News
Jupiter size refined by new radio mapping
2+ hour, 6+ min ago (246+ words) The study, published in Nature Astronomy, replaces six measurements from NASA's Voyager and Pioneer missions with 26 carefully analyzed passes by Juno. Those earlier flybys sent radio beams between the spacecraft and Earth to infer Jupiter's outline, but they left several…...
Starfighters completes key wind tunnel campaign for STARLAUNCH 1 air launch vehicle
1+ week, 2+ day ago (462+ words) The test series examined STARLAUNCH 1 separation behavior at both subsonic and supersonic speeds, specifically at Mach 0.85 and Mach 1.3. Engineers combined computational fluid dynamics analysis with physical wind tunnel testing to measure forces, moments and flow interactions as the vehicle released…...
Sun boundary map tracks shifting Alfven surface over solar cycle
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (296+ words) To build and test the maps, scientists used NASA's Parker Solar Probe, which repeatedly flies deep into the Sun's atmosphere, together with measurements from near-Earth spacecraft. The study shows that as the Sun moves toward the active phase of its…...
NASA's X-59 soars on historic first flight, marks breakthrough for quiet supersonic travel
2+ mon, 1+ week ago (793+ words) The X-59, designed to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce the sound of loud sonic booms to quieter sonic thumps, took off at 11:14 a.m. EDT and flew for 67 minutes. The flight represents a major step toward quiet supersonic flight over land. Following…...
X-59 Completes First Flight in Quest to Reduce Supersonic Boom
3+ mon, 5+ day ago (248+ words) "We are thrilled to achieve the first flight of the X-59," said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. "This aircraft is a testament to the innovation and expertise of our joint team, and we are…...
Newly Detected Twisting Magnetic Waves Offer Clues to Corona Heating
3+ mon, 6+ day ago (163+ words) The findings show that torsional Alfven waves may transport significant energy, possibly matching that of kink waves previously observed in the corona. Their presence supports theories that magnetic waves help carry energy from the Sun's interior into the outer atmosphere,…...
Breakthrough detection of twisting Alfven waves reveals possible solar corona heating mechanism
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (212+ words) The study, led by Professor Richard Morton at Northumbria University, used the telescope's advanced Cryogenic Near Infrared Spectropolarimeter (Cryo-NIRSP) to capture unprecedented details in the coronal plasma. This instrument enabled scientists to distinguish the twisting motions of Alfven waves - motions…...
SpaceX Saturday Starlink launch on schedule
4+ mon, 2+ week ago (267+ words) Liftoff from launch site SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California remained on schedule Saturday morning, with ignition expected to occur at 1:55 p.m. EDT, SpaceX confirmed on its launch schedule page. The California-based space technology company's latest mission will carry…...
Four astronauts home from space station after splashdown
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (480+ words) The spacecraft carrying US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan's Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov splashed down off California's coast at 8:44 am local time (1534 GMT). Their return marks the end of the 10th crew rotation mission to the…...
Artificial solar eclipses in space could shed light on Sun
6+ mon, 2+ week ago (522+ words) The plan, part of a UK-led space mission to be unveiled at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting 2025 in Durham, would involve the use of a mini-satellite and the Moon's shadow to achieve the closest-ever views of the Sun's…...