test, SpaceX this week will try to catch the spacecraft mid-air with a set of massive metal arms, called "chopsticks."

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Latest SpaceX Starship flight has momentous splashdown but diverts from booster catch attempt

SpaceX launched its sixth test flight of its powerful Starship and Super Heavy rocket from its Texas facility Starbase on Tuesday not able to repeat the booster catch at the launch tower it did on the last flight, but achieving the most accurate ocean landing yet halfway around the world.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/11/19/spacex-aims-for-6th-starship-test-flight-from-texas-today/?

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The dark energy pushing our universe apart may not be what it seems, scientists say Distant, ancient galaxies are giving scientists more hints that a mysterious force called dark energy may not be what they thought. Read more.

Why this matters: Astronomers know that the universe is being pushed apart at an accelerating rate and they have puzzled for decades over what could possibly be speeding everything up. They theorize that a powerful, constant force is at play, but they can’t see it and they don’t know where it comes from, so they call it dark energy.   But findings published earlier this year and a newer analysis on Tuesday by an international research collaboration of more than 900 scientists from around the globe yielded a major surprise. As the scientists analyzed how galaxies move, they found that the force pushing or pulling them around did not seem to be constant.   Instead of the theorized constant force, the energy appears to be changing or weakening over time and could mean that dark energy is very different than what scientists thought — or that there may be something else altogether going on.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump and Musk solidify their bond with Texas trip for rocket launch   PHOTO COLLECTION: Supermoon   British writer Samantha Harvey’s space-station novel ‘Orbital’ wins the Booker Prize for fiction

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Sunny delight

New images captured by the Solar Orbiter mission showcase the highest-resolution views of the sun’s visible surface ever seen, revealing dark sunspots and continuously moving charged gas called plasma.

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Voyager 1

NASA engineers have successfully restored contact with the deep-space probe Voyager 1, and the spacecraft is operating normally after its dwindling power supply caused a weekslong blackout. The issue began in October when the aging probe automatically switched from its primary X-band radio transmitter and began relying on a much weaker S-band radio transmitter to communicate with its mission team. The farthest spacecraft from Earth, Voyager 1 is currently exploring uncharted territory about 15.4 billion miles away. After some clever problem-solving, NASA was able to switch Voyager 1 back to its X-band transmitter and receive its daily stream of data again starting in mid-November. Launched weeks apart in 1977, Voyager 1 and its twin probe, Voyager 2, continue to defy the odds and explore space more than 47 years after they lifted off.

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NASA delays Artemis II to 2026 and Artemis III moon landing to 2027

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced new delays Thursday for the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon’s surface for the first time since 1972.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/12/05/nasa-delays-artemis-ii-to-2026-and-moon-landing-artemis-iii-to-2027/?

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? How to catch this weekend's meteor shower

Last year's Geminid meteor shower, as seen from the Sichuan province in China. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Geminid meteor shower — which NASA calls one of the "best meteor showers of the year" — is expected to peak tonight and tomorrow, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports. Roughly 120 meteors can be seen per hour under perfect conditions, according to NASA. ? What to watch: The Geminids are bright and fast meteors and tend to appear yellow or green. Your best bet to see the shower will be after 10 p.m., with the peak coming shortly after midnight in the early hours of tomorrow morning. NASA recommends getting far away from city lights and lying flat on your back with your toes pointing southeast. Let your eyes adjust to the dark for about 30 minutes. More tips.

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‘It’s go time’: Artemis II moon mission players focus on job despite Trump uncertainty

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — While the puzzle pieces have been laid out over the last two years, a picture is beginning to form for NASA’s pursuit of the first human spaceflight of its Artemis program to the moon.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/12/17/its-go-time-artemis-ii-moon-mission-players-focus-on-job-despite-trump-uncertainty/?

SpaceX delay means Boeing Starliner astronauts will get an even longer stay on the ISS

Because SpaceX’s next crew rotation mission to the International Space Station will use a new Dragon spacecraft that won’t be ready by a previously planned February launch date, NASA announced Tuesday that it has opted to delay the launch now until no earlier than late March.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/12/17/spacex-delay-means-boeing-starliner-astronauts-will-get-an-even-longer-stay-on-the-iss/?

SpaceX completes 3 rocket launches, 1 Dragon landing in 22 hours

In a span of less than 22 hours, SpaceX managed three Falcon 9 rocket launches and one landing of a Dragon spacecraft.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/12/17/spacex-aims-for-3-rocket-launches-1-dragon-landing-in-20-hours/?

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Dark comets

Astronomers have spotted seven new examples of a cosmic phenomenon that could help scientists determine whether these celestial bodies helped deliver vital elements like water to Earth early in the planet’s history.

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NASA head Bill Nelson offers advice for successor in farewell interview

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — With just a month left to go before stepping down as head of NASA, Bill Nelson warns his stance on conflicts of interest might not be the same as his likely successor, billionaire Jared Isaacman.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/12/20/nasa-head-bill-nelson-offers-advice-for-replacement-in-farewell-interview/?

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Sound controversy

SpaceX’s Starship — the most powerful rocket system ever built — may be a stunning spectacle, but its sonic booms have some scientists worried. They say the atmospheric shockwaves must be “carefully watched.”

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Zooming past the Sun

Artist's rendering of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the Sun. Photo: Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP NASA announced today that its Parker Solar Probe passed within a record-breaking 3.8 million miles of the Sun earlier this week. The spacecraft "has transmitted a beacon tone back to Earth indicating it's in good health and operating normally," the announcement says. Why it matters: It's a remarkable feat of science and engineering. While 3.8 million miles may not seem like a particularly close encounter, the Earth is 93 million miles from the Sun, Axios' April Rubin writes. Zoom in: The probe was outfitted with a revolutionary heat shield capable of withstanding 2,500° Fahrenheit, so it could endure extreme heat and radiation as it passed through the Sun's outer atmosphere, AP reports. It's also the fastest spacecraft built by humans, hitting 430,000 mph at its closest approach. ? What's next: The probe is expected to send data back to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory on Jan. 1. Scientists hope the data from Parker will help them better understand why the Sun's outer atmosphere is hundreds of times hotter than its surface — and what drives the solar wind, the supersonic stream of charged particles constantly blasting away from the Sun.

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SpaceX knocks out 1st of final 2 Space Coast launches of 2024

SpaceX knocked out a midnight launch from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, and is now targeting midnight Tuesday for a launch from Kennedy Space Center to cap off a record year for the Space Coast.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/12/29/spacex-knocks-out-1st-of-final-2-space-coast-launches-of-2024/?

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SpaceX launch on final day of 2024 raises Space Coast tally to 93 for the year

SpaceX put the final countdown in the books for the Space Coast early Tuesday, adding one more to the record pace of launches for the year.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/12/31/spacex-launch-on-final-day-of-2024-raises-space-coast-tally-to-93-for-the-year/?

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New documentary focuses on Christa McAuliffe’s impact as a teacher in New Hampshire

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Before Christa McAuliffe was an astronaut, she was a vibrant teacher in New England keen on showing her students how everyday people left extraordinary marks on U.S. history.

https://apnews.com/article/christa-mcauliffe-documentary-challenger-new-hampshire-8b19f970bf77969aa353851bc4a4551e?

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SpaceX tackles Space Coast’s 1st launch of the year

After a record year of launches, SpaceX kicked things off again with the first mission of 2025 on Friday night.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/01/03/spacex-lines-up-space-coasts-1st-launch-of-the-year/?

New rocket, new spacecraft and new moon landers on tap for 2025

The Space Coast is set for another busy year in 2025 with new moon missions, new spacecraft and the debut of a new rocket.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/01/04/new-rocket-new-spacecraft-and-new-moon-landers-on-tap-for-2025/?