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☆ Webb telescope reveals the smelly atmosphere of nearby giant planet
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Now, data from the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed another intriguing feature of the planet known as HD 189733b: It smells like rotten eggs. Located only 64 light-years from Earth, HD 189733b is the nearest hot Jupiter that astronomers can study as the planet passes in front of its star. HD 189733b only takes about two Earth days to complete a single orbit around its star, Fu said. Webb’s data also showed levels of heavy metals on HD 189733b that are similar to those found on Jupiter. “HD 189733b is a benchmark planet, but it represents just a single data point,” Fu said.

Persons: James Webb, ”, Guangwei Fu, Fu, ” Fu, Webb, they’re, “ Organizations: CNN, Johns Hopkins University

☆ Fossil analysis reveals how Denisovans thrived on the ‘roof of the world’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The grasslands, glaciers and snow-tipped peaks of the Tibetan Plateau are breathtaking, but the vast expanse in Central Asia is also one of Earth’s harshest environments. Archaeologists long believed the Tibetan Plateau — more than 13,000 feet (about 4,000 meters) above sea level — was one of the last places on the planet to be settled. We are familyBaishiya Karst Cave is seen at the edge of Ganjia Basin on the Tibetan Plateau. Now, Baishiya Karst Cave, on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, is helping answer many questions about who the Denisovans were. The analysis is shedding light on how the extinct humans thrived in the ice age environment for more than 100,000 years.

Persons: Bill Nelson, BRIN, Gerard Talavera, nestmates, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Lanzhou University Researchers, China National Space Administration, NASA, Apollo, FBI, BRIN Google, Scientists, Botanical Institute of Barcelona, CNN Space, Science Locations: Central Asia, Ganjia, Siberia, Tibetan, China, what’s, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Delta, Guiana, Talavera, Spain, —, Massachusetts

☆ New images reveal tiny moon around asteroid as it flies by Earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Spotting a tiny moonThe first space rock, asteroid 2011 UL21, passed by Earth on June 27 at a distance of 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometers), or 17 times the distance between Earth and the moon. The radar images showed the asteroid is roughly spherical and is one of a pair, called a binary system. NASA/JPL-CaltechThe Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, at Sutherland Observing Station in South Africa first spotted the space rock on June 16. Astronomers sent radio waves to the space rock and captured a detailed image of asteroid 2024 MK. As the space rock passed by our planet and encountered Earth’s gravity, its orbit changed.

Persons: ”, Lance Benner, don’t, ” Benner Organizations: CNN, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Space Network, Earth, Catalina Sky Survey, JPL, Caltech, Lucy, Asteroid, Astronomers Locations: Pasadena , California, Tucson , Arizona, Barstow , California, Sutherland, South Africa

☆ Unusual swamp creature was an ice age predator before the dinosaurs
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Creatures living in the far south have been harder to pin down, and less is known about the animals that lived closer to the poles. It thrived as a top predator 40 million years before dinosaurs evolved to roam the Earth, according to the study. “It’s really, really surprising that Gaiasia is so archaic. In addition to seeking more fossil examples of the species, the researchers are also curious to find other animals that lived in this far south ecosystem. “It tells us that what was happening in the far south was very different from what was happening at the equator.

Persons: Gaiasia jennyae, ”, Jason Pardo, “ It’s, Claudia Marsicano, “, Gaiasia, Pardo, ” Pardo, Gabriel Lio, ” Marsicano, can’t Organizations: CNN, National Science Foundation, Field, University of Buenos Locations: Namibia, Brazil, Chicago, University of Buenos Aires, South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

☆ Carpenter ants are the only other animals known to amputate besides humans, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But over time, some species — including Camponotus floridanus, also known as carpenter ants — have evolutionarily lost them. “I wanted to see how an ant species that cannot use antimicrobial compounds to treat wounds would care for their injured,” Frank said. “In tibia injuries, the flow of the hemolymph was less impeded, meaning bacteria could enter the body faster. The researchers observed that ant-assisted amputations took about 40 minutes to complete, which is why the insects appeared to opt for femur amputations, but not tibia amputations. “We will keep studying wound care behavior in other ant species and try to understand its evolutionary origins,” Frank said.

Persons: Camponotus floridanus, Erik Frank, ” Frank, Frank, “, weren’t, Dany Buffat, Bart Zijlstra, Dr, Laurent Keller, Frank said, amputations, ” Keller, Keller Organizations: CNN, University of Würzburg, Switzerland’s University of Lausanne, University of Lausanne, “ Workers Locations: Florida, Germany’s, Bavaria, Ivory Coast, United States

☆ How the death of the dinosaurs allowed grapes to flourish
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“This discovery is important because it shows that after the extinction of the dinosaurs, grapes really started to spread across the world.”Much like the soft tissues of animals, actual fruits don’t preserve well in the fossil record. How ancient forests changedWhen the dinosaurs went extinct, their absence changed the entire structure of forests, the team hypothesized. “In the fossil record, we start to see more plants that use vines to climb up trees, like grapes, around this time,” Herrera said. Meanwhile, as a diverse set of birds and mammals began to populate Earth after the disappearance of the dinosaurs, they likely also helped spread grape seeds. Several fossils are related to modern grapes and others are distant relatives or grapes native to the Western Hemisphere.

Persons: hadn’t, ”, Fabiany Herrera, “, ” Herrera, Steven Manchester, Herrera, “ I’ve, Mónica Carvalho, Carvalho, ‘, Arthur T, Susman, Gregory Stull, ” Carvalho Organizations: CNN, Field, Research, University of Michigan’s, of Paleontology, South, Field Museum, National Museum of, Central, Western Locations: Colombia, Panama, Peru, India, South America, Western, Colombian, American, South, Central America, Central, Asia, Africa

☆ Rare purple pigment found in Bronze Age pottery
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CPA Media Pte Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoAncient Greeks and the Romans considered Tyrian purple, first developed in the Bronze Age, an elite, royal color. But the recipe for the long-lasting pigment, made using Mediterranean sea snails, disappeared with the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Now, researchers have found the precious pigment within pottery fragments containing 3,600-year-old purple dye from a Bronze Age workshop in Kolonna on the Greek island of Aegina. Life for a vulnerable child in the Stone Age would have been difficult because Neanderthals moved from place to place. Meanwhile, the agency has selected SpaceX to design a vehicle that will drag the space station out of orbit at the end of the decade when it ceases operations and plummets into the ocean.

Persons: Jesus Christ, Down, paleoanthropologist Mercedes Conde, Valverde, ” Conde, Trent Sugg, Tracy Dyson, NASA’s OSIRIS, REx, China’s, NASA’s, Mars, Emin Yogurtcuoglu, —, — Wood, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, CPA Media, University of Alcalá, NASA, Collins Aerospace, Boeing, SpaceX, Anadolu Agency, Getty, CNN Space, Science Locations: Byzantine Empire, Kolonna, Aegina, Spain, “, Iceland, Rainier, Washington, Kyrenia

☆ Mars gets hit by hundreds of basketball-size space rocks every year
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Hundreds of basketball-size space rocks slam into Mars each year, leaving behind impact craters and causing rumblings across the red planet, according to new research. During its time on Mars, InSight used its seismometer to detect more than 1,300 marsquakes, which take place when the Martian subsurface cracks due to pressure and heat. Meteoroids are space rocks that have broken away from larger rocky bodies and range in size from dust grains to small asteroids, according to NASA. “We’re interested in studying that on Mars because we can then compare and contrast what’s happening on Mars to what’s happening on the Earth. Between 280 and 360 meteoroids hit the red planet each year, and they form impact craters larger than 26 feet (8 meters) across, according to the study.

Persons: ”, Ingrid Daubar, ” Daubar, NASA’s, “ We’re, Géraldine Zenhäusern, ” Zenhäusern, Natalia Wojcicka Organizations: CNN, NASA, Reconnaissance, JPL, Caltech, University of Arizona, Brown University, NASA’s Mars, Nature Communications, Switzerland’s ETH Zürich, Imperial College London’s Locations: Mars, Switzerland’s

☆ Skeletal marks show wear and tear on ancient Egypt’s elite scribes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The findings open a new window into what life was like for scribes in ancient Egypt during the third millennium BC. Skeletal cluesLead study author Petra Brukner Havelková, an anthropologist at the National Museum in Prague, has specialized in identifying activity-induced skeletal markers for nearly 20 years. A drawing shows the parts of the skeleton most affected by the sitting positions and work carried out by scribes. But skeletal changes in their knees, hips and ankles also point to a squatting or crouching position that many scribes preferred. The chewing explains why their jaws were overloaded, while long hours of writing likely caused the skeletal changes observed in their right thumbs, the researchers said.

Persons: Veronika Dulíková, ” Dulíková, “, Martin Frouz, Charles University, Petra Brukner Havelková, Havelková, Jolana, ” Havelková, Dr, Sonia Zakrzewski, ” Zakrzewski Organizations: CNN, Czech Institute of, Charles University, Records, ”, today’s Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture, Czech Institute of Egyptology, of Arts, Charles, National Museum, University of Southampton Locations: Egypt, Abusir, Prague, United Kingdom, bioarchaeology, Saqqara, ’

☆ Asteroid Bennu has a surprisingly watery past, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —An early analysis of a sample collected from the asteroid Bennu suggests that the space rock had an unexpectedly water-rich past — and it may have even splintered off from an ancient ocean world. But the compound from the Bennu sample is purer and has larger grains. Rocks and dust were collected from asteroid Bennu and returned to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx mission. Erika Blumenfeld/Joseph Aebersold/NASA“The sample we returned is the largest reservoir of unaltered asteroid material on Earth right now,” Lauretta said. “Each week, analysis by the OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Team provides new and sometimes surprising findings that are helping place important constraints on the origin and evolution of Earth-like planets.”

Persons: REx, ”, Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS, Connolly, Dante Lauretta, “, Erika Blumenfeld, Joseph Aebersold, ” Lauretta, Nick Timms, Harold Connolly Jr Organizations: CNN, NASA, Planetary, Goddard Space Flight, Japan Aerospace, Earth, University of Arizona, Bennu, Curtin University’s School of, Planetary Sciences, Rowan University’s School of Earth Locations: Greenbelt , Maryland, Tucson, Glassboro , New Jersey

☆ New satellite will do double duty monitoring Earth and space weather
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Forecasters will soon be able to see real-time mapping of lightning activity on Earth and keep a closer eye on solar storms unleashed by the sun thanks to a new weather satellite. The weather satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:26 p.m. What sets GOES-U apart from other satellites is that it’s carrying a new capability to keep an eye on space weather. The coronagraph will provide continuous observations of the solar corona, or the hot outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere, which is where space weather events originate, said Elsayed Talaat, director of NOAA’s Office of Space Weather Observations. The instrument’s capabilities will allow NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center to issue warnings and watches one to four days in advance and “mark a new chapter in space weather observatoions,” Talaat said.

Persons: ”, Ken Graham, Elsayed Talaat, ” Talaat, Steve Volz, ” Graham, Sullivan, Pam Sullivan Organizations: CNN, NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Environmental, SpaceX, Kennedy Space Center, NOAA, National Weather Service, YouTube, GOES, Atmospheric Imaging, NOAA’s, Service Locations: Florida, Africa, New Zealand, Central, South America, Caribbean

☆ Meet Lokiceratops, the rock star cousin of Triceratops
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. The Triceratops fossil emerged first as it eroded from the rock of the Hell Creek Formation in 2006. Across the universeAn artist's illustration shows a supermassive black hole as it wakes up at the center of a faraway galaxy. M. Kornmesser/ESOAstronomers are watching a supermassive black hole awakening in the middle of a distant galaxy for the first time. Sign up here to receive in your inbox the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland and Katie Hunt.

Persons: dino, rex, Mark Eatman, ”, Eatman, Sergey Krasovskiy, Lokiceratops rangiformis, Lokiceratops, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, won’t, Stephen Hawking, Robert Erwan Fordyce, Benjamin Kear, Martin Bernetti, Fernando Trujillo, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, NASA, International Space Station, Boeing, ESO, University of Otago, Southern Hemisphere, Uppsala University’s Museum, Evolution, Getty, CNN Space, Science Locations: what’s, Montana, Raleigh, what's, Maribo, Denmark, British, New Zealand, Pangea, Uppsala, Sweden, Nui, Chile, AFP, Easter, Rapa, Colombian

☆ Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is the oldest vortex in the solar system
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a massive storm that has swirled within the atmosphere of the largest planet in the solar system for years. The Great Red Spot is a massive vortex within Jupiter’s atmosphere that is about 10,159 miles (16,350 kilometers) wide, which is similar to Earth’s diameter, according to NASA. Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty ImagesWhile the first two scenarios resulted in cyclones, they differed in shape and other characteristics witnessed in the Great Red Spot. But the researchers believe that the persistent atmospheric storm cell, which resulted from intense wind instability, produced the Great Red Spot. Previous research, published in March 2018, has shown that the Great Red Spot is growing taller as it shrinks in size overall.

Persons: Giovanni Domenico Cassini, Ann Ronan, Cassini, ”, Agustín Sánchez, Lavega, “, updrafts, Donato Creti, Vincenzo Pinto, Michael Wong, ” Wong Organizations: CNN, Research, NASA, University of, Visitors, Vatican Museum, University of California Locations: Italian, Basque, Bilbao, Spain, AFP, Berkeley

☆ Astronomers watch a supermassive black hole awaken in real time
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Astronomers are witnessing a never-before-seen spectacle in the cosmos: the awakening of a supermassive black hole at the center of a distant galaxy. In late 2019, a team of astronomers took notice of an otherwise unremarkable galaxy named SDSS1335+0728, 300 million light-years away in the Virgo constellation. “If so, this would be the first time that we see the activation of a massive black hole in real time.”Sleeping celestial giantsSupermassive black holes are classified as having masses more than 100,000 times that of our sun. “In the case of SDSS1335+0728, we were able to observe the awakening of the massive black hole, (which) suddenly started to feast on gas available in its surroundings, becoming very bright.”Previous research has pointed to inactive galaxies that appeared to become active after several years, which is usually triggered by black hole activity, but the process of a black hole awakening has never been directly observed before, until now, Hernández García said. The same scenario may play out with Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, but astronomers aren’t sure how likely it is to occur, Ricci said.

Persons: ”, Paula Sánchez Sáez, Neil Gehrels Swift, Chandra, Sánchez Sáez, Lorena Hernández García, Claudio Ricci, “, Hernández García, Ricci Organizations: CNN —, Palomar, Astrophysics, European Southern Observatory, Survey, Micron, Sky Survey, Sloan, European Southern, Southern Astrophysical Research, Keck, Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, University of Valparaíso, Diego Portales University Locations: California, Germany, European, Chile, Hawaii, —

☆ Voyager 1 resumes study of uncharted cosmic territory after computer glitch
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Currently the farthest spacecraft from Earth, Voyager 1 stopped communicating coherently with mission control in November 2023. However, data from Voyager 1’s four science instruments, which study plasma waves, magnetic fields and particles, remained elusive. On May 19, the Voyager team sent a command to the spacecraft to start returning science data. Now, all four instruments are beaming back usable science data, according to an update shared by NASA on June 13. )”Long-lived space missionsMeanwhile, Voyager 1 is back to doing what it does best: Sharing insights from uncharted cosmic territory.

Persons: “, ” Long, Suzanne Dodd, ” Dodd Organizations: CNN, NASA, Voyager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Neptune Locations: Pasadena , California

☆ Webb telescope pinpoints asteroid collision in nearby planetary system
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“The James Webb Telescope: Are We Alone?” on The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper offers an inside look at the most powerful telescope ever built. The Beta Pictoris system, located just 63 light-years from Earth, has long intrigued astronomers because of its proximity and age. “So I was super excited to reobserve this system in 2023 using the James Webb Space Telescope,” Chen said. The dust was then pushed out of the planetary system by radiation from the central star, which is slightly hotter than our sun. But the powerful Webb telescope was unable to detect any dust.

Persons: James Webb, Anderson Cooper, Pictoris, Christine Chen, ”, “, ” Chen, Beta, Chen, Webb, JWST, Cicero Lu, Johns Hopkins, Spitzer, Kadin Worthen, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Beta, Johns Hopkins University, American Astronomical Society, Spitzer, Telescope, Johns, Johns Hopkins Locations: Baltimore, Madison , Wisconsin

☆ Ernest Shackleton’s Quest shipwreck has finally been found
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men set off aboard the HMS Endurance in 1914. A search expedition found the HMS Endurance wreck in 2022, and now, another part of Shackleton’s legacy has been recovered. Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesAn international team of experts using sonar has located the exploration ship Quest, once captained by Shackleton, off the coast of Canada. — A botanist spotted a tiny plant species new to science growing in an unlikely place on the slopes of the Andes.

Persons: Sir Ernest Shackleton, Shackleton, Freeman Dyson, Dyson, George Wittemyer, ”, Mickey Pardo, ritualistically, Chichén Itzá, “, Adomas Valantinas, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, HMS, Quest, Central Press, Hulton, Cornell University, Olympus, ESA, Brown University, NASA, CNN Space, Science Locations: Antarctica, South Georgia, Canada, Kenya, Chichén, Yucatán, Everest, England, Australia

☆ Solar storm hits Mars, creating planet-engulfing auroras, NASA says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —When the sun unleashed an extreme solar storm and hit Mars in May, it engulfed the red planet with auroras and an influx of charged particles and radiation, according to NASA. Solar radiation hits MarsThe most extreme storm occurred on May 20 after an X12 flare released from the sun, according to data collected by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft currently studying the sun. The Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale Crater just south of the Martian equator, took black-and-white images using its navigation cameras during the solar storm. But Mars lost its magnetic field billions of years ago, which means the planet has no shield from incoming energized solar particles. By tracing the data from multiple Martian missions, scientists were able to watch how the solar storm unfolded.

Persons: Gale, “, ”, Don Hassler, ” Auroras, Mars, Deborah Padgett, MAVEN, Christina Lee Organizations: CNN, NASA, Solar Orbiter, Goddard Space Flight, Mars, Caltech, JPL, Southwest Research, Exploration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California, Space Sciences Laboratory Locations: Northern California, Alabama, Greenbelt , Maryland, Boulder , Colorado, Pasadena , California

☆ Nova: ‘New star’ will appear in the night sky after stellar explosion
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

While a supernova is the explosive death of a massive star, a nova refers to the sudden, brief explosion from a collapsed star known as a white dwarf. The dwarf star remains intact, releasing material in a repetitive cycle that can occur for thousands of years. “It’s incredibly exciting to have this front-row seat.”T Coronae Borealis, otherwise known as the “Blaze Star,” is a binary system in the Corona Borealis that includes a dead white dwarf star and an aging red giant star. The red giant becomes increasingly unstable over time as it heats up, casting off its outer layers that land as matter on the white dwarf star. Cooke recalled that the last nova he witnessed — Nova Cygni in 1975 — had a similar brightness to what is expected from T Coronae Borealis.

Persons: “ It’s, ”, Rebekah Hounsell, ” Hounsell, “, Burchard, William J, Cooke, Vega, skywatchers, Elizabeth Hays, ” Hays, they’ll, Hounsell, ” Cooke, —, Koji Mukai Organizations: CNN —, NASA, Goddard Space Flight, “ Blaze, Blaze Star, Coronae, Polaris, North Star, Northern Hemisphere, Northern Crown, Northern, Corona, NASA Goddard, “ Citizen, ” Locations: Greenbelt , Maryland, Ursberg, Germany

☆ Boeing Starliner, SpaceX Starship missions hit key spaceflight goals
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Chris O'Meara/APAfter lifting off Wednesday, Starliner and its first human crew set a course for the International Space Station. “We’re just happy as can be to be up in space,” Williams said. “One could be a warning sign — you’re in our backyard, you better behave yourself. The dinosaur-discovering family returns to the site in July 2023 for the excavation, including (clockwise from upper left) Sam Fisher, Emalynn Fisher, Danielle Fisher, Liam Fisher, Kaiden Madsen and Jessin Fisher. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Chris O'Meara, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, We’re, ” Williams, —, ”, Philip Riris, ” Dino, Sam Fisher, Emalynn Fisher, Danielle Fisher, Liam Fisher, Kaiden Madsen, Jessin Fisher, Jessin, Liam, Genyornis newtoni, Jacob C, newtoni, George Frandsen, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, eventual, Boeing, Atlas, Cape Canaveral Space Force, International Space, NASA, Bournemouth University, Denver Museum of Nature, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, — Engineers, NASA’s Hubble, CNN Space, Science Locations: Florida, Starliner, Venezuela, Colombia, England, Australia, Williams , Arizona

☆ The Hubble Space Telescope makes a big change to keep observing the universe
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Hubble Space Telescope will transition to a new way of operating that aims to prevent the space observatory from experiencing lapses in its ability to observe the universe, according to NASA officials. The storied telescope, which has captured breathtaking images of the cosmos for 34 years, has traditionally operated using six gyroscopes. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope eyes the universe in May 2009 after one of the space shuttle missions to service the space observatory. Hubble is expected to operate into the mid-2030s, with its cosmic observations providing a complement to the work of the James Webb Space Telescope and future observatories that haven’t launched yet, Clampin said. “We do not see Hubble as being on its last legs,” Crouse said, “and we think it’s a very capable observatory.”

Persons: Mark Clampin, Hubble, Clampin, Patrick Crouse, Crouse, ” Clampin, James Webb, “, ” Crouse Organizations: CNN, Hubble, NASA, Astrophysics, NASA's Hubble, Goddard Space Flight, James Webb Space Telescope Locations: Greenbelt , Maryland

☆ Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders who took iconic ‘Earthrise’ photo dies in plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Joe Sutton | Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —William Anders, a NASA astronaut who was part of the 1968 Apollo 8 crew who were the first three people to orbit the moon, has died in a plane crash in Washington state, according to his son, Gregory Anders. Anders served as a fighter pilot in all-weather interception squadrons of the Air Defense Command in California and Iceland, according to NASA and the US Naval Academy. Taken aboard Apollo 8 by William Anders, this iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon, with astronauts Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell aboard. Anders served as the lunar module pilot for the historic flight. Anders served as Executive Secretary for the National Aeronautics and Space Council from 1969 to 1973, according to NASA.

Persons: William Anders, Gregory Anders, ” Anders, Anders, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, ”, Lovell, Borman, Gerald Ford, Bill Nelson, “ Bill Anders, ” Nelson, Valerie, CNN’s Ashley Strickland Organizations: CNN, NASA, San Juan County Sheriff’s, United States Coast Guard, United States Naval Academy, US Air Force, US Naval, Air Defense Command, US Naval Academy, Air Force Weapons Laboratory, Apollo, Time Magazine, National Aeronautics, Space Council, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Locations: Washington, San Juan Islands, San Juan County, Jones, Seattle, Hong Kong, California, Iceland, New Mexico

☆ SpaceX’s Starship launches for a fourth time
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Ashley Strickland | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —SpaceX’s Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built has lifted off on its fourth flight test on Thursday. The flight test comes two days after the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses commercial rocket launches, gave SpaceX its approval. “The fourth flight of Starship will aim to bring us closer to the rapidly reusable future on the horizon,” according to SpaceX. After the explosive first and second Starship test flights, the company immediately sought to frame these mishaps as successes. But both the Starship spacecraft and booster made it farther into flight than the two previous tests in 2023.

Persons: CNN — SpaceX’s, “, “ We’re, Chandan Khanna, Elon Musk, Topping, Artemis —, Artemis Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, NASA’s, Program, Boeing, NASA, International Space, Super, Getty Locations: Boca Chica , Texas, Gulf, Mexico, United States, China

☆ Live updates: Boeing and NASA launch Starliner spacecraft
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Jackie Wattles | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Boeing’s Starliner sits on the launchpad at sunset, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, on Friday, May 31. The entire stack, including the rocket and spacecraft, was rolled back from the launchpad for testing and repairs. Several issues also cropped up during the June 1 launch attempt, which was called with less than four minutes left on the countdown clock prior to liftoff. But moments before liftoff, the ground launch sequencer — the computer that tells the rocket to launch — triggered an automatic hold that prevented the launch. The United Launch Alliance team investigated the issue and replaced the computer over the weekend, and deemed Starliner ready to fly once more.

Persons: Boeing’s Starliner, Joel Kowsky, NASA Starliner, Starliner Organizations: Cape Canaveral Space Force, NASA, Atlas V, V, United Launch Alliance Locations: Florida

☆ Boeing’s Starliner launch: Highly anticipated crewed test flight set for third launch attempt
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Boeing’s Starliner mission will make a third attempt at launching its first crewed flight test Wednesday in a milestone that has been a decade in the making. Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to ride aboard the Starliner capsule on a journey that takes them to the International Space Station. Cory S Huston/NASAIf Starliner successfully lifts off, the astronauts will spend just over 24 hours traveling to the space station. The station’s really designed to be a closed loop.”Now, the urine has to be stored onboard in containers, so Starliner’s anticipated arrival to the space station can’t come soon enough. This mission could be the final major milestone before NASA deems Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft ready for routine operations to deliver astronauts and cargo to the space station.

Persons: CNN —, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Bill Nelson, —, ” Nelson, Williams, Cory S Huston, Starliner, ”, Dana Weigel, Wilmore, Steve Stich, SpaceX —, Lockheed Martin, Tory Bruno, “, it’s, Bruno Organizations: CNN, Atlas, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Veteran NASA, International Space, cumulus, Weather Squadron, NASA, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, NASA’s, Space Station, SpaceX, Atlas V, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed Locations: Florida, States, United States

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