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It’s rolling! NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission begins journey to the launch pad

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Watch it go! NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission is on its way to the launch pad. NASA’s iconic crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2, or “the crawler”) vehicle is on its way to Pad 39B here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), carrying the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket and Orion spacecraft that … Read more

‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 4, Episode 9 begins setting up the big season finale

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Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 4, Episode 9 While last week’s episode at least provided another fleeting glimpse into life in the galaxy circa 3190, this week we see a return to the primary plot, and we’re rewarded with drama, giant explosions, phasers and photon torpedoes — and even the return of … Read more

Alignment of James Webb Space Telescope begins

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The James Webb Space Telescope continues to take big strides toward becoming an operational observatory. Mission team members have begun the three-month process of aligning the $10 billion Webb, which launched on Dec. 25, NASA officials announced today (Feb. 3).  In the past day or so, for the first time, photons from distant stars traveled … Read more

After reaching deep space haven, Webb telescope begins 5 months of fine-tuning | Science

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NASA’s flagship James Webb Space Telescope has arrived at its destination. After unfolding the carefully packed observatory during its monthlong journey, controllers today briefly fired Webb’s thrusters to put it into a “halo orbit” around L2, a gravitational balance point 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Far from the heat and hubbub of low-Earth orbit, L2 … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope begins lining up its golden mirrors

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Just weeks after the excitement of launch, the James Webb Space Telescope is already seeking focus in space. Engineers are beginning alignment procedures for the recently unfolded 18-segment massive golden mirror. The work will eventually get these individual reflectors working as a single focusing device, NASA officials wrote in a blog update posted on Wednesday … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope team taking a rest day before sunshield tensioning begins

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To celebrate the new year, consider taking a day to rest. That’s what the team managing the complicated process of deploying the James Webb Space Telescope are doing, taking Saturday (Jan. 1) off. Work will resume on Sunday (Jan. 2), according to an agency update. The pause comes after a long day on Friday (Dec. … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope begins unfolding delicate, massive sunshield

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NASA’s massive new space observatory has entered its most perilous phase yet as it begins the careful process of unfurling its delicate sunshield. The James Webb Space Telescope launched on Sunday (Dec. 25) and will be a revolutionary new observatory focused on studying the universe in infrared light. But first, it has to survive a … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope’s rocket begins fueling up for launch

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The rocket that will finally launch NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope today (Dec. 25) has begun fueling for liftoff.  About four hours before the planned Christmas morning launch, the Ariane 5 rocket began filling up with 175 tons of propellant; 150 tons of liquid oxygen and 25 tons of liquid hydrogen are now flowing into … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: Space tourism begins – for billionaires, anyway

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A flurry of short flights aboard privately funded craft saw space tourism begin with a bang for billionaires in 2021. Perhaps by the end of the decade, mere millionaires will be able to join them Space 15 December 2021 By Leah Crane New Shepard’s first crew and capsule Joe Raedle/Getty Images THIS year, the extraordinarily … Read more