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Europe’s ExoMars rover, built to search for traces of life on the Red Planet, is unlikely to launch as planned in September aboard a Russian rocket as a result of sanctions rolled out by European countries in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. The ExoMars mission, which comprises the Trace Gas Orbiter (in orbit around … Read more
The dust storm couldn’t keep NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity grounded forever. The 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) Ingenuity aced a 100-second sortie on Tuesday (Feb. 8), its 19th Red Planet flight overall but its first since Dec. 15. The flight had originally been targeted for Jan. 5. But on New Year’s Day, a big dust storm kicked … Read more
BYAMBASUREN BYAMBA-OCHIR/AFP via Getty Images IN 1855, Michael Faraday wrote a letter to the UK parliament alerting MPs to the state of the river Thames, which was used both as a sewer and a source of drinking water. He had conducted an experiment in which he sank pieces of paper to see at what point … Read more
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter has notched yet another milestone — the first weather-related flight delay on another planet. Ingenuity was scheduled to make its 19th Red Planet hop on Jan. 5. On New Year’s Day, however, a strong dust storm kicked up near Jezero Crater, which the helicopter and its robotic partner, NASA’s life-hunting Perseverance rover, … Read more
Josh Fischman: Hi, and welcome to COVID, Quickly, a Scientific American podcast series. This is your fast-track update on the COVID pandemic. We bring you up to speed on the science behind the most urgent questions about the virus and the disease. We demystify the research, and help you understand what it really means. I’m … Read more
NASA’s much-awaited next-generation space telescope is finally ready to launch—just as soon as the weather cooperates. The James Webb Space Telescope, also known as JWST or Webb, has been in the works for decades. During a news conference held on Tuesday (Dec. 21), project officials confirmed that the observatory is ready to launch. However, within hours, … Read more
A faulty data cable between the James Webb Space Telescope and launch pad equipment at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, caused the big observatory’s latest launch delay, European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA representatives said in a briefing on Thursday (Dec. 16). ESA, which has about a 10% stake in the James Webb Space … Read more