Daily News update on – Science


May 18, 2024
NEWS
Space.com

James Webb Space Telescope sees Orion Nebula in a stunning new light (images)
The Orion Nebula may be a familiar and well-studied celestial object, but new images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) show this star-forming cloud of gas and dust in an incredibly new and vibrant light. The Orion Nebula, also known as …
Space.com

NASA’s PREFIRE mission is ready to unlock the mysteries of Earth’s poles
NASA is preparing to launch its latest climate science mission, the Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE), which aims to capture brand new data on how heat is lost to space from Earth’s polar regions. PREFIRE consists of a pair …
Space.com

NASA astronauts practice ‘moonwalking’ in the Arizona desert (photos)
Moonwalking in the Arizona desert? No, it’s not a remake of Michael Jackson’s signature move; it’s a training exercise for NASA astronauts that will be part of the future Artemis Program of missions to the lunar surface. The week-long expedition across …
CNN

Historic Starliner launch attempt delayed again as teams continue to assess helium leak
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft sits atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on May 7 after the planned launch of Crew Flight Test was scrubbed. Joe Raedle/Getty Images.
Spaceflight Now

NASA, Boeing further delay Starliner Crew Flight Test launch amid ongoing helium leak review
A blog post, issued late on Friday afternoon, announced a new target launch date for Starliner CFT with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams of no earlier than Saturday, May 25, at 3:09 p.m. EDT (1909 UTC).
CNN

The evolutionary twist that could have helped dinosaurs rule Earth
Fossils have revealed that dinosaurs lived year-round in cold climates like the Arctic. Davide Bonadonna/Universidade de Vigo/UCL. It’s hard to find evidence that unquestionably shows what …
Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 booster on a record-breaking 21st flight
A SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage creates a so-called ‘jellyfish’ effect as it streaks across the sky over the Atlantic Ocean and a cruise ship out on the horizon. The Starlink 6-59 mission launched on May 17, 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now.
The Planetary Society

A certain flair for solar activity
Increased solar activity brings flares as well as storms. This includes a particularly enormous solar flare that erupted from the Sun on May 14, seen at the right-hand side of the above image from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
SpaceNews

NASA prepares for twin launches of climate science cubesats
The first of twin cubesats for NASA’s Polar Radiant Energy in the Far Infrared Experiment, or PREFIRE, mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than May 22 on an Electron rocket from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The other cubesat will be …
NPR

Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft launch is delayed again
The delay is the latest for the Starliner’s first crewed mission, which will carry NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams to the International Space Station. The astronauts are to spend about …