News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
China on Monday denied responsibility for a rocket set to slam into the Moon, after experts said the piece of space junk likely came from Beijing’s lunar exploration program. Astronomers initially thought the wayward object was a chunk of a SpaceX rocket that blasted off seven years ago and was abandoned in space after completing … Read more
From the beginning of the universe to the present day, time is one of the few things we regard as regular and unchanging. Time works by measuring periods between the past, present and future. But that’s a simple, albeit vague answer to an incredibly complex topic. Time is all around us and is the basis … Read more
Northrop Grumman’s 17th Cygnus resupply mission arrived at the International Space Station on Monday, delivering 8,300 pounds (3,765 kilograms) of scientific experiments, food and other supplies. NASA astronaut Raja Chari captured the vehicle at 4:44 a.m. EST (0944 GMT) with the space station‘s robotic arm, while the two spacecraft flew over the Indian Ocean. A … Read more
The James Webb Space Telescope will study the weirdly flickering black hole at the heart of our galaxy, the Milky Way, which has proved elusive for existing telescopes to explore. Webb will join the efforts of numerous telescopes to understand the nature of the supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*, whose tendency to flare up … Read more
Packed among the scientific research and crew supplies delivered by a cargo craft to the International Space Station early Monday morning (Feb. 21), was a small purple box “housing the seeds of a future, interplanetary culture.” Or so reads the inscription printed on the side of the canister. Dubbed the “Moon Gallery”, the collection of … Read more
One of the James Webb Space Telescope‘s first studies will seek to tell us more about 19 nearby galaxies and how they fit into our neighborhood’s history. The infrared images taken from deep space will allow Webb’s data to add galactic information about star formation, strong winds blowing off these stars to disturb gas and … Read more
Gathered your loved ones around the table to play some of the best space board games. Some of our picks are out-of-this-world, quite literally! Whether you’re in the mood for a planetary exploration adventure, a galaxy-hopping conquest, extra-terrestrial encounters, or tactical starship combat, we’ve got you covered with the best space board games in the … Read more
While space games and those steeped in science-fiction tend to fare best on consoles and PC, quite a few sci-fi games reach the mobile market as well. However, given the shovelware that clutters Apple’s and Google’s app stores, it might be hard to figure out what sci-fi games are worth your time. Luckily, we’ve got … Read more
There’s still lots to explore and learn about the effects that space travel has on the body – and it seems those effects include some neuron rewiring that goes on in the brain. Researchers studying the brains of 12 cosmonauts found what they describe as “significant microstructural changes” in the white matter that manages … Read more
The universe abhors a vacuum and so it is in Hollywood, where the current absence of mega-budget space operas like “The Expanse” and “Dune” has given rise to “Rebel Moon,” a fantastic new sci-fi project from director Zack Snyder (“Watchmen,” “Man of Steel,” “Justice League”), and we’ve got a first peek at some breathtaking concept … Read more