Daily News update on – Science


July 12, 2024
NEWS
Space.com

Watch the moon cover up the blue giant star Spica on July 13
In a dark sky, Spica will seem to suddenly “click off,” a stunning demonstration of the moon’s orbital motion and the star’s tiny angular size. Comments (0). When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Space.com

Hubble Telescope tracks a dwarf galaxy’s stars to map out dark matter
The Hubble Space Telescope has shown that dark matter is concentrated within the core of a nearby dwarf galaxy, a finding that rushes to the rescue of the Standard Model of cosmology. This model basically predicts dark matter to be “cold,” but recent …
Space.com

‘Dark comets’ may have given Earth its water long ago
Asteroids follow orbits dictated by the sun’s gravity. However, the six objects identified by Seligman’s team display an orbital acceleration that cannot be explained by gravity alone. Such motion is not unfamiliar — we see it all …
CBS News

SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage engine suffers catastrophic in-flight failure during Starlink launch
SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink internet satellites from California Thursday, but the engine powering the rocket’s second stage suffered a catastrophic failure, if not an explosion, during an attempt to carry out a final “burn” to raise the …
The New York Times

Thermonuclear Blasts and New Species: Inside Elon Musk’s Plan to Colonize Mars
SpaceX employees are working on plans for a Martian city, including dome habitats, spacesuits and researching whether humans can procreate off Earth. Mr. Musk has volunteered his sperm.
The New York Times

NASA Mission to Europa Imperiled by Chips Aboard Spacecraft
Transistors on the Europa Clipper spacecraft, scheduled to launch in October, may not be able to endure the harsh radiation around the planet Jupiter.
Space.com

Galactic penguin honors the 2nd anniversary of James Webb Space Telescope’s 1st images
The second-anniversary JWST image shows two interacting galaxies that make up a single object called Arp 142, which appears like a cosmic penguin with its cosmic egg. Fittingly for a celebration of the JWST’s two years of science results, the new image is …
Space.com

FAA investigating SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket anomaly
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring an investigation into the recent anomaly suffered by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The issue occurred on Thursday night (July 11), during the launch of 20 Starlink internet satellites from …
Space.com

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket suffers anomaly during Starlink satellite launch
“Upper stage restart to raise perigee resulted in an engine RUD for reasons currently unknown. Team is reviewing data tonight to understand root cause. Starlink satellites were deployed, but the perigee may be too low for them to raise orbit. Will know …
The Planetary Society

To the Moon, Mars, and beyond with the 2024 NASA Authorization
In a 38-to-nothing vote on July 10, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space & Technology voted to advance the NASA Reauthorization Act of 2024, a recently released piece of legislation that serves to establish the space …