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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="https://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> <channel> <atom:link href="https://www.space.com/home/feed/site.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <title><![CDATA[ Space ]]></title> <link>https://www.space.com</link> <description><![CDATA[ ]]></description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 18:32:11 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Watch ULA assemble Atlas V rocket ahead of Boeing Starliner astronaut test flight (video) ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_XxsnjFrA_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_XxsnjFrA_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>The long-awaited Crewed Flight Test (CFT) of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is finally upon us.</p><p>A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is scheduled to launch <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/19367-boeing-cst-100.html">Starliner</a> with NASA astronauts <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-1st-astronaut-flight-meet-crew">Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams</a> on a shakedown mission to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16748-international-space-station.html">International Space Station</a> (ISS) on May 6. This will be Starliner's third flight, but the capsule's first with a crew aboard. </p><p>With the spacecraft day's away from its crewed debut, ULA has released a short video highlighting how Starliner's Atlas V launch vehicle was stacked and integrated with the spacecraft.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-cft-launch-webcasts">How to watch Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut launch webcasts live</a></p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="xiucurAintpwUsk5gW3jsN" name="ula starliner stacking.jpg" alt="a large white rocket on a launchpad at sunset" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xiucurAintpwUsk5gW3jsN.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket topped with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: ULA via YouTube)</span></figcaption></figure><p>ULA <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://x.com/ulalaunch/status/1785391369818710291" target="_blank">posted</a> the video on X, formerly Twitter, a week before Starliner's scheduled launch, with the caption, "Reigniting Atlas' legacy of launching humans to space, ULA is using an <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtlasV?src=hashtag_click">#AtlasV</a> rocket to launch the Crew Flight Test. Check out how the Atlas V rocket was stacked ahead of next week's launch."</p><p>With Starliner ready for flight, the video lays out ULA's process for assembling and stacking the Atlas V rocket, mating it with the Starliner spacecraft, rolling the stack to SLC-41, and other significant milestones leading up to the moment of launch.</p><p>Atlas V is powered by two <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/26551-us-military-launches-russian-rocket-engines.html">RD-180 rocket engines</a>, paired for this flight with two solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The launch vehicle's first stage stands 106.5 feet (32.5 meters) tall, and is joined with its Centaur upper stage, propelled by a pair of RL-10A rocket engines. Combined with Starliner, the whole rocket stands at 172 feet (52.4 meters).</p><p>The trio are stacked inside ULA's vertical integration facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in Florida, and are scheduled to roll out the SLC-41 at 10 a.m. this Saturday, May 4. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:66.67%;"><img id="XE5NCd7Lkkv4tskTP8rb5j" name="boeing-starliner-oft-2-launch-ula-2.jpg" alt="A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Starliner Orbital Flight Test 2 spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 19, 2022." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XE5NCd7Lkkv4tskTP8rb5j.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1280" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Starliner Orbital Flight Test 2 spacecraft lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 19, 2022. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: United Launch Alliance)</span></figcaption></figure><div class="see-more see-more--clipped"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet hawk-ignore" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reigniting Atlas' legacy of launching humans to space, ULA is using an #AtlasV rocket to launch the Crew Flight Test. Check out how the Atlas V rocket was stacked ahead of next week's launch #Starliner #CFTWatch on YouTube: https://t.co/9lthxHUAYT pic.twitter.com/Ow8Ionny1m<a href="https://twitter.com/ulalaunch/status/1785391369818710291">April 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote><div class="see-more__filter"></div><div class="see-more__button-container"><span class="see-more__button" role="button" tabindex="0" aria-label="See more">See more</span></div></div><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Related Stories:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-boeing-starliner-spacex-dragon-iss-astronaut-mission-redundancy">2 astronaut taxis: Why NASA wants both Boeing's Starliner and SpaceX's Dragon</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-r2d2-crew-flight-test">Boeing's Starliner crew capsule channels R2-D2 ahead of astronaut test flight</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-boeing-starliner-crew-flight-test-delay-may-2024">NASA, Boeing delay Starliner capsule's 1st astronaut launch to early May</a></p></div></div><p>ULA's video also points out some of the fueling and crew boarding procedures during the mission's launch countdown. Wilmore and Williams will arrive at the launchpad about three hours prior to liftoff, aided by ULA's "Blue Team," as mission operators run through prelaunch checklists leading up to liftoff. </p><p>Starliner is scheduled to launch Monday, May 6, at 10:34 p.m. EDT, and will rendezvous with the ISS May 8, at 12:48 a.m. EDT (0648 GMT). During the shakedown flight, Wilmore and Williams will test the gamut of Starliner's systems, spending about 10 days on the space station before returning to Earth.</p><p>This mission will be Starliner's third flight. In 2019, the first of Starliner's uncrewed test flights <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-oft-fails-to-reach-correct-orbit.html">failed to complete its mission</a> of rendezvousing with the ISS due to software issues. Another <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-praises-boeing-starliner-oft-2-mission">launch in 2022</a> managed to meet all NASA and Boeing's major objectives for the spacecraft. However, after <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronaut-launch-delayed-indefinitely">discovering the flammable nature</a> of the tape used around much of Starliner's internal wiring, the crewed launch was further delayed.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/ula-starliner-cft-atlas-v-stacking-video</link> <description> <![CDATA[ United Launch Alliance's new video highlight's how the Atlas V launch vehicle for Boeing's Starliner was stacked and mated to the spacecraft. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">oinygRVrpPRjXHFncMJgS7</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xiucurAintpwUsk5gW3jsN.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Launches & Spacecraft]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ jdinner@space.com (Josh Dinner) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xiucurAintpwUsk5gW3jsN.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[ULA via YouTube]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[a large white rocket on a launchpad at sunset]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a large white rocket on a launchpad at sunset]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ NASA's Hubble Telescope is back in action — but its TESS exoplanet hunter may now be in trouble ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>On Monday (April 29), NASA restored the Hubble Space Telescope to full operation, returning it to its scientific activities after the spacecraft spent a week in safe mode. The celebratory mood was dampened somewhat, however, because NASA's exoplanet hunter, the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/39939-tess-satellite-exoplanet-hunter.html">Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)</a>, remains in limbo.</p><p>Ironically, TESS also stopped collecting science data on April 23, the same day the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/15892-hubble-space-telescope.html">Hubble Telescope</a> was placed into safe mode. The latter's operations were halted due to a glitch with one of its three gyroscopes, which the space telescope uses to determine how it is orientated, while the reason for the former's lapse in service is still unclear.</p><p>NASA engineers had been preparing to operate Hubble, which launched in 1990 and has been surveying the cosmos for 34 years, with just one gyroscope. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-pauses-science-due-to-gyro-issue/">A NASA update </a>on Tuesday (April 30) revealed that the issue had been resolved, and Hubble was back to operating with three gyros. In the statement, NASA said that all of Hubble’s instruments are online, and the telescope has resumed taking scientific observations. </p><p><strong>Related:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/hubble-space-telescope-gyroscope-april-2024">Hubble Space Telescope pauses science due to gyroscope issue</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_ItRLamOC_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_ItRLamOC_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>This particular gyro has caused Hubble trouble in the past, sending faulty readings back to Earth and necessitating a shutdown in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/hubble-space-telescope-safe-mode-gyroscope-issue">November 2023</a>. The three gyros are the last functioning from a batch of six fitted to Hubble in 2009 during the fifth and final space shuttle servicing mission.</p><p>On the other hand, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/tess/nasas-tess-temporarily-pauses-science-observations/">NASA has said</a> the TESS shutdown is still a bit mysterious. The agency announced that the TESS team is currently investigating the underlying cause of the shutdown while working on a way to restore TESS to full operating status.</p><p>Furthermore, NASA is also continuing to investigate the cause of a separate safe mode event that shut down the exoplanet hunter earlier last month. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/tess/nasas-tess-temporarily-pauses-science-observations/" target="_blank">TESS went offline on April 8</a>, but resumed operations after that glitch on April 17 — before dropping into safe mode yet again six days later. The space agency says that the aim of the investigation is to discover if these two events are linked.</p><p>TESS completed its primary mission in July 2020 and finished its first extended mission in September 2022. The exoplanet hunter is currently in its second extended mission period; on April 30, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/tess/notice-of-call-for-community-input-into-the-tess-extended-mission-planning.html" target="_blank">NASA put out a call</a> for input on science cases that should be prioritized in TESS's third and fourth extended mission periods.</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Related Stories:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/exoplanet-super-earth-habitable-zone-tess">NASA exoplanet telescope discovers 'super-Earth' in its star's Goldilocks zone</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/hubble-telescope-new-star-fs-tau-b">Hubble Telescope witnesses a new star being born in a stunning cosmic light show (image)</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-tess-rogue-planet-candidate-first-time">NASA's TESS exoplanet hunter may have spotted its 1st rogue planet</a></p></div></div><p>Both the Hubble and TESS space telescopes recently marked anniversaries.<br><br>On April 18, 2024, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/tess-first-year-hunting-alien-planets.html">TESS marked six years</a> since it was blasted into space atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. On April 24, 2024, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/hubble-34-anniversary-dumbbell-nebula">Hubble had spent 34 years in space</a>. The space telescope launched from Kennedy Space Center in 1990 as part of the Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-31 mission.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/hubble-space-telescope-tess-exoplanet-hunter-safe-mode</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Both the Hubble Telescope and TESS exoplanet hunter went into safe mode on April 23. Hubble is back on, but TESS remains off. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">QvCz6n6wPTkaWrHDRZjjC7</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ACYa98orRE5fGkTq83CEXb.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 16:37:33 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Launches & Spacecraft]]></category> <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ACYa98orRE5fGkTq83CEXb.png"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/Robert Lea (created with Canva)]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[A split screen diagonally. On the top is the Hubble Space Telescope, wrapped in silvery material. On the bottom is TESS, a golden object with blue solar panel wings.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A split screen diagonally. On the top is the Hubble Space Telescope, wrapped in silvery material. On the bottom is TESS, a golden object with blue solar panel wings.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ NASA selects Rocket Lab for back-to-back climate change research launches ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>One of NASA's latest climate change missions will soon head to space on Rocket Lab's Electron rocket.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/rocket-lab.html">Rocket Lab</a> shared this week that planning continues for two back-to-back launches taking that will send <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-twin-spacecraft-earth-ends-climate-change">NASA's PREFIRE</a> (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission to space from the company's Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealan. Aboard each rocket will be a cubesat that will circle the globe at an altitude between 292 and 403 miles (470 and 650 kilometers) in near-polar orbits.</p><p>The first launch is scheduled no earlier than May 22 and after the successful deployment of "Ready, Aim, PREFIRE," the second, deemed "PREFIRE and ICE", will follow within three weeks. These two launches will be Rocket Lab's sixth and seventh of the year and the 48th and 49th Electron launches to date. </p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-twin-spacecraft-earth-ends-climate-change">NASA's twin spacecraft will go to the ends of the Earth to combat climate change</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_h2ODvrvH_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_h2ODvrvH_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>"It's these types of missions where Electron really thrives as the leading launch provider for dedicated small satellite missions," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-peter-beck-interview-april-2024">Peter Beck, Rocket Lab CEO</a> and founder, said in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.rocketlabusa.com/updates/rocket-lab-prepares-back-to-back-launches-for-climate-change-research-mission-for-nasa/" target="_blank">statement</a>. "We have an excellent track record of delivering NASA's payloads to exactly where they need to go and when they need to, and we're looking forward to adding to that tally further with these next back-to-back launches."</p><p>The 10-month PREFIRE mission will focus on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/what-is-climate-change-explained">climate change</a> by taking measurements that can only be obtained from space, measuring the amount of heat Earth loses from its polar regions. Once in near-polar, or asynchronous orbit, each of the PREFIRE <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/24839-satellites.html">satellites</a> will gather information from their onboard sensors, which are far more sensitive than previous spacecraft, enabling scientists to learn more about polar heat emissions in the far infrared. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="Cu6kiEscGQvN2t8zjTJjAD" name="nasa jpl prefire.jpg" alt="an illustration of two small T-shaped satellites in orbit above Earth. the Arctic can be seen below" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Cu6kiEscGQvN2t8zjTJjAD.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">PREFIRE's two small satellites – shown in an artist's concept orbiting Earth – will measure the amount of heat radiated into space by the planet's polar regions. Data from the mission will inform climate and ice models. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)</span></figcaption></figure><p>According to a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/launch-date-set-for-nasas-prefire-mission-to-study-polar-energy-loss" target="_blank"><u>statement</u></a> from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, the Arctic has warmed more than 2.5 times faster than the rest of the planet with roughly 60% of the energy that's released into space not measured efficiently. </p><p>The PREFIRE mission will help add the remaining puzzle pieces to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/space-force-satellite-data-arctic-warming">Arctic heating mystery</a> so scientists can pinpoint which specific regions of the polar environment could be the culprit for the heat loss. The data will also contribute to improving climate models and forecast changes that result from global warming.</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/us-space-force-picks-rocket-lab-for-2025-victus-haze-space-domain-awareness-mission">US Space Force picks Rocket Lab for 2025 Victus Haze space domain awareness mission</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-nasa-solar-sail-tech-launch-april-2024">Rocket Lab launches new NASA solar sail tech to orbit (video, photos)</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-recovered-electron-production-line-reflight">Rocket Lab gearing up to refly Electron booster for 1st time</a></p></div></div><p>"Helping climate scientists better understand climate change means they need precisely located measurements of Earth's polar heat loss, which NASA's PREFIRE mission is setting out to achieve, and helping the PREFIRE mission achieve its science objectives means its satellites need precise and accurate deployments to their locations in space," Beck added in Rocket Lab's statement. </p><p>This is not the first time Rocket Lab has used Electron for NASA science and technology missions; it also was part of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/capstone-cubesat-450-days-moon-orbit-gateway"><u>CAPSTONE mission to the moon</u></a> in June 2022, the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-nasa-tropics-hurricane-cubesat-launch"><u>TROPICS mission</u></a> in May 2023, the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission/starling/" target="_blank"><u>NASA Starling mission</u></a> in July 2023, and NASA's upcoming <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission/acs3/" target="_blank"><u>ACS3 rideshare mission</u></a>. </p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-back-to-back-nasa-climate-change-launches-prefire</link> <description> <![CDATA[ NASA's PREFIRE mission will deploy a pair of satellites from twin launches aboard Rocket Lab's Electron rockets that will contribute to climate change studies in the Arctic and Antarctica. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">kGm9uUxkdAWFZBFTNbEmui</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QFyqosdei8wPbAVxzdFtai.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 16:00:40 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QFyqosdei8wPbAVxzdFtai.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Rocket Lab]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[a mission badge showing the white silhouette of an arctic fox against a dark blue background. a white silhouette of a rocket lifts off in the background]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a mission badge showing the white silhouette of an arctic fox against a dark blue background. a white silhouette of a rocket lifts off in the background]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ SpaceX to launch 23 Starlink satellites tonight in 2nd half of spaceflight doubleheader ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>SpaceX aims to launch another batch of its Starlink internet satellites tonight (May 2), on the second half of a planned spaceflight doubleheader.</p><p>A <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/18962-spacex-falcon-9.html">Falcon 9</a> rocket topped with 23 <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites.html">Starlink</a> spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station tonight during a 3.5-hour window that opens at 9:49 p.m. EDT (0149 GMT on May 3). <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/18853-spacex.html">SpaceX</a> will webcast the action via its X account, beginning about five minutes before the window opens.</p><p>The Starlink launch will be SpaceX's second of the day, if all goes according to plan. A Falcon 9 is scheduled to loft two Earth-observation <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/24839-satellites.html">satellites</a> for the company Maxar from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base today at 2:36 p.m. EDT (1836 GMT).</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/starlink-satellite-train-how-to-see-and-track-it">Starlink satellite train: How to see and track it in the night sky</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_22YguLYi_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_22YguLYi_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>After launching the Starlink satellites tonight, the Falcon 9's first stage will come back to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/54-earth-history-composition-and-atmosphere.html">Earth</a> for a vertical landing on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. </p><p>It will be the 19th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-6-54" target="_blank">SpaceX mission description</a>. That's just one shy of the company's rocket reuse record, which was <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/spacex-falcon-9-20th-launch-starlink-group-6-49">set last month</a>.</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/spacex-falcon-9-20th-launch-starlink-group-6-49">SpaceX launches Starlink satellites on record 20th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket first stage</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/ways-spacex-transformed-spaceflight">8 ways that SpaceX has transformed spaceflight</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/crew-8-mission-launches-spacex-nasa-space-station">SpaceX launches Crew-8 astronaut mission to International Space Station for NASA (video)</a></p></div></div><p>Starlink, SpaceX's broadband constellation in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/low-earth-orbit">low Earth orbit</a>, currently consists of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://planet4589.org/space/con/star/stats.html" target="_blank">more than 5,800 active satellites</a>.</p><p>A fair number of those spacecraft have gone up this year; SpaceX has launched 43 orbital missions so far in 2024, and 29 of them have been devoted to building out the Starlink megaconstellation.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-launch-group-6-55</link> <description> <![CDATA[ SpaceX is scheduled to launch another batch of its Starlink internet satellites tonight (May 2), on the second half of a planned spaceflight doubleheader. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">9RAEQgM5oRDP3vSwmUuLp6</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QGg3KPZ2HvzXfX7tbDYwxH.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 15:30:09 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Launches & Spacecraft]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ mwall@space.com (Mike Wall) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QGg3KPZ2HvzXfX7tbDYwxH.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[SpaceX]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[A rocket launch carves an orange arc into a dark night sky in this long-exposure photo.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A rocket launch carves an orange arc into a dark night sky in this long-exposure photo.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Some planets 'death spiral' into their stars and scientists may now know why ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Scientists may have discovered why the orbits of some planets decay, ultimately leaving these worlds to "death spiral" into their stars. This discovery may help astronomers spot which planets in star systems are doomed die a fiery death, and when.</p><p>Recent research had revealed that as many as one in 12 stars may have <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/early-milky-way-cannibalism.html">cannibalized</a> one of their own planets, but what remained unknown is quite what caused these planets to plunge into their stellar parents in the first place. Now, however, an investigation by an international team of scientists has revealed the mechanism causing some planets to "take the plunge." </p><p>In particular, scientists concentrated on the decaying orbits of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/hot-jupiters-may-have-planetary-companions">hot Jupiters</a>, a class of planets that exist so close to their stars they are blisteringly hot and complete orbits in periods of a few Earth days to just a few Earth hours. </p><p>The team focused on a specific hot Jupiter called <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/wasp-12b-doomed-jupiter-exoplanet-star-crash">WASP-12b</a>, located around 1,400 light years from Earth. As soon as 3 billion years from now, this planet could slam into its star. The team discovered that the magnetic field of the star WASP-12, which this planet circles, is dissipating gravitational energy, causing the orbit of this doomed planet to decay. </p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/one-in-dozen-stars-eats-planet-study">1 in 12 stars might have swallowed a planet</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_GmwoYg7P_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_GmwoYg7P_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>"Our study provides a new way — involving magnetic fields deep inside the star — for gravitational tides to act in extrasolar planetary systems, and which appears able to neatly explain the decaying orbit of WASP-12b," team member and Leeds University scientist Adrian Barker <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news-science/news/article/5560/study-reveals-mystery-of-decaying-planetary-orbits#:~:text=The%20study%2C%20published%20today%20" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>. "It's exciting to have discovered a plausible solution to this mystery."</p><h2 id="sun-like-stars-making-waves-for-doomed-exoplanets-2">Sun-like stars making waves for doomed exoplanets</h2><p>In arrangements between stars and hot Jupiters, both bodies are subjected to powerful tidal forces that transfer orbital energy from the planets to tidal waves within the star. When these waves dissipate, the net result is the planet has lost orbital energy. That causes the planet's orbit to decay, bringing it closer to the star.</p><p>Yet even this can't explain WASP-12 b's orbital decay, which will see it plunge into its <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/22437-main-sequence-star.html">yellow dwarf star</a> in just a few years. Rather, the new research suggests another factor is at play; strong magnetic fields in WASP-12 seem to dissipate orbital energy pretty efficiently. This would also happen in other <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/habitable-planets-common-sunlike-stars-milky-way">sun-like stars</a>, the team says.</p><p>As the tidal waves within such stars move inward, they crash into magnetic fields and are themselves converted into magnetic waves that ripple outwards, eventually dissipating.</p><p>"What is really interesting about this mechanism is that it only starts after the star has reached a certain age. At the moment, the only planet we know for certain to be spiraling into its star — and in the far future, possibly being destroyed — is WASP-12b," Nils de Vries, research team member and a scientist at Leeds University, said in the statement. "With this new insight, we might actually be able to predict when certain planets will start that process, and our findings will help guide observational astronomers wanting to witness orbital decay." </p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Related Stories:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/wasp-12b-doomed-jupiter-exoplanet-star-crash">Doomed egg-shaped exoplanet is death-spiraling into its star</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/astronomers-spot-star-devouring-planet">Scientists catch real-life Death Star devouring a planet in 1st-of-its-kind discovery</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/exoplanet-loses-atmosphere-massive-tail">Star blows giant exoplanet's atmosphere away, leaving massive tail in its wake</a></p></div></div><p>Of course, Barker and colleagues were indeed able to use their findings to estimate how quickly the orbits of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/hot-jupiters-may-have-planetary-companions">hot-Jupiter planets</a> around sun-like stars will decay. They then compared these results with recent observations. </p><p>They think some stars close to the sun may be good future targets in the hunt for hot Jupiter planets on decaying orbits. Finding these would help astronomers learn more about the magnetic mechanism that spells doom for some planets, and refine Barker and colleagues' timeline measurements even further. </p><p>The team's research is published in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ad3c40" target="_blank">The Astrophysical Journal Letters.</a></p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/hot-jupiter-star-death-spiral</link> <description> <![CDATA[ WASP-12b is a planet on a date with a fiery destiny, doomed to plunge into its sun-like star. Scientists may finally know why some hot Jupiters eventually death spiral into their stars. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">CCJqRxdVEjpoPy7xJk7Ecn</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HFRsfD8b8oiDE9KvLJXqo7.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 15:00:01 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Exoplanets]]></category> <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HFRsfD8b8oiDE9KvLJXqo7.png"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Robert Lea (created with Canva)]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[A large red sphere and a smaller brown sphere followed by trail of white smoke against a black background of stars.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A large red sphere and a smaller brown sphere followed by trail of white smoke against a black background of stars.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ NASA inspector general finds Orion heat shield issues 'pose significant risks' to Artemis 2 crew safety ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>NASA's moon program still has some work to do before it can put human boots back on the lunar surface.</p><p>The agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report on Wednesday (May 1) titled "NASA's Readiness for the Artemis 2 Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit," which aims to determine how ready NASA is to launch its <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-2-humans-moon-orbit">Artemis 2 moon mission</a>, currently <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-2-moon-mission-delay-september-2025">scheduled for late 2025</a>.</p><p>The inspector general writes that the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-celebrates-artemis-1-orion-success">Artemis 1 test flight</a> of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/27824-orion-spacecraft.html">Orion spacecraft</a> "revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution that pose significant risks to the safety of the crew."</p><p>Resolution of these anomalies is among the most significant factors impacting NASA's readiness for Artemis 2, the report adds.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-investigate-orion-heat-shield-artemis-1-mission">NASA still investigating Orion heat shield issues from Artemis 1 moon mission</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_EiVmophn_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_EiVmophn_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>The report says NASA found over 100 areas on Orion's heat shield — where thermal material protects the spacecraft from the heat of reentry — had worn away "differently than expected" during the spacecraft's reentry to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/17683-earth-atmosphere.html">Earth's atmosphere</a>.</p><p>A <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-1-orion-earth-reentry-video">video released by the agency</a> in December 2023, in fact, clearly showed charred heat-shield material flying off of the spacecraft as it reentered the atmosphere at the end of the Artemis 1 mission. Some of that material is also seen briefly clinging to Orion's windows as the capsule made its way from space <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-1-orion-splashdown-moon-mission-success">to the Pacific Ocean</a>, west of Baja California. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1693px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:46.49%;"><img id="aVuxRSfmbRMabNZc8Bb5Nj" name="oig report heatshield char.jpg" alt="images of a charred cone-shaped spacecraft" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aVuxRSfmbRMabNZc8Bb5Nj.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1693" height="787" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Images from the NASA OIG report "NASA's Readiness for the Artemis 2 Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit" that show damage to the Orion spacecraft's heat shield. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA OIG)</span></figcaption></figure><p>In a Jan. 9, 2024 teleconference <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-2-moon-mission-delay-september-2025">announcing delay</a>s to the Artemis program timeline, Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Moon to Mars program, directly addressed that particular heat shield issue. </p><p>"We did see the the off-nominal recession of some char that came off the heat shield, which we were not expecting," Kshatriya said during the briefing. "Now, this heat shield is an ablative material — it is supposed to char — but it's not what we were expecting, with some pieces of that char to be liberated from the vehicle."</p><p>NASA is already making modifications to the heat shield to help mitigate the charring issue. In addition, the agency is altering how it bolts the spacecraft's crew capsule to its service module, hoping to mitigate unwanted melting around the bolts.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1908px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:49.74%;"><img id="HMHFYE8bEewmYTBcsM3vWj" name="oig report bolts.jpg" alt="images of a charred cone-shaped spacecraft" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HMHFYE8bEewmYTBcsM3vWj.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1908" height="949" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Images from the NASA OIG report "NASA's Readiness for the Artemis 2 Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit" that show damage to the bolts used on the Orion spacecraft's heat shield. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA OIG)</span></figcaption></figure><p>The OIG report also cited anomalies in Orion's electrical system that affected how power is distributed throughout the spacecraft.</p><p><strong>Read more: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-2-orion-spacecraft-moon-astronaut-testing-nasa">Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft starts testing ahead of moon mission with astronauts in 2025 (video)</a></p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.09%;"><img id="HWWrdJ4QMU7dFNnWHM5tzL" name="orion.jpg" alt="a white-and-silver cone-shaped spacecraft is held aloft by a crane inside a room full of machinery and scientists" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HWWrdJ4QMU7dFNnWHM5tzL.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1077" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Artemis 2 moon spacecraft lifts into a vacuum chamber at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on April 4, 2024. The Orion spacecraft will undergo electromagnetic compatibility and interference testing inside the chamber at the Operations and Checkout Building. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/Amanda Stevenson)</span></figcaption></figure><p>NASA believes radiation caused these anomalies; as such, the agency is developing "operational workarounds," although the OIG report adds that, without a permanent change in the spacecraft's electrical hardware, there is an "increased risk that further power distribution anomalies could lead to a loss of redundancy, inadequate power, and potential loss of vehicle propulsion and pressurization."</p><p>Additional issues cited in the report include a 4.5-hour communication loss that occurred during an outage of one of NASA's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/39578-deep-space-network.html">Deep Space Network</a> facilities, as well as <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-1-moon-rocket-damage-launch-pad">unexpected damage to the Artemis 1 mobile launcher</a> imparted during launch. The latter will cost NASA over 5 times more than expected, adding up to a total of $26 million.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1726px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:73.06%;"><img id="NH6Y7KHMQQiKKbFrkrMmBj" name="oig report artemis 1 mobile launcher.jpg" alt="images of a charred cone-shaped spacecraft" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NH6Y7KHMQQiKKbFrkrMmBj.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1726" height="1261" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Images from the NASA OIG report "NASA's Readiness for the Artemis 2 Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit" that show damage to the Artemis 1 mobile launcher after its Nov. 16, 2022 launch. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA OIG)</span></figcaption></figure><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-ii-orion-heat-shield-install">Orion spacecraft gets its heat shield for Artemis 2 moon mission (photo)</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-1-orion-moon-mission-heat-shield-issue">NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft aced moon mission despite heat shield issue</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-1-moon-mission-success-and-preparation-video">'We are ready:' New NASA documentary looks ahead to Artemis 2 moon mission (video)</a></p></div></div><p>NASA still has well over a year to determine how to address the issues cited in the OIG's report. However, as the report explains, even though progress is being made, "verification and validation testing for some of these upgrades and modifications is taking longer than expected." Per the OIG's recommendation, the agency should carefully monitor Artemis 2 hardware as it gets developed and tested in order to avoid putting the mission's crew at risk.</p><p>Artemis 2 is currently scheduled for September 2025, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-2-moon-mission-delay-september-2025">having been delayed</a> from its original launch date of November 2024. The delay was made in order to provide more time to ensure all hardware is safe for the crew ahead of the planned mission around the moon and back.</p><p>That new timeline means NASA astronauts likely won't return to lunar surface until September 2026 with Artemis 3. However, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-docking-system-tests-nasa-moon-missions">delays in developing</a> and testing SpaceX's Human Landing System, which will ferry astronauts to and from the lunar surface, could delay that date even further.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-1-orion-heat-shield-office-inspector-general</link> <description> <![CDATA[ NASA's inspector general writes that the Artemis 1 test flight of the Orion spacecraft revealed anomalies that "pose significant risks to the safety of the crew." ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">WGk9XkDdXobdG8MbWNAuhg</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vQaG7Zwn6Lq5XYCPh7rgzY.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 14:36:32 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Artemis]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ brett.tingley@futurenet.com (Brett Tingley) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vQaG7Zwn6Lq5XYCPh7rgzY.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/James M. Blair]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[a charred cone-shaped spacecraft floats in the ocean with five large red spherical balloons on top]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a charred cone-shaped spacecraft floats in the ocean with five large red spherical balloons on top]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Restored Atlas rocket erected on display as Mercury astronaut's ride to orbit ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Sixty-one years after it stood ready to send NASA's last one-man mission into Earth orbit, the Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) rocket is standing again.<br><br>A replica of astronaut <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-043024a-mercury-altas-9-rocket-cooper-air-force-museum.html" target="_blank">Gordon Cooper's 1963 ride into space</a> is now part of the vertical displays in the missile gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The exhibit is comprised of a recently-restored authentic Atlas missile and a mockup Mercury capsule with its launch escape tower.<br><br>"The museum's direction for a new space and missile interpretation in the coming years involves a deeper dive into the NASA-USAF partnership, and the MA-9 configuration is a way to tell both a NASA and an Air Force story," wrote Doug Lantry, curator and historian at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, in an email to collectSPACE.com. "The rocket will do interpretive double duty, allowing us to talk about the early days of human spaceflight and also the first U.S. ICBM [inter-continental ballistic missile]."<br><br>"The missile gallery will highlight the adaptable nature of several of its artifacts as both nuclear deterrents and as space launch vehicles," said Lantry.</p><p><strong>Related</strong>: <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/36817-faith-7-gordon-cooper-mercury-atlas-9-mission-photos.html">Faith 7: Gordon Cooper's 1963 Mercury-Atlas 9 Launch in Pictures</a></p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:125.26%;"><img id="voKxgAVWWMkUUToWrejvCU" name="news-043024b-lg.jpg" alt="a silver rocket stands upright on a launch pad surrounded by two red metal towers" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/voKxgAVWWMkUUToWrejvCU.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="2405" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Gordon Cooper's Mercury-Atlas 9 rocket stands on LC-14 at Cape Canaveral ahead of its historic May 15, 1963 launch. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA)</span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/3756905/convair-lv-3b-sm-65d-atlas/" target="_blank">Convair Atlas D (or LV-3B/SM-65D)</a> went on public display on Tuesday (April 30), just days after it was delivered by truck from Thomarios, a Copley, Ohio-based construction company that specializes in the restoration of historic airplanes and spacecraft. For the past few years, the team at Thomarios has worked to prepare the Atlas for exhibit, including inspecting its internal support frame that replaces having to pressurize the rocket (as was needed when the vehicle was flightworthy).<br><br>"Thomarios was aimed at bringing this significant piece of space exploration history back to its former glory. The process involved intricate refurbishments, ensuring that every component of the rocket mirrors the operational and aesthetic conditions of its original state in 1963," <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://thomarios.com/specialty-group/aerospace-aircraft-restoration/" target="_blank">reads a statement</a> on the company's website. "Thomarios was proud to play a pivotal role in preserving and showcasing this iconic artifact."</p><p>On Monday (April 29), a week after the rocket's arrival, a crane was used to raise the 95.4-foot-tall (29-meter) Atlas upright and position it among the eight other missiles in the gallery. Designed to resemble a silo, the 140-foot-tall (43-meter) room also includes a Titan II like the type that was converted for NASA's follow-on two-man program, Gemini.<br><br>Following the addition of the replica Mercury spacecraft, a model of the capsule's bright orange launch escape system tower was placed atop the stack on Tuesday morning, completing the display. The museum then reopened the missile gallery to the public, offering visitors their first look at the Mercury-Atlas on display.</p><div class="youtube-video" data-nosnippet ><div class="video-aspect-box"><iframe data-lazy-priority="low" data-lazy-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l3NQD8qI7y8" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><p>"Who needs a new reason to visit the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force?" the institution teased on its social media feeds. "The Atlas installation is complete and the Missile Gallery is open!"<br><br>On May 15, 1963, the real Mercury-Atlas 9 lifted off at 8:04 a.m. EST from <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-031023a-historic-launch-complex-14-stoke-space.html" target="_blank">Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral</a> in Florida. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-100404a-mercury-astronaut-gordon-cooper-dies.html" target="_blank">Gordon Cooper</a>, a then-major in the U.S. Air Force, completed 22 orbits of Earth aboard "Faith 7," the name he had given his spacecraft, over the course of 34 hours and 19 minutes. He was the last NASA astronaut to fly a solo space mission.<br><br>Cooper was also the fourth and last astronaut to ride an Atlas into space, a record that will be broken this month when Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams launch aboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on a flight to the International Space Station.<br><br>Cooper's flown "Faith 7" spacecraft is today on loan by the Smithsonian to Space Center Houston in Texas. The Atlas (130-D) that launched the mission fell to the ocean and its debris sank to the seafloor as part of the normal plan for the flight.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1363px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:150.26%;"><img id="U8HjNQT7N3sVexDb8eow5g" name="news-043024d-lg.jpg" alt="a large white and silver rocket stands upright in a large hangar" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U8HjNQT7N3sVexDb8eow5g.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1363" height="2048" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The restored Atlas D rocket now on display at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, is topped with a mockup of astronaut Gordon Cooper's Mercury spacecraft, "Faith 7," and replica launch escape tower. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force)</span></figcaption></figure><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-moon-tree-first-recipients">NASA begins delivering 1st Artemis Moon Trees to be planted across United States</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-full-scale-model-space-foundation">James Webb Space Telescope full-size model to be displayed by Space Foundation</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/space-center-houston-osiris-rex-bennu-asteroid-display">Rare OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample debuts at Space Center Houston</a></p></div></div><p>The Mercury-Atlas 9 exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is one of only four such displays of the astronaut launch vehicle now standing. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Luis A. Ferre Science Park in Puerto Rico and New York Hall of Science in New York City also exhibit Mercury-Atlas configured boosters. The latter was originally stood up for the 1964 World's Fair and was restored by Thomarios in 2003 to resemble John Glenn's Mercury-Atlas 6 rocket.<br><br>In addition to the replica Mercury-Atlas 9, the National Museum of U.S. Air Force also displays the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-072604a-case-missing-apollo-15-command-module-panels.html" target="_blank">flown Apollo 15 command module</a> "Endeavour," NASA's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060816b-air-force-museum-space-gallery.html" target="_blank">Crew Compartment Trainer-1</a>, which was used to train space shuttle crews and Mercury spacecraft no. 17 that while never flown contributed parts used on board Cooper's "Faith 7" capsule. The museum also has a second Atlas missile in its archives.</p><p><em>Follow </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://collectspace.com/" target="_blank"><em>collectSPACE.com</em></a><em> on </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://www.facebook.com/collectspace" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em> and on Twitter at @</em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="http://twitter.com/collectspace" target="_blank"><em>collectSPACE</em></a><em>. Copyright 2024 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.</em></p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/mercury-altas-9-rocket-cooper-air-force-museum</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Sixty-one years after it stood ready to send NASA's last one-man mission into orbit, the Mercury-Atlas 9 rocket is standing again. A replica is on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">ARo52NByxLjbbxQP5nC6CY</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vfJzExUvPpqy6kCUY6FqVW.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 14:30:32 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Human Spaceflight]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ robert@collectspace.com (Robert Z. Pearlman) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vfJzExUvPpqy6kCUY6FqVW.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[a large white and silver rocket stands upright in a large hangar]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a large white and silver rocket stands upright in a large hangar]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ NASA picks 9 companies to develop Mars 'commercial services' ideas ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>NASA has selected nine companies to develop concepts that could aid agency science missions to Mars down the road.</p><p>The agency is awarding each company between $200,000 and $300,000 for this early-stage work, with the goal of making robotic <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html">Mars</a> exploration more efficient and more productive.</p><p>"We're in an exciting new era of space exploration, with rapid growth of commercial interest and capabilities," Eric Ianson, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, said in a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-selects-commercial-service-studies-to-enable-mars-robotic-science?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nasajpl&utm_content=Media20240501-selection" target="_blank">statement on Wednesday</a> (May 1), when the awards were announced. </p><p>"Now is the right time for NASA to begin looking at how public-private partnerships could support science at Mars in the coming decades," he added.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/cheap-mars-exploration-mission-ideas">Mars on the cheap: Scientists working to revolutionize access to the Red Planet</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_ke2BqL5R_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_ke2BqL5R_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>This idea is not new. NASA already does something similar with its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, or CLPS, which has sent agency science gear toward <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/55-earths-moon-formation-composition-and-orbit.html">the moon</a> on two private landers.</p><p>One of those landers — Intuitive Machines' Nova-C spacecraft, named Odysseus — made it to the lunar surface safely, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/intuitive-machines-odysseus-private-moon-landing-success">acing its touchdown</a> this past February. The other one, Astrobotic's Peregrine lander, suffered an anomaly shortly after its January launch and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/astrobotic-peregrine-moon-lander-mission-conclusion">failed to reach the moon</a> as planned.</p><p>The "Mars Exploration Commercial Services" program is not nearly as far along as CLPS. NASA released its initial call for proposals on Jan. 29, selecting the newly announced awardees from that pool. The funding will go toward 12-week concept studies, which will wrap up in August.</p><p>"These studies could potentially lead to future requests for proposals but do not constitute a NASA commitment," agency officials said in Wednesday's statement.</p><p>There are 12 funded studies (three of the nine companies will each develop two different projects), which NASA divides into four categories. Here's a brief description of each, in NASA's words:</p><h2 id="small-payload-delivery-and-hosting-services-2">Small payload delivery and hosting services</h2><ul><li>Lockheed Martin Corporation, Littleton, Colorado — adapt a lunar-exploration spacecraft</li><li>Impulse Space, Inc., Redondo Beach, California — adapt an Earth-vicinity orbital transfer vehicle (space tug)</li><li>Firefly Aerospace, Cedar Park, Texas — adapt a lunar-exploration spacecraft</li></ul><h2 id="large-payload-delivery-and-hosting-services-2">Large payload delivery and hosting services</h2><ul><li>United Launch Services (ULA), LLC, Centennial, Colorado — modify an Earth-vicinity cryogenic upper stage</li><li><a href="https://www.space.com/19584-blue-origin-quiet-plans-for-spaceships.html">Blue Origin</a>, LLC, Kent, Washington — adapt an Earth- and lunar-vicinity spacecraft</li><li>Astrobotic Technology, Inc., Pittsburgh — modify a lunar-exploration spacecraft</li></ul><h2 id="mars-surface-imaging-services-2">Mars surface-imaging services</h2><ul><li>Albedo Space Corporation, Broomfield, Colorado — adapt a <a href="https://www.space.com/low-earth-orbit">low Earth orbit</a> imaging satellite</li><li>Redwire Space, Inc., Littleton, Colorado — modify a low Earth orbit commercial imaging spacecraft</li><li>Astrobotic Technology, Inc. — modify a lunar exploration spacecraft to include imaging</li></ul><h2 id="next-generation-relay-services-2">Next-generation relay services</h2><ul><li>Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (<a href="https://www.space.com/18853-spacex.html">SpaceX</a>), Hawthorne, California — adapt Earth-orbit communication satellites for Mars</li><li>Lockheed Martin Corporation — provide communication relay services via a modified Mars orbiter</li><li>Blue Origin, LLC — provide communication relay services via an adapted Earth- and lunar-vicinity spacecraft</li></ul><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_kEldHpjf_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_kEldHpjf_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html">Mars: Everything you need to know about the Red Planet</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/13558-historic-mars-missions.html">Mars missions: A brief history</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/intuitive-machines-odysseus-moon-lander-broken-leg">Private Odysseus moon lander broke a leg during historic touchdown (new photos)</a></p></div></div><p>NASA also wants private industry to help get pristine Mars samples to Earth, one of the agency's most important science priorities over the next decade or so.</p><p>The first phase of that ambitious effort is well underway; the samples are being collected by the car-sized <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/perseverance-rover-mars-2020-mission">Perseverance rover</a>, which landed inside Mars' Jezero Crater in February 2021. But NASA is <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-revamp-mars-sample-return-plan">overhauling its architecture</a> for getting the samples here, as its original plan has suffered multiple delays and cost overruns.</p><p>The agency asked private companies for Mars sample-return ideas earlier this month and plans to start incorporating helpful concepts into a new architecture as early as this fall. The sample-return work is separate from the Mars Exploration Commercial Services program. </p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/nasa-picks-nine-companies-mars-mission-ideas</link> <description> <![CDATA[ NASA has selected nine companies to develop concepts that could agency science missions to Mars down the road. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">jScCBTteH86JZoo5VQdgwJ</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MeLBJNnoVngsSXk8pfYpsG.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 14:00:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Mars]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ mwall@space.com (Mike Wall) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MeLBJNnoVngsSXk8pfYpsG.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/JPL-Caltech]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[mars seen against the blackness of space]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[mars seen against the blackness of space]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ AI discovers over 27,000 overlooked asteroids in old telescope images ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>More than 27,000 asteroids in our solar system had been overlooked in existing telescope images — but thanks to a new AI-powered algorithm, we now have a catalog of them. The scientists behind the discovery say the tool makes it easier to find and track millions of asteroids, including potentially dangerous ones that might strike <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/54-earth-history-composition-and-atmosphere.html"><u>Earth</u></a> someday. It is for those threatening space rocks that the world would need years of advance warning before <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/dart-asteroid-mission"><u>trying to deflect them</u></a> away from our planet.</p><p>Most of the newfound <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/51-asteroids-formation-discovery-and-exploration.html"><u>asteroids</u></a> hover in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16105-asteroid-belt.html"><u>asteroid belt</u></a> between <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html"><u>Mars</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/7-jupiter-largest-planet-solar-system.html"><u>Jupiter</u></a>, where scientists have already cataloged over 1.3 million such rocky shards over the past 200 years. The latest bounty, discovered in about five weeks, also includes about 150 space rocks whose paths glide them within Earth's orbit; to be clear, however, none of these "near-Earth asteroids" seem to be on a collision path with our planet. Others are <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/lucy-asteroid-mission"><u>Trojans</u></a> that follow Jupiter in its orbit around <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html"><u>the sun</u></a>. Observations of these asteroids are yet to be submitted to and accepted by International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, the official body responsible for asteroid discoveries.</p><p>Astronomers conventionally find new asteroids by studying pockets of our sky over and over again, through telescope images gathered multiple times each night — usually every few hours. While planets, stars and galaxies in the background remain unchanged from one image to the next, asteroids are spotted as specks of light that move noticeably, which are then flagged and verified. From there, orbits of these asteroids are determined and monitored.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artificial-intelligence-tech-aid-exoplanet-asteroid-detection.html">How A.I. Could Help Find Alien Planets and Asteroids</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_TTutuz9n_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_TTutuz9n_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>"This is really a job for AI," Ed Lu, executive director of the Asteroid Institute and co-founder of the B612 Foundation, said early last month during a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSXIT4jO2o8" target="_blank">discussion on the discovery</a>. In fact, AI tools designed for asteroid searches are already approaching levels attainable by humans, Lu said: "I think we're gonna quickly surpass that over the next few weeks."</p><p>The algorithm Lu's team developed, known as Tracklet-less Heliocentric Orbit Recovery, or THOR, analyzed over 400,000 archival images of the sky maintained by the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, or NOIRLab. As long as there are about five observations in 30 days associated with the same pocket of the sky, the algorithm can get to work. It's trained on a large dataset that makes it capable of analyzing as many as 1.7 billion light dots in just a single telescope image. It is designed to scope out and connect a point of light from one image of the sky to another one in a different image, and determine whether both specks represent the same object — more often than not, that indicates an asteroid moving through <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/24870-what-is-space.html">space</a>, according to a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://b612foundation.org/thor-on-adam-fact-sheet/#technical-information-5" target="_blank">description</a> of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2019/EPSC-DPS2019-1404-1.pdf" target="_blank">algorithm</a> by the B612 Foundation.</p><p>"We don't own a telescope, we don't operate a telescope," Lu said during the discussion. "We're doing this from a data science perspective."</p><p>The scientists scaled their algorithm using Google Cloud, whose computational heft and data storage services made it easier for the scientists to test out thousands of orbits of asteroid candidates, according to a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://b612foundation.org/asteroid-institute-and-google-cloud-identify-27500-new-asteroids/" target="_blank">statement</a> released Tuesday (April 30) by the B612 Foundation.</p><p>"Not only can we find asteroids in datasets that were never meant for it, but we can make every other telescope in the world better at finding asteroids," Lu said during the talk. "It's a change in how <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16014-astronomy.html">astronomy</a> is done."</p><p>In 2022, the same team of scientists used THOR to discover 100 asteroids that had been undetected in existing telescope images. Other teams of astronomers have also leveraged AI to find new asteroids. Just two weeks ago, for instance, citizen scientists spearheaded training of an algorithm that led to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/citizen-scientists-discover-one-thousand-asteroids-hubble-telescope-photos">discovery of 1,000 new asteroids</a> in archival images clicked by the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/15892-hubble-space-telescope.html">Hubble Space Telescope</a>. Last July, a software named HelioLinc3D designed to hunt for near-Earth asteroids <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/ai-finds-first-potentially-dangerous-asteroid">found</a> a 600-foot-wide (180-meter-wide) space rock expected to approach within 140,000 miles (225,000 kilometers) of Earth. That's closer than the average distance between our planet and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/55-earths-moon-formation-composition-and-orbit.html">the moon</a>.</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Related Stories:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/citizen-scientists-artificial-intelligence-galaxy-discovery">Citizen scientists and AI take a cosmic cruise to discover 430,000 new galaxies</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/how-do-we-know-what-milky-way-looks-like">How do we know what the Milky Way looks like?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/milky-way-galaxy-different-shape">The Milky Way galaxy may be a different shape than we thought</a></p></div></div><p>Scientists have so far spotted over 2,000 such "potentially hazardous asteroids" and estimate about 2,000 more are <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2023/07/31/heliolinc3d/" target="_blank">yet to be discovered</a>. Detecting these space rocks in an effort to aid <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/planetary-defense-explained">planetary defense</a> is one of the tasks of the upcoming <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/vera-rubin-observatory-broad-views-universe">Vera C. Rubin Observatory</a> in Chile, for which the asteroid-hunting HelioLinc3D software was developed. </p><p>The 8.4-meter telescope, which is scheduled to start operations next year, will take images of the southern sky every night for at least a decade, each image covering 40-full-moons of area. Scientists <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.astronomy.com/science/the-vera-c-rubin-observatory-shows-its-flair-for-asteroid-detection/">say</a> this cadence, supported by AI-based software like THOR and HelioLinc3D, could help the observatory find as many as 2.4 million asteroids — double than those now cataloged — in its first six months of operations.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/google-cloud-ai-tool-asteroid-telescope-archive</link> <description> <![CDATA[ A new AI software has helped identify more than 27,000 asteroids in our solar system that had been overlooked in telescope images. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">EdRFWjGdcxcP8ndsDZTrp5</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/R57YNb59TVccBA5o2LGUpW.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 13:03:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Asteroids]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/R57YNb59TVccBA5o2LGUpW.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[B612 Asteroid Institute / University of Washington DiRAC Institute / OpenSpace Project]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[a bright dot in the center is orbited on all sides by innumerous small green points among black space.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a bright dot in the center is orbited on all sides by innumerous small green points among black space.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 6 goes old school and benefits because of it ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p><strong>Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 6</strong></p><p>Here we are then, the other side of the halfway mark of the very last season of "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/star-trek-discovery-season-5-episode-1-recap">Star Trek: Discovery</a>." Will the plot actually advance any further? Or does the chase across the galaxy for the Progenitors MacGuffin continue, offering another chance to insert a stand-alone, episode-length adventure along the way? Interestingly, a look at the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5171438/episodes/?topRated=DESC" target="_blank">IMDb top 10</a> rated episodes of "Discovery" there isn't one single entry beyond the second season. </p><p>This week's curiously named installment is entitled "Whistlespeak" and it's almost a throwback to old school-style of sci-fi storytelling, more typically found in something like "Stargate SG1." And a 10 episode-long chase for an alien artifact would be just fine in that show, because each season was typically 22 episodes long. Sadly, that's one reason why "Discovery" has been deteriorating, rather than improving, because each season — and it's far more obvious in seasons 3, 4 and 5 — seems to follow a very cookie-cutter formulaic approach. </p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/star-trek-streaming-guide-watch-online">Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online</a></p><div class="product"><a data-dimension112="98a0f99f-d465-43dc-87ec-1c2a6f8dcf25" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial" data-dimension48="Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial" href="https://www.paramountplus.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><figure class="van-image-figure " ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:500px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:100.00%;"><img id="AJxehiSMwQMgBeqCLFixa5" name="Paramount Plus Square.jpg" caption="" alt="" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AJxehiSMwQMgBeqCLFixa5.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="500" height="500" attribution="" endorsement="" credit="" class=""></p></div></div></figure></a><p><strong>Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: </strong><a href="https://www.paramountplus.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="98a0f99f-d465-43dc-87ec-1c2a6f8dcf25" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial" data-dimension48="Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial"><strong>Get a one month free trial</strong></a><strong> </strong></p><p>Get all the Star Trek content you can possibly handle with this free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch new shows like Star Trek: Discovery and all the classic Trek movies and TV shows too. Plans start from $4.99/month after the trial ends.<a class="view-deal button" href="https://www.paramountplus.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="98a0f99f-d465-43dc-87ec-1c2a6f8dcf25" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial" data-dimension48="Watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus: Get a one month free trial">View Deal</a></p></div><p>There's always a threat facing all life in the universe (killer AI, exploding dilithium, gravity waves, Progenitor tech), there's always a series of clues-of-sorts that have to followed and that usually entails a set of standalone adventures before finally everything concludes in a disappointing payoff. Tragically, "Discovery" never really found its identity and it struggled from the outset when the original concept was <em>not</em> to focus on the captain of a particular starship, but rather the first officer. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:7952px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:66.70%;"><img id="Qs2gREN2uobSKVJMuD8MM6" name="DISCO_506_MAG_0914_12774-1_RT1.jpeg" alt="two characters in dingy brown clothing sit and have a conversation among stone walls" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Qs2gREN2uobSKVJMuD8MM6.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="7952" height="5304" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">If in doubt, knock out an episode where the Prime Directive has to be broken to save some folk. Easy </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Paramount Plus)</span></figcaption></figure><p>That combined with the fact that big-budget TV sci-fi has shifted to shorter seasons with more expensive episodes over longer seasons and more expansive storylines. Just remind yourself what other sci-fi shows have managed to achieve in five seasons; "Stargate: Atlantis" and "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/babylon-5-remastered-streaming-amazon-itunes-hbo-max">Babylon 5</a>" both had five seasons, "Battlestar Galactica" only had four and "Stargate: SG1" had 10. (Although the less said about the whole Ori storyline, the better.)</p><p>All that aside, this particular episode was a quirky little number that was actually quite enjoyable. So, that's nice. Yes, there are one or two <del>enormous</del> small plot holes and the super-convenient tech has somewhat taken a turn for the ridiculous. This is not swallowing a pill to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-season-1-episode-1-review">genetically alter</a> you temporarily, these are easy-install "optical tricorders" — yes, indeed, you need never have the burden of having to actually carry a tricorder anymore, because now they can be worn like contact lenses.</p><p>This week, Capt. Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) beam incognito down to the surface of a pre-warp, pre-industrial world much like the Planet Vancouver that we often saw in just about every incarnation of "Stargate." And why-oh-why do these primitive, unevolved civilizations always have traditions that seem harmless at first, but upon further examination almost certainly seem to involve decapitation, disembowelment or any one of a hundred different, excruciating ways of dying, all in the name of glorious sacrifice to some god or another. Was the human race ever like tha...oh wait, hang on. <em>Damn</em>.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:7952px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:66.70%;"><img id="EdtXfVGsLp5nyUFMSVc2VE" name="DISCO_506_MAG_0912_12435-1_RT1.jpeg" alt="" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EdtXfVGsLp5nyUFMSVc2VE.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="7952" height="5304" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Mmm, fire indeed hot. These primitive folk do know that fire needs air to burn, right? Just checkin' like. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Paramount Plus)</span></figcaption></figure><p>In this particular instance it's simply suffocating. Of course if you blew the fires out that also happen to be burning in the room, you know, using up all the precious air that's left, you <em>might</em> last a teeny-tiny bit longer. But that's probably not covered in standard Starfleet training, rather undergraduates are instead taught how to rebuild an illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator using only a discarded toothbrush, a clothes peg, an empty washing up liquid bottle and sticky-back plastic. </p><p>You also have to wonder how the local population had such an in-depth knowledge of the sacrificial chamber if no one ever survived, but we'll look past that, just like the writers did. And boy-oh-boy, there's along time to kill before you get killed. On the up side, the dialogue is pretty sharp this week and despite all its flaws, this is a well-paced installment. Still, a cliffhanger might be nice at some point before the show wraps permanently. All things considered though, given the low bar "Discovery" has sadly set itself, this one isn't terrible. </p><p>In other, somewhat related news, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish has stepped down and it's rumored that the entertainment giant is going to create an "office of the CEO" and have a team making the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-sale-skydance-charter-carriage-deal-1235885769/">important</a> decisions rather than a rich, white man who doesn't seem to have much of a clue. Sounds like a plan, right? Well, wait for it... Instead, <em>three</em> rich, white men will be making all the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/paramount-global-office-of-ceo-staff-memo-1235986422/">important</a> decisions. George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Paramount Media Networks and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:5928px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:66.67%;"><img id="BfqhfApdyYcGFMdFQKtknM" name="DISCO_506_MGG_0901_11172-1_RT1.jpeg" alt="Lt. Tilly in engineering." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BfqhfApdyYcGFMdFQKtknM.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="5928" height="3952" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Lt. Tilly in engineering, doing <em>something</em> in another curious choice of publicity image from Paramount </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Paramount Plus)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Needless to say, Paramount's share value has taken a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/paramount-stock-falls-ceo-bakish-dismissal-skydance-deal-1235986923/">nosedive</a> this week. Now while most of this is related to Paramount Global, it will of course affect the future of Paramount Plus, including programming choices, budget and just about everything else that determines whether or not we'll get to see any "Star Trek" going forward, let alone <em>quality</em> "Star Trek." Let's face facts, the only reason we're getting a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/star-trek-section-31-to-go-ahead-as-a-movie">Section 31</a> <del>TV series</del> TV movie is because of contractual obligations. </p><p>The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery," and every other episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US, while "Prodigy" has found a new home <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/best-netflix-sci-fi-movies-shows.html">on Netflix.</a> </p><p>Internationally, the shows are available on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/221109/175360/3065?subId1=space-us-8588364374793231702&sharedId=space-us&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F" target="_blank">Paramount Plus</a> in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/221109/175360/3065?subId1=space-us-8588364374793231702&sharedId=space-us&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F" target="_blank">Paramount Plus</a> in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/star-trek-discovery-season-5-episode-6-review</link> <description> <![CDATA[ There's nothing quite like a prime directive violation dispute to bring any episode of any Trek series home, as season 5 episode 6 of "Star Trek: Discovery" shows. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">57q6CYezNQnQ3yJ9eyGcXo</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FKwKrf2GJs58QRHVPhAYGN.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 12:59:31 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Space Movies & Shows]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FKwKrf2GJs58QRHVPhAYGN.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Paramount Plus]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[ ]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[ ]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> </channel></rss>If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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