Space Exploration, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 31, 2020

'Mad Mike' wasn't trying to prove 'flat Earth' theory on ill-fated rocket launch

Following the tragic death of 'Mad' Mike Hughes, we revisit the real reasons why he launched himself into the air aboard his homemade steam rocket, knowing how risky the stunt was. This past weekend (Feb. 22), Hughes, 64, a daredevil and amateur rocketeer, tragically died during the launch while filming...

Dec 31, 2019

A TV satellite is about to explode following 'irreversible' battery damage

Following an unexplained accident, a satellite built by Boeing and operated by DirecTV is at risk of exploding in the coming weeks. To mitigate potential damage to other satellites, the U.S. government will allow the satellite TV provider to move the doomed craft to a higher orbit ahead of schedule....

Nov 30, 2021

Why NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will orbit nearly 1 million miles from Earth

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will be more extreme than its famous predecessor in a variety of ways, including its cosmic locale. The $10 billion Webb is considerably bigger, more complex and more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been studying the heavens from Earth orbit for more...

Nov 30, 2021

In a historic launch, the Webb Telescope blasts off into space

Heads up, Hubble — another massive space telescope just launched on a historic mission to observe the faintest, oldest objects in the universe in unprecedented detail. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a school-bus-size satellite observatory weighing about 14,000 pounds (6,350 kilograms), lifted off the launch pad on Saturday (Dec....

Nov 30, 2021

'29 days on the edge:' What's next for NASA's newly launched James Webb Space Telescope

NASA's next big space observatory is finally aloft, but it'll be a while before it starts its highly anticipated science mission. The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope launched atop an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana yesterday (Dec. 25), kicking off a long-delayed, potentially transformative mission to study the...

Oct 31, 2021

NASA needs a new telescope, ASAP, to find Earth's twin

If Earth has a twin somewhere out there, NASA should find it. That's the takeaway from a once-in-a-decade report that sets the priorities for astronomy over the next decade. In order to find such Earth-like exoplanets, NASA should build a big, fancy new space telescope, the report states. Every 10...

Oct 31, 2021

Russian anti-satellite missile test draws condemnation from space companies and countries

Across the globe, nations and space companies alike are speaking out about Russia's anti-satellite (ASAT) test that forced astronauts in space to take cover. On Monday (Nov. 15), the seven astronauts and cosmonauts living on board the International Space Station were forced to take shelter in the spacecraft they flew...

Oct 31, 2021

Hubble telescope captures stunning image of the star-forming Prawn Nebula

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning view of the Prawn Nebula floating through deep space. The Prawn Nebula, formally known as IC 4628, is an emission nebula located 6,000 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Scorpius. Nebulas, or clouds of interstellar gas and dust, form following massive stellar...

Jun 30, 2021

Virgin Galactic launches Richard Branson to space in 1st fully crewed flight of VSS Unity

Early this morning (July 11), billionaire Richard Branson and three other passengers briefly went to space for the first fully crewed spaceflight of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo spaceplane. At 8:40 a.m. local time (10:40 a.m. EDT; 1440 GMT), the crew of Virgin Galactic's Unity 22 test flight mission took off from...

Jun 30, 2021

18-year-old physics student to fly to edge of space with Bezos

Blue Origin has revealed the identity of the first paying customer aboard its New Shepard capsule, set to launch on Tuesday, July 20, and reach the edge of space. And it might not be someone you expected. The lucky (and wealthy) winner of an auction for the seat is Oliver...

Jun 30, 2021

NASA revives ailing Hubble Space Telescope with switch to backup computer

The Hubble Space Telescope has powered on once again! NASA was able to successfully switch to a backup computer on the observatory on Friday (July 16) following weeks of computer problems. On June 13, Hubble shut down after a payload computer from the 1980s that handles the telescope's science instruments...

Jun 30, 2021

How much will Jeff Bezos' New Shepard rocket warm the planet?

How much pollution is Jeff Bezos going to generate during his trip to space? It turns out that, when it comes to adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket should be among the cleanest launch vehicles around, though climate change concerns from suborbital spacecraft could increase...

May 31, 2021

SpaceX launches new solar arrays to space station, nails rocket landing at sea

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched its 17th rocket of the year today (June 3), sending a robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the International Space Station before nailing a landing at sea. A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Pad 39A here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 1:29...

May 31, 2021

Hubble telescope spends a week in 'safe mode' following mysterious computer error

NASA's Hubble space telescope is cruising the cosmos in safe mode after its payload computer suddenly crashed on June 13 according to a NASA statement. The computer is responsible for coordinating and controlling all of the science instruments aboard the telescope — which means that, until technicians on the ground...

Apr 30, 2021

Massive Chinese rocket core to make uncontrolled reentry over Earth in coming days

The huge, 100-foot-tall (30 meters) core of a Chinese rocket is tumbling wildly through low-Earth orbit and could make an uncontrolled reentry through the atmosphere in the coming days, according to news reports. The core belongs to a Long March 5B rocket (a version of China's largest rocket), which successfully...