The Book of Boba Fett is now streaming on Disney+

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Disney’s latest live-action spinoff series from the “Star Wars” universe hit the ether today (Dec. 29), with the first episode of the limited series focusing on arguably the galaxy’s most notorious mercenary, Boba Fett. First introduced in the now-infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special” — a two-hour-long holiday-themed television special that aired in1978 — Fett rose to … Read more

We Just Got The First Haunting Photo From NASA’s Asteroid Deflecting Spacecraft

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It might not look like much, but here is the first monumental image from the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). Earlier this month, a circular door covering the aperture of its DRACO telescopic camera was opened, allowing the camera to take its first image.     Now, imagine what the camera’s last image will be like: … Read more

Lego to launch NASA-inspired moon sets in time for Artemis I launch

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Lego is launching a new series of building toys themed around NASA’s Artemis program just in time to coincide with the first mission. The toy company recently revealed the first two of its NASA-inspired Lego City Space sets with hints of more to come. The new Rocket Launch Center and Lunar Research Base are scheduled … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope extends its tower assembly to make way for sunshield deployment

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The James Webb Space Telescope is one step closer to finishing the deployment of its massive sunshield.  On Wednesday (Dec. 29), the huge new space observatory successfully extended its deployable tower assembly (DTA), a 48-inch-long (1.2 meters) shaft that connects the telescope’s two halves, NASA officials said in a statement.  The James Webb Space Telescope‘s … Read more

Once a ‘crazy idea,’ patent-pooling nonprofit will help bring COVID-19 pills to world’s poor | Science

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In the United States, widespread hope greeted the decision by the Food and Drug Administration last week to authorize the emergency use of two different oral treatments for SARS-CoV-2 infection, which could mark a new era in which pills taken at home can prevent severe COVID-19. Global health advocates are also celebrating the preauthorization decision … Read more

SpaceX fires up Starship SN20 prototype again ahead of landmark test flight

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SpaceX’s latest Starship prototype has breathed fire again.  The Starship SN20 vehicle performed a “static fire” test on Wednesday (Dec. 29) at the company’s Starbase site in South Texas, briefly igniting its Raptor engines while remaining anchored to the ground. The trial continued the launch-prep campaign for SN20 (“Serial No. 20”), which is scheduled to … Read more

1st orbital test flight of SpaceX’s Starship Mars rocket pushed to March at the earliest

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We’ll have to wait a bit longer for the orbital debut of SpaceX’s Starship Mars rocket. SpaceX had been aiming to launch Starship on its first orbital test flight in January or February, provided that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wrapped up a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) of the company’s South Texas launch site … Read more

After COVID-19 Successes, Researchers Push to Develop mRNA Vaccines for Other Diseases

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When the broad range of vaccines against COVID-19 were being tested in clinical trials, only a few experts expected the unproven technology of mRNA to be the star. Within 10 months, mRNA vaccines were both the first to be approved and the most effective. Although these are the first mRNA vaccines to be approved, the … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope should have fuel for way more than 10 years of science

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NASA’s newest flagship space observatory should have enough fuel to more than double its minimum mission life peering into the history of the universe, according to an agency update. The long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration with the Canadian and European space agencies led by NASA, launched into space Saturday (Dec. 25) on an … Read more