Nasas

NASAs BioSentinel probe flew past the Moon with yeast to measure deep-space radiation; the cells failed to grow, likely expiring before launch

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Illustration of BioSentinel’s spacecraft flying past the Moon. (NASA/Daniel Rutter)

Imagine sending a tiny lab to deep space, only to learn the experiment never woke up. That’s pretty much what happened to NASA’s BioSentinel. The cereal box-sized satellite carried living yeast and flew past the Moon, according to NASA’s mission overview. The aim was to test the effects of deep-space radiation on living cells. But … Read more

NASA’s Jupiter-bound spacecraft changed direction by 20 degrees and gained 3.5 km/s in speed using Earth’s gravity; ESA’s Juice spacecraft needed no major engine burn for the boost

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NASA's Jupiter-bound spacecraft changed direction by 20 degrees and gained 3.5 km/s in speed using Earth’s gravity; ESA’s Juice spacecraft needed no major engine burn for the boost

JUICE captures images of Earth during its flybyPhoto: ESA.int ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, known as Juice, used Earth’s gravity as a cosmic slingshot on September 28, 2026, reshaping its route to Jupiter while conserving precious fuel. Flying just 8,640 km above the Indian Ocean, the spacecraft had its trajectory deflected by 20 degrees and … Read more

NASA’s Webb telescope captured the Black Eye Galaxy in unprecedented detail; its opposing gas streams reveal a violent cosmic past

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NASA’s Webb telescope captured the Black Eye Galaxy in unprecedented detail; its opposing gas streams reveal a violent cosmic past

At first glance, Messier 64 looks like a classic spiral galaxy. Its bright centre is wrapped in sweeping arms, while a broad, dark band of dust cuts across one side of its nucleus, giving it the distinctive appearance that earned it the nickname Black Eye Galaxy. But beneath that familiar spiral shape lies something much … Read more

Melinda French Gates’ father worked on NASA’s Apollo missions; the women engineers she met at his company picnics shaped her thinking

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Melinda French Gates' father worked on NASA's Apollo missions; the women engineers she met at his company picnics shaped her thinking

Melinda French Gates grew up in a household where science, engineering and education were closely woven into family life. Her father, Raymond Joseph French Jr., was an aerospace engineer whose career included work connected to NASA’s Apollo programme, giving his daughter an early glimpse into the world of space exploration and advanced technology. But some … Read more

Dark energy, exoplanets and black holes: What Nasa’s new Roman telescope will explore

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Dark energy, exoplanets and black holes: What Nasa’s new Roman telescope will explore

The launch of Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope was posted by @NASARoman on X. Nasa has launched its Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on a mission to investigate dark matter and dark energy, study black holes and search for planets beyond our solar system. The agency expects Roman’s surveys to uncover roughly 100,000 new exoplanets.The … Read more

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: What to know about NASA’s new space observatory

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NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will study dark matter, dark energy and exoplanets after launching on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. (REUTERS/Joe Skipper TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) (REUTERS)

NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a new space observatory that is expected to help scientists study some of the biggest mysteries in the universe. The telescope will focus on dark matter, dark energy, exoplanets and the physics of distant stars, giving scientists a wider look at how the universe … Read more

Nasa’s New Horizons reached Arrokoth in 2019, revealing a frozen world that preserves clues to the early solar system

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Nasa’s New Horizons reached Arrokoth in 2019, revealing a frozen world that preserves clues to the early solar system

When Nasa’s New Horizons spacecraft left Pluto behind, its journey was far from over. The probe had already travelled farther than any spacecraft sent specifically to explore Pluto, but it continued into the dark outer reaches of the solar system. On 1 January 2019, New Horizons passed a small object in the Kuiper Belt that … Read more