BREAKING NEWS
New Mars study suggests an ocean's worth of water may be hiding beneath the red dusty surface
Read full article: New Mars study suggests an ocean's worth of water may be hiding beneath the red dusty surfaceA new study suggests Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean.
Crew of NASA's earthbound simulated Mars habitat emerge after a year
Read full article: Crew of NASA's earthbound simulated Mars habitat emerge after a yearFour volunteer crew members who spent more than 12 months inside NASAās first simulated Mars environment at Johnson Space Center in Houston have emerged from the artificial alien enviroment.
During solar eclipse totality, you may be able to spot these planets in the dark sky
Read full article: During solar eclipse totality, you may be able to spot these planets in the dark skyIf the clouds clear enough during the total solar eclipse, you could see Jupiter, Venus and maybe even Mars and Saturn.
Jeff Bezos sells nearly 12 million Amazon shares worth at least $2 billion, with more to come
Read full article: Jeff Bezos sells nearly 12 million Amazon shares worth at least $2 billion, with more to comeJeff Bezos has filed a statement with federal regulators indicating his sale of nearly 12 million shares of Amazon stock worth more than $2 billion.
Orange tabby cat named Taters steals the show in first video sent by laser from deep space
Read full article: Orange tabby cat named Taters steals the show in first video sent by laser from deep spaceAn orange tabby cat named Taters stars in the first video sent by laser from deep space, stealing the show as he chases a red laser light.
NASA awards local space contractor $1.3M to advance lunar technologies
Read full article: NASA awards local space contractor $1.3M to advance lunar technologiesItās the first time the downtown stadium will have turned a profit since the San Antonio Spurs left the building for a new East Side arena in 2002.
Average long-term US mortgage rate climbs to 7.09% this week to highest level in more than 20 years
Read full article: Average long-term US mortgage rate climbs to 7.09% this week to highest level in more than 20 yearsThe average long-term U.S. mortgage rate jumped this week to its highest level in 20 years.
First-of-its-kind Mars livestream by ESA spacecraft interrupted at times by rain on Earth
Read full article: First-of-its-kind Mars livestream by ESA spacecraft interrupted at times by rain on EarthA European spacecraft around Mars has sent its first livestream from the red planet to Earth to mark the 20th anniversary of its launch.
Watch live: SpaceX tries for Starship rocket launch Monday morning
Read full article: Watch live: SpaceX tries for Starship rocket launch Monday morningSpaceX on Monday will try and launch its Starship rocket, a 400-foot-tall rocket that it has spent years developing and is expected to return humans to the lunar surface and one day potentially land the first humans on Mars.
Candy firm fined after 2 workers fall into vat of chocolate
Read full article: Candy firm fined after 2 workers fall into vat of chocolateFederal workplace safety authorities have fined a central Pennsylvania confectionary factory more than $14,500 following an accident last year in which two workers fell into a vat of chocolate.
Gimme shelter: fewer homes being built as builders pull back
Read full article: Gimme shelter: fewer homes being built as builders pull backHomebuilders have pumped the brakes on new single-family home construction this year, a trend thatās likely to extend into 2023, according to several forecasts.
UN to seek out methane emitters with data from space
Read full article: UN to seek out methane emitters with data from spaceBig emitters of the heat-trapping gas methane can expect a call from the United Nations starting next year, when the global body launches a new platform to combine existing systems for tracking the potent greenhouse gas from space.
See video, pictures as 5 planets align with moon in rare astronomical conjunction
Read full article: See video, pictures as 5 planets align with moon in rare astronomical conjunctionMercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn aligned in their natural order across the morning sky in a rare conjunction with the moon.
Toyota heading to moon with cruiser, robotic arms, dreams
Read full article: Toyota heading to moon with cruiser, robotic arms, dreamsToyota says it's working with Japanās space agency on a vehicle to explore the lunar surface, with ambitions to help people live on the moon by 2040 and eventually live on Mars.
US, China consulted on safety as their crafts headed to Mars
Read full article: US, China consulted on safety as their crafts headed to MarsA visitor to an exhibition looks at a display with a replica of the Chinese Mars Rover of the Tianwen-1 spacecraft in Beijing on March 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)BEIJING ā As their respective spacecrafts headed to Mars, China and the U.S. held consultations earlier this year in a somewhat unusual series of exchanges between the rivals. China's National Space Agency confirmed Wednesday that it had working-level meetings and communications with NASA from January to March āto ensure the flight safety" of their crafts. U.S. law bans almost all contacts between NASA and China over concerns about technology theft and the secretive, military-backed nature of Chinaās space program. China's Tianwen-1 is orbiting Mars in preparation for a landing in May or June.
SpaceX launches test rocket at South Texasā Starbase, breaks apart before landing
Read full article: SpaceX launches test rocket at South Texasā Starbase, breaks apart before landingCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ā SpaceX chalked up another failed landing Tuesday for its futuristic, bullet-shaped Starship, as the prototype Mars rocket broke apart right before touchdown. A camera on the rocket froze not quite six minutes into the test flight, and dense fog in South Texas obscured views of the ruptured rocket. AdāAnother exciting test, as we say,ā SpaceX launch commentator John Insprucker said as he concluded the webcast. SpaceX plans to use Starship to send astronauts and cargo to the moon and, ultimately, Mars. Ad___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Instituteās Department of Science Education.
Record number of drones makes for a breathtaking light show
Read full article: Record number of drones makes for a breathtaking light showA company in China successfully did that back in September, and as a result, it got itself into the Guinness Book of World Records. Shenzhen Damoda Intelligent Control Technology Co. set a world record by sending 3,051 unmanned aerial vehicles into the sky. The number of UAVs broke the previous world record of 2,066, set in 2018 by Intel Corporation in California. But even better than the record was a sensational light show the drones produced. Taking off in a grid-like formation, the drones depicted images such as Earth, the International Space Station and Mars, paying tribute to Chinaās role in the space industry.
Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving
Read full article: Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving7, 2021 photo provided by NASA shows tire tracks left by the Mars Perseverance rover. The rover has sent back the first-ever sounds of driving on the red planet. āIf I heard these sounds driving my car, Iād pull over and call for a tow,ā Dave Gruel, an engineer on the rover team, said in a written NASA statement. This second mike didn't pick up any sounds of the rover's arrival at Mars, but managed to record the first test drive March 4. The driving audio contains a unexpected high-pitched scratching noise, according to NASA.
China, Russia agree to build lunar research station
Read full article: China, Russia agree to build lunar research stationChina and Russia said they will build a lunar research station, possibly on the moon's surface, marking the start of a new era in space cooperation between the two countries. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)BEIJING ā China and Russia said they will build a lunar research station, possibly on the moon's surface, marking the start of a new era in space cooperation between the two countries. A statement posted on the website of the China National Space Administration Wednesday said the International Lunar Research Station would also be open to use by other countries, but gave no timeline for its construction. Russia is a participant in the International Space Station but its space program has been somewhat eclipsed by those of China, the U.S., India and others. AdChina has planned four crewed missions this year to work on its first permanent orbiting space station, the core module of which could be launched as soon as next month.
NASA's new Mars rover hits dusty red road, 1st trip 21 feet
Read full article: NASA's new Mars rover hits dusty red road, 1st trip 21 feetThis photo made available by NASA was taken during the first drive of the Perseverance rover on Mars on Thursday, March 4, 2021. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ā NASAās newest Mars rover hit the dusty red road this week, putting 21 feet on the odometer in its first test drive. The Perseverance rover ventured from its landing position Thursday, two weeks after setting down on the red planet to seek signs of past life. AdPerseverance ā NASA's biggest and most elaborate rover yet ā became the ninth U.S. spacecraft to successfully land on Mars on Feb. 18. China hopes to land its smaller rover ā currently orbiting the red planet ā in another few months.
Biden signals support to replace war power authority
Read full article: Biden signals support to replace war power authorityThe U.S. has blamed the militia for numerous attacks targeting U.S. personnel and interests in Iraq in the past. But several leading members of Congress, including members in Bidenās own party, denounced the strikes ā the first military action he has authorized. Kaine and others argued offensive military action without congressional approval is not constitutional absent extraordinary circumstances. A U.S. contractor died after at least 10 rockets slammed into the base early Wednesday. āIf we assess further response is warranted, we will take action again in a manner and time of our choosing,ā Psaki said.
Biden lauds NASA team for giving US 'dose of confidence'
Read full article: Biden lauds NASA team for giving US 'dose of confidence'President Joe Biden congratulates NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars 2020 Perseverance team for successfully landing on Mars during a virtual call in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Thursday, March 4, 2021. Biden speaking in video conference call with the leadership of space agencyās jet propulsion laboratory team expressed awe over the Feb. 18 landing of Perseverance. AdāItās so much bigger than landing Perseverance on Mars," Biden told members of the NASA team. AdāWe can land a rover on Mars, we can beat a pandemic," Biden said. The NASA team landing on Feb. 18 marked the third visit to Mars in just over a week.
Chinese astronauts training for space station crewed flights
Read full article: Chinese astronauts training for space station crewed flightsChina says a cohort of astronauts have been selected and are in training to carry out four crewed missions this year as the country works to complete its first permanent orbiting space station. (CNSA via AP)BEIJING ā China said Thursday a cohort of astronauts is training for four crewed missions this year as the country works to complete its first permanent orbiting space station. Two other modules will be launched later, along with four Tianzhou cargo supply mission and the four Shenzhou crewed missions. CNSA listed 12 astronauts training for the crewed missions, including veterans of previous Shenzhou flights, newcomers and women, though it wasn't clear if there were others selected. Once completed, the permanent space station will allow for stays of up to six months, similar to the International Space Station.
These photos on Mars are the best weāve ever seen
Read full article: These photos on Mars are the best weāve ever seenThe landing is part of NASAās Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort to explore the Red Planet. (2021 NASA)This is the first 360-degree panorama taken by Mastcam-Z, a zoomable pair of cameras aboard NASAās Perseverance Mars rover. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSSThis shows the rim of Jezero Crater as seen in the first 360-degree panorama taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument aboard NASAās Perseverance Mars rover (Feb. 24, 2021). AdNASAās Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its Rover Down-Look Camera. The Perseverance Mars rover landed on Mars Feb. 18, 2021.
China's Mars craft enters parking orbit before landing rover
Read full article: China's Mars craft enters parking orbit before landing roverChina says its Tianwen-1 spacecraft has entered a temporary parking orbit around Mars in anticipation of landing a rover on the red planet in the coming months. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)BEIJING ā China says its Tianwen-1 spacecraft has entered a temporary parking orbit around Mars in anticipation of landing a rover on the red planet in the coming months. A successful bid to land Tianwen-1 would make China only the second country after the U.S. to place a spacecraft on Mars. AdTianwen, the title of an ancient poem, means āQuest for Heavenly Truth.āLanding a spacecraft on Mars is notoriously tricky. In 2011, a Mars-bound Chinese orbiter that was part of a Russian mission didnāt make it out of Earth orbit.
NASA releases Mars landing video: āStuff of our dreamsā
Read full article: NASA releases Mars landing video: āStuff of our dreamsāThis combination of images from video made available by NASA shows steps in the descent of the Mars Perseverance rover as it approaches the surface of the planet on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. āIt gives me goose bumps every time I see it, just amazing,ā said Dave Gruel, head of the entry and descent camera team. After spending the weekend binge-watching the descent and landing video, the team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, shared the video at a news conference. āThese videos and these images are the stuff of our dreams," said Al Chen, who was in charge of the landing team. AdSix off-the-shelf color cameras were devoted to entry, descent and landing, looking up and down from different perspectives.
Mars landing team āawestruckā by photo of descending rover
Read full article: Mars landing team āawestruckā by photo of descending roverThis Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 photo provided by NASA shows the Perseverance rover lowered towards the surface of Mars during its powered descent. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ā The world got its first close-up look at a Mars landing on Friday, as NASA released a stunning picture of its newest rover being lowered onto the dusty red surface. NASA equipped the spacecraft with a record 25 cameras and two microphones, many of which were turned on during Thursdayās descent. It's the ninth time that NASA has successfully landed on Mars __ and the fifth rover. As it did with 2012's Curiosity rover ā still roaming 2,300 miles (3,750 kilometers) away ā NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed Perseverance descending beneath its massive parachute.
United Arab Emirates publishes first photo from Mars probe
Read full article: United Arab Emirates publishes first photo from Mars probeThis Feb. 10, 2021 image taken by the United Arab Emirates' "Amal," or "Hope," probe was released Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, shows Mars . The Hope space probe now circles the red planet. (Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center/UAE Space Agency, via AP)DUBAI ā The United Arab Emirates on Sunday published the first image for its Mars probe now circling the red planet. It shows Mars' north pole, as well as Mars' largest volcano, Olympus Mons. The probe swung into orbit around Mars on Tuesday in a triumph for the Arab worldās first interplanetary mission.
Thereās more than 1 way to send a spacecraft to Venus
Read full article: Thereās more than 1 way to send a spacecraft to VenusAdIt used to be -- in the U.S.-- NASA was the only way to fund and send a robotic mission to another world, but not anymore. The company wants to send the first robotic mission to Venus in 2023. (Image credit: Rocket Lab) (Rocket Lab)Meanwhile, NASA is considering funding its own missions to the planet considered Earthās twin. Currently there are two Venus missions under consideration and two more equally fascinating missions, one designed to study Jupiterās moon Io and another to Neptuneās moon Triton. AdHereās what launching a robotic mission to another planet looks like, in a nutshell, according to Wagner:āThis is what a typical NASA mission is.
SpaceX launches Starship on highest test flight, crash-lands
Read full article: SpaceX launches Starship on highest test flight, crash-landsIn this screen grab from video posted by SpaceX, the company's Starship launches for a test flight, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, in a remote area of Texas. (SpaceX via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ā SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas on Wednesday, but the 6 1/2-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown. The full-scale, stainless steel model ā 160 feet (50 meters) tall and 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter ā soared out over the Gulf of Mexico. The entire flight ā as dramatic and flashy as it gets, even by SpaceX standards ā lasted six minutes and 42 seconds. āAnybody who knows how hard this stuff is is impressed by todayās Starship test.āTwo lower, shorter SpaceX test flights earlier this year from Boca Chica, Texas ā a quiet coastal village before SpaceX moved in ā used more rudimentary versions of Starship.
WATCH: SpaceX Starship crash-lands after highest test flight in South Texas
Read full article: WATCH: SpaceX Starship crash-lands after highest test flight in South TexasCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ā SpaceX launched its shiny, bullet-shaped, straight-out-of-science fiction Starship several miles into the air from a remote corner of Texas on Wednesday, but the 6 1/2-minute test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown. The full-scale, stainless steel model ā 160 feet (50 meters) tall and 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter ā soared out over the Gulf of Mexico. Full Screen 1 / 5 In this screen grab from video posted by SpaceX, the company's Starship launches for a test flight, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, in a remote area of Texas. (SpaceX via AP)The entire flight ā as dramatic and flashy as it gets, even by SpaceX standards ā lasted six minutes and 42 seconds. āAnybody who knows how hard this stuff is is impressed by todayās Starship test.āTwo lower, shorter SpaceX test flights earlier this year from Boca Chica, Texas ā a quiet coastal village before SpaceX moved in ā used more rudimentary versions of Starship.
Test flight of SpaceX's Starship aborted at last second
Read full article: Test flight of SpaceX's Starship aborted at last secondCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ā The first high-altitude test flight of SpaceXās futuristic Starship was aborted at the last second in Texas on Tuesday. SpaceX came close to launching a prototype of the rocketship that company chief Elon Musk is designing to carry people to Mars. SpaceX already has conducted five Starship test flights, but these earlier, simpler models have gone no higher than 490 feet (150 meters.) SpaceX has taken over Boca Chica in the far southeastern corner of Texas, near the Mexican border, to build and test its Starships. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Instituteās Department of Science Education.
China's space ambitions: Robot on Mars, a human on the moon
Read full article: China's space ambitions: Robot on Mars, a human on the moonThe Changāe 5, the first effort to bring lunar rocks to Earth since the 1970s, collected samples on Wednesday, the Chinese space agency announced. After astronaut Yang Liweiās 2003 flight, space officials expressed hope for a crewed lunar mission as early as this year. Beijing's space plane would be China's version of the American Space Shuttle and the former Soviet Unionās short-lived Buran. Chinaās crewed missions have gone ahead without incident. Plans call for a permanent crewed space station as early as 2022.
China launches mission to bring back material from moon
Read full article: China launches mission to bring back material from moonA Long March-5 rocket carrying the Chang'e 5 lunar mission lifts off at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Wenchang in southern China's Hainan Province, early Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. Changāe 5 ā named for the Chinese moon goddess ā is the countryās boldest lunar mission yet. If successful, it would be a major advance for Chinaās space program, and some experts say it could pave the way for bringing samples back from Mars or even a crewed lunar mission. āScientific needs and technical and economic conditionsā would determine whether China decides to send a crewed mission to the moon, said Pei, whose comments were embargoed until after the launch. Chinaās space program has progressed cautiously, with relatively few setbacks in recent years.
Report: NASA needs more time, money to bring back Mars rocks
Read full article: Report: NASA needs more time, money to bring back Mars rocksFILE - This image made available by NASA shows the planet Mars. This composite photo was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s. NASA is underestimating the amount of time and money it will take to bring Mars rocks back to Earth in the coming decade, an independent panel said Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. ā NASA is underestimating the amount of time and money it will take to bring Mars rocks back to Earth in the coming decade, an independent panel said Tuesday. Already more than halfway to Mars, NASAās Perseverance rover will hunt for the best geologic samples, after landing in February.
Meteors, blue moon and Mars, oh my! Beautiful triple threat on tap for skywatchers
Read full article: Meteors, blue moon and Mars, oh my! Beautiful triple threat on tap for skywatchersMars will appear brighter than at any other point during the year on Oct. 13, when it will be closest to Earth. āSo, a little over every two years, Mars and Earth are closest together in their orbits and, thus, Mars is at its brightest in our nighttime sky. (Ā© 2012 Michael Orso)Blue moon on HalloweenFor the first time since 2001, trick-or-treaters will get the chance to experience a Halloween full moon. A blue moon, by the most popular definition, according to Gross, is when two full moons appear in a single month. āWe will have full moons on Oct. 1 and 31, so that means that weāll have a blue moon on Halloween,ā Gross said.
China says Mars probe stable; no word on reusable spacecraft
Read full article: China says Mars probe stable; no word on reusable spacecraftBEIJING ā China's Mars probe Tianwen-1, which blasted into space in July, is now more than 15 million kilometers (9 million miles) from Earth en route to the red planet, the National Space Administration said Saturday. The administration said that Tianwen-1 was in stable condition, having completed its first mid-course orbital correction early last month. It will be about 195 million kilometers (118 million miles) from Earth when it arrives at Mars around February, having traveled 470 million kilometers (292 million miles) in all to get there. The administration, however, has yet to release information about a mysterious reusable experimental spacecraft that returned to Earth a week ago after a two-day flight. Last year, China's Changāe-4 became the first spacecraft from any country to land on the far side of the moon.
Elon Musk wants YOU to build a brain-computer interface
Read full article: Elon Musk wants YOU to build a brain-computer interfaceElon Musk isn't content with electric cars, shooting people into orbit, populating Mars and building underground tunnels to solve traffic problems. His startup, Neuralink, wants to one day implant computer chips inside the human brain. In a video demonstration Friday explicitly aimed at recruiting new employees, Musk showed off a prototype of the device. Neuralink wants to build on those existing medical treatments as well as one day work on surgeries that could improve cognitive functioning, according to a Wall Street Journal article on the company's launch. That might be an easier sell than the Neuralink device, which would require recipients to agree to have the device implanted in their brain, possibly by a robot surgeon.
SpaceX's Mars test rocket makes 1st flight, landing upright
Read full article: SpaceX's Mars test rocket makes 1st flight, landing uprightCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX launched a prototype of its Mars rocketship hundreds of feet into the air, then landed it upright in a successful test flight. Mars is looking real, SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk tweeted after the short hop. Progress is accelerating.Musk said several more short hops are planned before a test version of Starship aims for a high altitude. On Sunday, SpaceX safely returned two NASA astronauts from the International Space Station following a two-month test flight. We're going to send people to Mars and make life multi-planetary," Musk said following splashdown.
San Antonio native helps NASA launch rover to Mars
Read full article: San Antonio native helps NASA launch rover to MarsSAN ANTONIO Phillip Hargrove is a San Antonio native that helped NASA launch a rover to Mars. The rover, Perseverance, is on a mission to the red planet to search for evidence of past life. NASA successfully launched a rover to Mars this morningHis love for space began at an early age. Its science for the sake of science and science for the sake of benefiting humanity, Hargrove said. RELATED: WATCH: NASA launches Mars rover to look for signs of ancient life
Lift Off! NASA successfully launched a rover to Mars this morning
Read full article: Lift Off! NASA successfully launched a rover to Mars this morningSAN ANTONIO ā NASA has officially sent off its rover to Mars this morning from its launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission rover is named Perseverance and itās the most robust rover to ever be sent to Mars. WATCH: NASA launches Mars rover to look for signs of ancient lifeScientists believe that ancient Mars was warmer and had rivers and oceans and potentially life. NASA engineer Diana Trujillo explains what kind of evidence the rover is trying to find. Moxy is actually generating Oxygen on the surface of Mars,ā Trujillo said.
WATCH: NASA launches Mars rover to look for signs of ancient life
Read full article: WATCH: NASA launches Mars rover to look for signs of ancient lifeNASAās Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into a clear morning sky in the worldās third and final Mars launch of the summer. Because going to Mars is hard,ā NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said just before liftoff. āEverything is pointing toward a healthy spacecraft ready to go to Mars and do its mission,ā he said. The rover will store half-ounce (15-gram) rock samples in dozens of super-sterilized titanium tubes. Samples taken straight from Mars, not drawn from meteorites discovered on Earth, have long been considered āthe Holy Grail of Mars science,ā according to NASAās now-retired Mars czar, Scott Hubbard.
China launches bold attempt to land rover on Mars
Read full article: China launches bold attempt to land rover on MarsBEIJING China launched its most ambitious Mars mission yet on Thursday in a bold attempt to join the United States in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet. And the U.S. is aiming to launch Perseverance, its most sophisticated Mars rover ever, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, next week. Chinas tandem spacecraft with both an orbiter and a rover will take seven months to reach Mars, like the others. The UAE spacecraft Amal, or Hope, which will orbit Mars but not land, is the Arab worlds first interplanetary mission. NASA's Perseverance rover is up next.
China moves rocket into place for nation's 1st Mars mission
Read full article: China moves rocket into place for nation's 1st Mars missionChina will launch their Mars rover and an orbiter sometime around July 23, 2020, in a mission named Tianwen, or Questions for Heaven. The Long March-5 carrier rocket is Chinas heaviest-lift launch vehicle and has been launched experimentally three times, but never with a payload. Dubbed Tianwen-1, Chinas first-ever mission to Mars aims to land a rover to gather scientific data. The mission is one of the most ambitious yet for Chinas space program, which has advanced rapidly since launching its first crewed mission in 2003. Chinas last attempt at a Mars mission in collaboration with Russia ended in failure in 2011.
NASAs Perseverance rover will launch to Mars next month with a global tribute to health care workers
Read full article: NASAs Perseverance rover will launch to Mars next month with a global tribute to health care workersA mission 10 years in the making, NASA is one month out from launching the Perseverance rover to Mars. This rover, launching during a pandemic, will carry a tribute to health care workers around the world. These last few months of preparing the rover for launch have happened during the constraints of safe operation during a pandemic. The delay would cost the agency $500 million and impact the long-term goals of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. And Perseverance will be able to image Ingenuity as it flies over Mars, capturing the historic flight on another planet.
Uncle Bens rice plans to evolve its brand
Read full article: Uncle Bens rice plans to evolve its brand(CNN) -- Uncle Ben's owner Mars is planning to change the rice maker's "brand identity." In a statement on its website Wednesday, Mars wrote that "now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben's brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do." Earlier on Wednesday, Quaker Oats announced it's retiring the 130-year-old Aunt Jemima brand and logo. The Aunt Jemima brand, acknowledging its racist past, will be retiredAccording to the Uncle Ben's website, the name was first used in 1946 in reference to a black farmer known as Uncle Ben who excelled in rice-growing. However, the imagery evokes a servant and uses a title that reflects how white Southerners "once used 'uncle' and 'aunt' as honorifics for older blacks because they refused to say 'Mr.'
NASA's next Mars rover honors medical teams fighting virus
Read full article: NASA's next Mars rover honors medical teams fighting virus(NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASAs next Mars rover is honoring all the medical workers on the front lines of the coronavirus battle around the world. With just another month until liftoff, the space agency on Wednesday revealed a commemorative plate attached to the rover, aptly named Perseverance. The rover team calls it the COVID-19 Perseverance plate, designed in the last couple months. If the rover isn't launched by mid-August, it would need to wait until 2022 when Earth and Mars are back in proper alignment. The United Arab Emirates and China also are preparing spacecraft for launch to the red planet by mid-August.
SpaceX opens era of amateur astronauts, cosmic movie sets
Read full article: SpaceX opens era of amateur astronauts, cosmic movie setsAmateur astronauts, private space stations, flying factories, out-of-this-world movie sets this is the future the space agency is striving to shape as it eases out of low-Earth orbit and aims for the moon and Mars. But the future is incredibly exciting, NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren said the day before SpaceXs historic liftoff. The ticket price which includes 15 weeks of training and more than a week at the space station is about $55 million. Beginning in 2024, Axiom plans to build its own addition to the 260-mile-high (420-kilometer-high) outpost to accommodate its private astronauts. SpaceX still has to get NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken safely back to Earth this summer in its Dragon capsule.
NASA is now accepting applications for new astronauts
Read full article: NASA is now accepting applications for new astronautsNASA is accepting applications for aspiring astronauts. "America is closer than any other time in history since the Apollo program to returning astronauts to the Moon," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a news release. The last time that NASA took applications for new astronauts in 2015, a record-breaking 18,300 people applied. NASA said the new astronauts could live and work aboard the International Space Station, and take part in experiments that prepare for more distant space exploration. Once the agency completes its second moon landing in 2024, it plans to send astronauts to the moon every year on expeditions.