Tag: NASA
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The first-ever image of a black hole
This week, scientists released the first-ever picture of a black hole, compiled over the last two years using data from eight telescopes around the world. It is a major landmark in the history...
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NASA’s Parker probe makes daring flyby of Sun
The Parker probe has now completed two flybys of the Sun, coming closer to its fiery surface than any man-made object in history. Could the mission unlock the secrets of the Sun?
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US fires starting gun in new race to the Moon
The US has announced that it will put a woman on the Moon by 2024, sparking a new space race against Russia, China and India. The winner could dominate the next era of human history.
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Huge meteor explosion like 10 atom bombs
The blast happened in December over Russia but has only just been detected. Worryingly, scientists had no idea the meteor was coming. Could there be more and, if necessary, could we stop them?
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Lunacy! Moon movie accused of insulting US
Is First Man anti-American? The film, which comes out today, tells the story of Neil Armstrong’s historic walk on the Moon – but does not show him...
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NASA’s cool, hot, and fast mission to the Sun
How much could we learn from NASA’s next mission? This summer a probe will travel closer to the Sun than any other spacecraft in history. Scientists hope it will unlock many solar secrets.
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Peggy Whitson breaks another record in space
Can new perspectives make us wiser? This weekend astronaut Peggy Whitson returned to Earth after a record-breaking flight and 665 days of a literally new perspective on our planet.
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Seven ‘beautiful’ Earth-sized planets found
NASA has discovered a solar system 39 light years away with a record seven exoplanets. It is more evidence that the universe is teeming with Earth-like worlds. How should it make us feel?
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2016 in review: tech CEOs reach for the stars
From colonising Mars to factories in space, Silicon Valley billionaires are looking up. (Literally.) And yet NASA’s future is unclear. Who should lead the space race in the 21st century?
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Europe’s first Mars mission prepares to land
With luck, the ExoMars spacecrafts will start looking for life on Mars today. The mission is set to take decades and cost £1.16bn. Can such a risky project justify such huge expense?
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NASA celebrates spectacular ride to Jupiter
On Independence Day, NASA pulled off its hardest mission ever: inserting a 3.5 tonne probe into Jupiter’s orbit. The technology involved is astounding. Are we witnessing a new space race?
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Eureka! Liquid water on Mars, confirms NASA
Yesterday NASA confirmed that there is liquid water on the surface of Mars, making alien life and human settlement on the planet more likely. Is colonisation a good idea?
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Earth gets first glimpse of Pluto up close
After a nine-year, three billion-mile journey through space, New Horizons is sending high definition images of Pluto back to Nasa. It has reignited a hot debate: is Pluto really a planet?
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NASA launches stage one of its mission to Mars
After three years without any vehicle for manned space flight, NASA is taking the first step towards Mars with a new spacecraft, Orion. But is the programme worth its astronomical cost?
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Scientists plan ‘space ark’ to save humanity
A British team is working on plans for a giant living spaceship, which will roam space to find a new, habitable planet. Is this really a worthwhile endeavour or a pointless fantasy?