NASA unveils Artemis Accords to govern behavior of nations participating in the 2024 moon mission

NASA has unveiled a series of principles to govern the behavior of countries participating in the 2024 moon mission. Called Artemis Accords, the space agency will require partners to sign the doctrine that focuses on creating a ‘safe and prosperous future’ between nations in a new era for space exploration. The agreement includes 10 basic … Read more

NASA claims initial motion is key to ensuring a real-life WARP ENGINE is in drive not reverse 

A NASA engineer has claimed that getting a ‘running start’ would be the key to ensuring that a real-life, Star Trek-style warp engine is in drive, and not reverse. In Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity, our Universe comes with a speed limit — with nothing able to travel faster than the speed of light. … Read more

NASA’s InSight’s Mole is finally making steady progress

NASA Insight rover’s ‘Mole’ is finally making progress burrowing into the ground on Mars after months struggling to penetrate beyond the surface  NASA’s new approach of using InSight’s robotic arm to push the mole ‘appears to be working’ NASA has said  The 16-inch-long probe known as ‘the Mole’ aims to measure the heat coming from the Red … Read more

Expert calls for protocols to keep alien viruses from infecting Earth after humans visit Mars

It may sound like a plot from a science fiction film, but NASA and scientists are concerned about alien viruses contaminating Earth.  As the first humans prepare for the Mars mission, experts warn that protocols are necessary to keep extraterrestrial pollutants from hitchhiking on space ships and astronauts when returning home from the Red Planet. Stanford … Read more

NASA unveils a new ‘mini’ Mars Rover that can climb hills covered in sand

NASA has created a new ‘mini’ Mars rover that will be able to climb hills even if they’re covered in sand and gravel – perfect for future exploration missions. Driven by the knowledge that the rolling hills of Mars are a long way from the nearest tow truck, Georgia Tech researchers created a more resilient … Read more

‘Marsquakes’ lead scientists to recreate conditions thought to exist in the Martian core

‘Marsquakes’ measured by NASA’s InSight rover and an experiment to recreate the conditions thought to exist in the Martian core could reveal how the planet formed.  Researchers from the University of Tokyo have been studying the seismic properties of iron-sulphur – thought to be the substance at the core of Mars. It’s not known exactly … Read more

SpaceX creates a simulator that lets you play at being an astronaut manually docking with the ISS 

SpaceX have created a Crew Dragon simulator that lets you play at being an astronaut and practise manually docking with the International Space Station. The free-to-play browser based tool presents users with a digital copy of the real-life controls astronauts would use if they needed to manually dock with the ISS.  The real Crew Dragon … Read more

Virgin Galactic teams up with NASA to develop ‘high-Mach’ aviation that could transport civilians

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003.  It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers. It was first flown in 1969, but needed further tests to establish … Read more

NASA uses Nevada to test the Perseverance rover’s navigation technology ahead of Mars launch

NASA scientists travel to Nevada to test the Perseverance rover’s sensors and navigation technology in preparation for its 2021 arrival on Mars A team of NASA scientist traveled to Nevada to test the next Mars rover  Instead of bringing the full rover, they brought just its sensors and onboard tools Another team of 150 remote … Read more

The moon may not be a ‘dead’ rock as exposed bedrock is due to an active tectonic system

It has long been thought that Earth’s moon is made of ‘dead’ rock, but new evidence suggests otherwise. Data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) shows ridges with freshly exposed bedrock on the surface, which are a result of an active tectonic system. More than 500 patches of exposed rock were found on the nearside … Read more