On April 20, 2025, veteran astronaut Don Pettit returned from space after spending 220 days aboard the International Space Station—landing back on Earth the same day he turned 70. This mission makes him the oldest active-duty astronaut in NASA’s history to complete a long-duration spaceflight, redefining the boundaries of age and human performance in microgravity….
Astronomers have confirmed that super-Earths—planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune—are not only the most widespread type of exoplanet in the Milky Way but also possibly among the best candidates for habitability. These intriguing worlds may offer conditions even more favorable to life than our own planet, upending long-standing assumptions in planetary science. A…
On April 20, 2025, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft marked a major achievement by performing a close flyby of asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson, located about 139 million miles (224 million kilometers) from Earth within the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This encounter, which brought Lucy within roughly 600 miles (960 kilometers) of the asteroid, was a…
In a stunning discovery, scientists have determined that two massive lunar canyons—Vallis Planck and Vallis Schrödinger—were created in under 10 minutes by a catastrophic rain of rock debris. The finding significantly deepens our understanding of lunar geology and has major implications for upcoming crewed missions to the Moon. The impact event that changed the Moon…
NASA’s Artemis II mission is making significant progress as the space agency moves closer to its goal of returning humans to the Moon. This mission will be a crucial step in NASA’s long-term plan to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and eventually reach Mars. Integration of the Space Launch System The Artemis…
SpaceX, under the leadership of Elon Musk, has emerged as a pivotal partner in NASA’s Artemis program, a mission aimed at returning humans to the Moon. The Artemis program, which will see NASA land astronauts on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, relies heavily on SpaceX’s technological innovations to…
With ambitious lunar exploration plans, China and Roscosmos have jointly announced their intention to build an International Lunar Research Station (ILRSP). This initiative, focused on establishing a permanent base on the Moon’s southern pole, aims to address significant challenges in space exploration and resource utilization. The planned station will offer vital research insights into lunar…
In a recent astronomical event, asteroid COWECP5 entered Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated above eastern Siberia, creating a spectacular light display visible to residents from miles away. Although the impact did not cause any fatalities or major damage, the event raised critical questions about the limitations of current asteroid detection systems and the time frame in…
Leroy Chiao, a former NASA astronaut, recently shared a startling encounter with two metallic spherical objects while flying over Texas in August. These objects, each about three meters in diameter, flew just six meters away from his aircraft and remained undetected by both radar and transponders. Chiao speculates that the objects may be part of…
