ORBITAL

Oct 18 2025SCIENCE

Astronaut's Stunning Space Snapshots

Up in space, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui had a busy week. He shared some amazing photos from the International Space Station (ISS). The photos show the Milky Way and colorful auroras. Yui said the ISS was in a different position, so he got a unique view. Yui is also getting ready for a big delivery. Japan's new cargo ship, HTV-X, is set to launch soon. He promised...

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Jul 23 2025SCIENCE

A Billionaire's Long-Awaited Space Adventure

Justin Sun, the crypto mogul, is finally set to embark on a journey to space. He paid a whopping $28 million for a seat on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft. This is not his first attempt. He was supposed to fly in 2021 but had to cancel due to scheduling issues. Then, he planned to go in 2022 with a group called "space warriors, " but that didn't happen either. N...

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Mar 26 2025TECHNOLOGY

The New Way to Launch Satellites in a Hurry

The US military has been working on a way to launch satellites quickly. This is important because if something bad happens in space, like an enemy taking out a key satellite, they want to be able to launch a new one fast. They showed this off in 2023 with a launch that took only 27 hours to prepare. This was a big deal because it showed they could launch a satellite ...

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Mar 23 2025SCIENCE

Saturn's Rings: A Temporary Vanishing Act

Saturn is a planet that has always been a source of fascination. Its most famous feature, the rings, are set to disappear from view for a brief period. This isn't a permanent loss, but a natural event that occurs due to the planet's tilt and orbit. The rings are made up of ice and rock particles that orbit Saturn. They are not solid but are composed of pieces ra...

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Jan 25 2025HEALTH

Two Surprises: What Happened When We Looked at Skulls

Imagine exploring a bunch of skulls, just doing your everyday job. That's what this team was up to when they stumbled upon something unusual. Normally, the optic canal, which is like a tiny tunnel in your skull, carries important stuff like the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery. But this time, they found an extra tunnel on both sides! These unexpected channels were r...

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Jan 21 2025SCIENCE

Tweaking Pentacene: A New Twist in Organic Semiconductors

Scientists are delving into a unique way to improve organic semiconductors by slightly altering their molecular structure. They did this by adding ethynyl groups to a compound called dihydrodiazapentacene, creating new molecules named 2a and 2b. These molecules look similar to their original forms, 1a and 1b, but function quite differently. X-ray crystallography conf...

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Dec 21 2024SCIENCE

A Retired Weather Satellite's Surprising End

Imagine a weather satellite that's been retired for a while, just floating in space. Well, an old one from a military program called DMSP-5D2 F14 has broken up into over 50 pieces. Why's this a big deal? This satellite was launched in 1997 and has been orbiting ever since its retirement in 2020. Now, it's adding to the growing problem of space junk. This isn't the f...

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Dec 09 2024HEALTH

Eye Problems After Shingles: A Closer Look

Have you ever heard of shingles, the painful rash that sometimes affects the eye? Well, sometimes, it can lead to a condition called Orbital Apex Syndrome (OAS). This isn't your usual eye problem, and it can get serious fast. When someone with shingles on their face starts to experience symptoms like droopy eyelid, trouble moving their eye, or numbness, doctors need ...

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Oct 23 2024TECHNOLOGY

Satellites Smarten Up: AI Device Brings Processing, Cloud Services to Space

Meet Aptos Orbital, a young startup from Silicon Valley with a big idea. They've just revealed an AI device for satellites that's set to change how we handle data in space. Today's satellites are a bit like old computers—stuck in their own worlds, struggling with limited power, and going silent for hours at a time. Aptos wants to make these space explorers as smart a...

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Sep 17 2024ENVIRONMENT

The FCC's Space Sustainability Conundrum: Can They Save the Planet?

As humanity ventures further into the unknown, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is faced with a daunting task: to mitigate the environmental harm caused by rising megaconstellations of satellites orbiting the Earth. But, a recent Supreme Court ruling has raised questions about the FCC's authority to take action. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PI...

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