13 Things You Didn’t Know About the International Space Station
A Progress spacecraft docked to the ISS.Photo: NASA Every once in a while, the ISS requires a boost to counteract orbital decay and maintain its altitude. While the ISS is…
Sierra Space Built an Inflatable Space Module the Size of a House, Then Blew It Up
You can’t fly an inflatable module to space without bursting a few on Earth. Sierra Space watched its giant, 20-foot tall space station module explode in dramatic fashion, but the…
Near-Invincible Tardigrades Have a Secret Chemical Weapon
Scientists may have figured out one of the many mysteries surrounding everyone’s favorite microscopic survivor: the tardigrade. In new research, a team appears to have uncovered a key mechanism that…
NASA Finally Opened the Asteroid Container and Holy Crap That’s a Lot of Asteroid
The aluminum canister containing bits of an ancient space rock has finally been opened, revealing the bulk of the asteroid Bennu sample in all its glory. Alex Winter on His…
Sunlight May Reignite Japan’s Struggling ‘Lunar Sniper’ on the Moon
Japan’s space agency, JAXA, achieved a historic soft landing with SLIM on Friday morning, but the lander ran into instant trouble by not being able to collect solar energy and…
Boulders Covered in Weird Dust Found on the Moon
Scientists scrutinizing the fine dust covering the Moon have identified a handful of boulders on the lunar surface that they believe may be covered with uniquely magnetized dust. Moon Knight…
Deep Sea ROV Encounters Unknown Octopus Species and More Science News of the Week
An Aspergillus mold under a microscope.Image: M-Production (Shutterstock) The global burden and death toll of fungi has substantially climbed over the past decade, new research finds. The study estimates that…
Astrobotic Feared ‘Catastrophic Situation’ If It Didn’t Destroy Peregrine Lunar Lander
Astrobotic bid farewell to its Peregrine lunar lander on Thursday as the spacecraft plunged through Earth’s atmosphere, thereby preventing the failed mission from colliding into other spacecraft. China’s Plan to…
Fate of Japan’s History-Making ‘Lunar Sniper’ in Doubt After Power Malfunction
Japan’s SLIM is on the Moon and sending data to Earth, in what is a monumental achievement for Japan—it’s now the fifth country to accomplish the feat. The successful soft…
Fate of Japan’s ‘Lunar Sniper’ in Doubt After Precision Landing Attempt
Japan’s SLIM is on the Moon and sending data to Earth, in what is a monumental achievement for Japan—it’s now the fifth country to accomplish the feat. The successful soft…