Science

If anyone has a good idea on how to put a nuclear fission power plant on the Moon, the US government wants to hear about it. NASA and the nation’s top federal nuclear research lab on Friday put out a request for proposals for a fission surface power system. NASA is collaborating with the US Department

Final rehearsals for NASA’s planetary defence test are already underway. The one-of-a-kind mission, which will launch next week, is set to intentionally crash a spacecraft into an asteroid to deflect its path. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will attempt to hit the moonlet asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits a larger asteroid called Didymos. None of

NASA has shared a stunning image of an “undersea world” from deep space. The image is of the Cosmic Reef and it comprises two different nebulae. The first nebula, with a hue of red and blue against a black backdrop dotted with sparkling lights, is a vast star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a

Mars has now emerged as the new frontier, with most space-faring nations focussing on the exploration of the Red Planet. The idea behind exploring Mars is to find signs of life, understand its climate, and figure out natural resources. However, a new research suggests that explorers looking for ancient life on Mars could be misled

Data from almost four decades ago can suggest the presence of a ninth planet in the Solar System. The hypothetical Planet Nine has been in the talks among scientists for some time but no one has yet observed it. Michael Rowan-Robinson, professor of astrophysics at Imperial College London, dived into 38-year-old data and now he

Over the years, businesses have increasingly turned to automation and robotics for undertaking many jobs. Since COVID-19 forced people to the confines of their homes, many enterprises introduced robots to perform tasks to help reduce human contact. From cleaning floors to disinfecting, the kind of tasks that robots can do has expanded manifold. Yet when

A question that has often intrigued scientists is from where do all the heavy metals, including gold and uranium, come from? How did they originate? While all heavy metals have formed under extreme conditions inside stars or due to stellar explosions and collision of neutron stars, the question remains: when and why was the material

Have you ever imagined what the sound of a nebula in deep space is like? Thanks to NASA, we can now hear the sound of the Butterfly Nebula through data sonification as it soars across space at more than 966,000kmph. The data sonification process converts data to sound. The Butterfly Nebula, also known as NGC

There has been a lot of debate on whether space-time travel through wormholes is possible or not. Most studies have suggested these hypothetical shortcuts are not possible as any passage of a vehicle through one would instantly lead to its collapse. However, a new theory says space-time travel through wormholes may be possible after all.

An anti-satellite missile test Russia conducted on Monday generated a debris field in low-Earth orbit that endangered the International Space Station and will pose a hazard to space activities for years, US officials said. The seven-member space station crew – four US astronauts, a German astronaut, and two Russian cosmonauts – were directed to take shelter in

A Russian anti-satellite missile test has created a debris field in low-Earth orbit of more than 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris, forcing the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to take shelter in their spacecraft for safety, the US said. This direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile test has also likely generated thousands of smaller

Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in our solar system, has the most spectacular and complex ring system. Earth may soon have its own set of rings, according to researchers at the University of Utah, US. These rings which may develop around our planet, however, will be made up of space

A new species of dinosaur has been discovered in the lands of Britain, from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight. The dinosaur has been distinguished from the earlier known species because of its extremely large nose. The discovery was made by Jeremy Lockwood, a retired general practitioner, who spent four years

There’s some good news for people suffering from Type 1 diabetes. More than 40 healthcare professionals and legal experts have for the first time issued guidance for using Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology-driven systems to manage their condition. Traditional monitoring of Type 1 diabetes involves taking blood samples and calculating precise insulin dosages to maintain blood sugar levels. This

New observations suggest a celestial object tracking Earth’s orbit just about 9 miles (14.5km) away from the planet is a fragment of the Moon. Astronomers say the fragment was tossed into space possibly after an ancient lunar collision. The asteroid, named Kamo’oalewa, is about the size of a Ferris wheel but a lot fainter than

US businessman Glen de Vries, who flew into space with “Star Trek” actor William Shatner on last month’s Blue Origin flight, has died in a plane crash, police said Friday. The small aircraft came down in Hampton Township, New Jersey, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) west of New York City, shortly before 3:00pm (19:00 GMT)

NASA is sending Snoopy, the iconic and adorable character from Peanuts, to the Moon aboard its first Artemis mission early next year. Snoopy became the world’s first beagle to land on the lunar surface in the Peanuts comic strips by the late Charles M. Schulz in 1969. More than 60 years later, it is again

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia’s Roscosmos plan to launch their joint Mars rover mission in 2022. It was earlier planned to take off in 2020, but got delayed for several reasons. The main cause behind the delay is that the journey from Earth to Mars is only attempted when the planets are favourably

NASA took to Instagram to share an image that showed the remnants of a supernova, a large explosion that takes place at the end of a star’s life cycle. And, it is indeed remarkable. NASA said the event was created by the death (explosion) of a white dwarf star. A white dwarf is usually stable.

One of the most worrying questions that weigh on the minds of scientists, astronomers as well as the general public is whether the Earth is threatened by a potential asteroid collision? Despite being addressed by the scientific community, this question crops up time and again. Now, a NASA scientist has tried to put all speculation