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Inside-Out Nukes: A New Plan to Stop Large Asteroids
2 days ago•Source: Gizmodo
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15.58 min•8 days ago
Endeavour’s 20-Story Return: Launch-Ready Shuttle on Display in LA
California's Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will display the Space Shuttle Endeavour in a vertical, launch-ready pose—featuring its orbiter, solid boosters, and external tank—as the centerpiece of a new exhibit opening November 13, 2026, commemorating NASA's shuttle era.
16.885 min•9 days ago
Gravastar Idea: A Dark-Energy ‘Mini-Universe’ Inside a Black Hole Mimic
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NASA Extends Quantum Frontier: Bose-Einstein Condensates in Orbit
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China Aims for First Asteroid Sample Return from Earth's Quasi-Moon
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Earth Might Surf the Sun’s Red-Giant Wake, But Humanity Is Doomed
New research suggests Earth could dodge engulfment by the Sun’s red-giant stage if the Sun loses mass quickly enough, causing Earth to drift to a wider orbit around a future white-dwarf Sun; however, life would still be impossible due to increased brightness and heat long before that final phase, with Mercury and Venus assuredly doomed and Mars potentially surviving in a wider orbit.
New Model Recasts Uranus and Neptune as Magma-Ocean Giants
A UC-led study proposes Uranus and Neptune may harbor well-mixed magma oceans with dissolved hydrogen beneath a hydrogen-dominated envelope, suggesting they’re magma-ocean giants rather than ice giants and potentially explaining their densities. The model, submitted to The Astrophysical Journal, challenges the traditional three-layer interior picture and could inform the study of sub-Neptune exoplanets, though the idea remains under debate without a dedicated mission to these distant planets.
Kennedy Space Center Faces Capacity Crunch as Moon Mission Cadence Rises
A NASA inspector general report warns Kennedy Space Center cannot support the elevated cadence of Starship launches needed for Artemis missions, with SpaceX planning up to 44 Starship launches per year and a minimum of 15 Starships to deliver propellant before the Starship HLS can carry astronauts to the Moon; upgrading aging pads and infrastructure at LC-39A and related facilities is essential to avoid bottlenecks and meet the 2028 lunar timeline.
Starliner Return Delayed Again as Boeing Tackles Persistent Issues
NASA and Boeing have extended Starliner’s return-to-flight timeline by at least a year while they fix thruster malfunctions and helium leaks; a previous crewed mission in 2024 highlighted safety issues, and while progress is ongoing, no firm uncrewed launch date is set for Starliner-1, with NASA reducing Starliner missions and relying more on SpaceX as the ISS program heads toward 2030 retirement.
Shenlong Spaceplane Deploys Mysterious Object in Orbit
China’s Shenlong reusable spaceplane, on its fourth orbital mission, released an unidentified object in Earth orbit. LeoLabs confirmed the deployment near the spacecraft on June 22, 2026, noting the object did not match any catalog entry. Past Shenlong missions included long-duration orbits and sub-satellite deployments, but China has disclosed little about the program, fueling speculation about potential military, surveillance, or early-warning roles. Observers will monitor the object’s trajectory and any further spaceplane activity as the secrecy around Shenlong continues.
Moon Biocontainment Plan: Scientists Call for an Automated Lunar Quarantine Lab
Biologist Frederick Moxley and McGill’s Anthony Ricciardi propose NASA build a self-contained, automated lunar biocontainment facility (BSL-X) on the Moon to quarantine and sterilize potentially hazardous extraterrestrial samples before any Earth return, arguing Earth-based labs may be insufficient to guard against novel alien microbes; they cite a 2018 ISS bacterium mutation as a cautionary example and frame the plan as a precautionary firewall for interplanetary exploration.
Salt Clouds Explain the Pink Exoplanet GJ 504 b’s Faint Glow
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers obtained the first direct spectrum of the cool, pink exoplanet GJ 504 b and detected signatures of water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia; when salt clouds are included in atmospheric models, the data align with theory, implying a metal-rich planet aged roughly 2.5–4 billion years and highlighting clouds’ key role in interpreting similar faint exoplanets.
Vintage Stargazer Mothership to Launch Swift Rescue Mission
NASA will launch the LINK servicing spacecraft from the Stargazer mothership using a Pegasus XL rocket to boost the Swift Observatory’s orbit, aiming to extend its life and demonstrate a path for future robotic orbital servicing.
A 13-Year Radar Sweep Sheds Light on Europa’s Porous Ice
A 13-year radio study of Europa (2011–2024) finds its radar albedo is unusually bright and the scattering pattern matches clean, porous ice, placing new limits on how deep radar can probe below the icy crust and offering important context for upcoming missions like Europa Clipper and Juice.
Russia Eyes Decommission of Leaky ISS Module to Stop Air Drain
After years of persistent air leaks in the ISS’ PrK vestibule that connects to Russia’s Zvezda module, NASA and Roscosmos debated fixes, with a risky saw-cut repair postponed. Moscow now appears poised to decommission the PrK module by sealing its hatch, potentially ending the leak saga but limiting docking access and cargo transfer to the station.