People have been going to space for a long time now. Since the year 2000, there have been 162 missions. These include flights on the Space Shuttle, Russian Soyuz missions, Chinese astronauts' first trips, and even commercial trips on SpaceX's Dragon capsule. There were also privately funded suborbital flights by Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. Last week, Blue Origi...
The space community is buzzing with excitement for April 20, 2025. That's the day NASA's Lucy spacecraft will have a close encounter with the asteroid Donaldjohanson. This event is more than just a flyby. It's a crucial test for Lucy's instruments. The spacecraft will pass by Donaldjohanson at a distance of about 620 miles (1, 000 kilometers). This is not just a...
The James Webb Space Telescope is a big deal. It cost a whopping 10 billion dollars. That is a lot of money. Even when spread over many years, it still takes up a large part of NASA's yearly science budget. The recent cuts to NASA's budget make this even more true. But is it worth it? That is a tough question. The James Webb Space Telescope is not the first of...
Women are still underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This is a well-known fact. But why is that? Some people think it's because STEM isn't "girly" enough. This idea was recently highlighted when a female astronaut talked about wanting to make space travel more glamorous. The astronaut, Katy, shared her thoughts with a magazin...
Jared Isaacman, a wealthy businessman and space enthusiast, is set to face the Senate. He is up for the big job of leading NASA. This event is happening on April 9, 2025. The hearing will be live-streamed, so anyone can watch it online. This is a big deal because Isaacman has already made history in space. He was the first private citizen to conduct a spacewalk. He...
The moon is a dusty place. This dust, called regolith, is a big problem. It can harm equipment and even human health. But NASA has a new tool to fight it. They call it the Electrodynamic Dust Shield, or EDS. This technology uses electric fields to push away lunar dust. It recently had a successful test run on the moon's surface. The EDS flew to the moon on a private...
A group of four space travelers just made history by orbiting over Earth's north and south poles. This is a first for humans, and the pictures they're sending back are stunning. The journey began on March 31, 2025, when a SpaceX rocket blasted off from Florida, carrying the crew in a spacecraft named Resilience. This mission, called Fram2, is taking a unique path aro...
A German space startup made a big splash in Norway. A test rocket blasted off from a spaceport in Norway. The rocket was designed to test the ability to launch satellites from Europe. It was a short flight. The rocket took off and then exploded 40 seconds later. The company behind the rocket called it a success. The rocket was developed by a German startup call...
There is a lot of stuff that people use every day. Some of it might stick around for a very long time. Imagine a future where people dig up old tech and wonder what it was used for. That's what some scientists are thinking about. They are looking at things like wind turbines and cell phones. These items might become what they call technofossils. These are objects tha...
Mars is a dusty place. This dust is not like the stuff under your bed. It's super fine and packed with nasty chemicals. This means big trouble for anyone planning to visit. The tiny particles can sneak into lungs and cause serious health issues. Think about it: astronauts already face lung problems from space radiation. Adding Martian dust to the mix could make thing...