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Cygnus XL Delivers 5-Ton Payload to ISS on SpaceX NG-24 Mission
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Artemis II wraps up historic crewed lunar loop with a safe splashdown
NASA's Artemis II crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—completed a nine‑day mission around the Moon aboard the Orion capsule Integrity, then splashed down safely in the Pacific after a high‑speed re‑entry and a six‑minute comms blackout. The astronauts were taken for medical checks aboard the USS John P. Murtha and will head to Houston; President Donald Trump welcomed them home. NASA says the mission validates its updated heat‑shield re‑entry plan and sets the stage for Artemis III (Earth‑orbital rendezvous tests in mid‑2027) and Artemis IV (Moon landing planned for 2028), though targets may shift and the hardest part lies ahead.
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Artemis II completes circumlunar mission, crew splashes down safely
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Single-Dose Frog-Derived Bacterium Trims Tumors Completely in Mice
A bacterium isolated from frog gut, Ewingella americana, was given intravenously to mice with colorectal cancer and achieved a 100% complete tumor remission by both directly killing cancer cells and activating an anti-tumor immune response, outperforming some conventional therapies in this model; the bacterium selectively accumulates in tumors, clears rapidly from the bloodstream, and shows no lasting toxicity to healthy organs, suggesting a novel biodiversity-derived approach with potential for other cancers.
Artemis II returns: four astronauts splash down after lunar flyby
Artemis II's four-astronaut crew safely splashed down in the Pacific off California after a 10-day mission that included a lunar flyby; NASA said all four are in good condition as recovery teams prepared the inflatable 'front porch' raft and began extracting them from the Orion capsule for medical checks aboard the recovery ship.
Artemis II seals a landmark lunar milestone with a Pacific splashdown
Artemis II’s four-astronaut crew completed humanity’s first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years, reaching a record distance of about 252,756 miles and capturing the far side of the Moon plus a total solar eclipse. The Orion capsule, named Integrity, reentered the atmosphere at Mach 33 and made a controlled Pacific splashdown, marking a historic homecoming that sets the stage for future Artemis missions and a sustainable Moon program.
NASA speeds Artemis 3 toward a sustained Moon presence with overlapping missions
NASA is accelerating Artemis 3 while Artemis 2 returns home, adopting overlapping mission phases and small, incremental changes rather than major redesigns to shorten timelines. By leveraging real‑time data, multiple Human Landing System providers, and an increased launch cadence, the agency aims for a mid‑2027 Artemis 3 lunar landing to dock Orion with Starship and/or Blue Moon HLS and test the AxEMU spacesuit, all as part of a broader move toward a sustainable, reusable lunar presence.
Artemis II completes record Moon voyage and heads home
Artemis II’s four astronauts wrap up a ten-day mission around the Moon, traveling farther from Earth than any human before, capturing unprecedented images and sharing messages from space, while preparing for a Pacific splashdown as mission control and the public await the historic re-entry.
Artemis 2's camera kit: Nikon D5 to Z9, GoPro, and iPhone gear you can buy today
NASA’s Artemis 2 mission uses a surprisingly practical mix of cameras—15 mounted on the Orion spacecraft and 17 used by the crew—headlined by Nikon’s D5 DSLR and Z9 mirrorless, plus GoPro action cams and an iPhone 17 Pro Max. The gear list includes the D5 with an 80-400mm lens, a selection of Nikon primes and zooms (35mm f/2D, Z14-24mm f/2.8, 14-24mm f/2.8 ED, 24-70mm f/2.8), the FTZ II adapter, the Z9’s newer optics, along with consumer picks (GoPro Hero 13 and iPhone 17 Pro Max). Space.com notes prices and affiliate links for shoppers to buy similar gear, underscoring NASA’s preference for reliable legacy bodies combined with modern mirrorless tech.
Ancient plate stresses, not a plume, power Yellowstone
A new Science paper argues Yellowstone’s volcanism isn’t driven by a fixed mantle plume but by stresses from the vanished Farallon plate under North America. The geophysical model describes a translithospheric magma plumbing system with two branches feeding the Yellowstone caldera and the Snake River Plain; the crust’s geometry and mantle flow create conduits for molten material, explaining two different styles of volcanism at a single hotspot. While the approach links Yellowstone to historical plate movements, it remains a present‑day snapshot and leaves questions about history and why Yellowstone is unique still open.
Ancient Skin-Preserved Fossil Unveils the Oldest Rib-Based Breathing System
Scientists scanned a skin-preserved 289-million-year-old Captorhinus aguti fossil from Oklahoma with neutron CT, revealing the oldest known rib-based breathing system in amniotes and offering key insight into how early land-dwelling vertebrates evolved more efficient respiration.
Artemis II: A Space Triumph Amid Political Crosswinds
An op-ed praising Artemis II’s historic crewed mission and international collaboration, while arguing that NASA’s competence and a diverse, forward-looking team show what science-driven progress can achieve even amid domestic political turmoil and controversial leadership.
Artemis 2 bets on proven heat shield with lofted re-entry plan
NASA says Artemis 2 can safely re-enter with the same Avcoat heat shield used for Artemis 1, thanks to a lofted skip-entry trajectory that preserves shield permeability and vents gas, addressing the earlier damage seen in Artemis 1. The confidence rests on extensive testing and flight data, though using the current shield means a slightly reduced ability to dodge bad weather at splashdown, and some critics remain skeptical of the approach.