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SPACE EXPLORATION

Physics Alert Science Articles

Improving the performance of electrodeless plasma thrusters for space propulsion

A researcher at Tohoku University has improved the performance of a high-power electrodeless plasma thruster, bringing us one step closer to further space exploration. Electric...

NASA’s moon rocket returns to pad for next launch attempt

NASA's "mega moon rocket" has returned to the launch pad. The Space Launch System, or SLS, is the space agency's newest and most powerful rocket...

world’s first miniature radar to probe the interior of an asteroid

Following the incredible plan to move a harmless asteroid with NASA's DART mission, more research is required to determine exactly what kind of impact...

A close encounter with a mysterious moon

Mars Express, a European Space Agency mission, recently had a close encounter with the martian moon Phobos. The 19-year-old water-hunting spacecraft peered beneath the...

Scientists investigate lunar soils to supply oxygen and fuels on the moon

Since humanity's first steps on the moon, the ultimate goal of lunar exploitation has been the establishment of a lunar settlement. However, limited fuel...

NASA announced its Psyche mission will go forward

NASA announced on Friday that its Psyche mission will proceed, with a launch window opening on Oct. 10, 2023. Psyche missed its planned 2022 launch...

Data suggests there are rippled structures at the boundary of the solar system

A group of researchers from Princeton University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Waikato, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the...

Elon Musk signs a contract to boost the Hubble Space Telescope to a higher orbit

NASA and SpaceX have agreed to investigate the feasibility of awarding Elon Musk's company a contract to raise the Hubble Space Telescope to a...

Firefly Aerospace reaches earth orbit with new Alpha rocket

On Saturday, a new aerospace company launched its second rocket into orbit and deployed a number of small satellites. The Alpha rocket from Firefly Aerospace...

NASA will attempt a Moon rocket launch in November

NASA said Friday that it would attempt to launch its Moon mega-rocket in November, but would not commit to a specific date for the...

Neptune and rings shine in photos from new space telescope

Neptune and its rings haven't been this beautiful in decades. NASA released new images of our solar system's outermost planet taken by the James Webb...

DART sets sights on asteroid target

NASA's DART spacecraft recently got its first look at Didymos, the double-asteroid system that includes its target, Dimorphos. DART will intentionally collide with Dimorphos,...

Chinese astronauts go on a spacewalk from a new station

Two Chinese astronauts went on a spacewalk Saturday from the new space station, which is expected to be finished later this year. According to state...

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti becomes the first European female ISS commander

Samantha Cristoforetti, an ESA astronaut, will take over as commander of the International Space Station soon, succeeding fellow Expedition 67 crew member Oleg Artemyev. Samantha...

First in-situ temperature measurement of the thermophysical properties of lunar farside regolith

Lunar regolith is a layer of loosely packed rocky grains deposited on the lunar surface, the physical and chemical properties of which are critical...