Physicists with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have published a new study detailing their discovery of a hybrid particle, one comprised of an electron and phonon combined together in a way that allows them to behave as a single particle. The team refers to this bond between the two particles as "glue," explaining that it is 10 times stronger than any previously discovered hybrid of this kind.
All eyes are currently on NASA's recently successfully deployed James Webb Space Telescope - and rightly so as it could yield scientific breakthroughs and increase our understanding of the universe, its birth and evolution. However, there is another space telescope (and it is not the Hubble) that doesn't quite garner the same level of attention, but continues to yield insights of equally astronomical proportions. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched onboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1999 and is 100 times more powerful than any previous X-ray telescope.
NASA has announced that another big asteroid will come close to Earth, relatively speaking, during its space travels. The celestial body is being monitored under the space agency's Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) center, which identifies and keeps track of large space rocks that could potentially pose a threat to our planet. Fortunately, and as with other near fly-by events, NASA says we don't have anything to worry about.
NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover has been quite busy of late, moving around on the surface of Mars taking in the sights as well as collecting sample cores from exposed rocks on the planet along with soil samples. Things had been going quite smoothly with the collection of the first five rock cores completed successfully, stored in tubes within the rover for a planned sample collection return mission in the future. However, things have gone a little awry with the collection of the sixth core sample (and seventh sample collection overall).
Humankind has yearned to explore space since our ancestors began to study the night sky millennia ago. What we've been able to accomplish in the last 63+ years has taken the dedication, perseverance, and imagination of countless people. While many nations have aided in scores of missions outside of the Earth's atmosphere, NASA has certainly had the lion's share of firsts. Indeed, NASA successfully landed astronauts on the surface of the moon, collaborated with European governments on the exploration of Saturn's largest moon, and developed space telescopes that capture the far reaches of the universe. While this list isn't meant to outline every major accomplishment, it will lend some perspective on what this U.S. space agency has been able to achieve since its creation in 1958 (via History).
NASA has a long and storied record achieving many of the greatest scientific and technological achievements in history. Most recently, it successfully launched and deployed the James Webb Space Telescope which seeks to unlock the secrets of the early universe, including the birth of stars and planets as well as the formation of galaxies. While there are numerous skills and professions involved in making incredibly complex machinery like Webb a reality, at its core, it is a project devoted entirely to scientific discovery. To be named NASA's chief scientist, then, is a tremendous honor and achievement, but also comes with substantial responsibilities.
Many people alive today learnt that our solar system has nine planets, which included Pluto. However, that changed in 2006 when the International Astronomical Union voted to relegate Pluto to the status of a "dwarf planet" leaving us with only eight internationally recognized planets. The rationale for the decision was based on a criteria for planets that says that a planet must be spherical, orbit the sun and have cleared its neighboring region of other objects.
Here on Earth, we're used to the idea of land ownership. A piece of land belongs to someone, whether that's an individual, a company, or a state, and the owner has rights over what is done with that land. But what about the Moon? Who owns that?
The plucky little helicopter exploring Mars, NASA's Ingenuity, has exceeded all expectations and has lasted longer than even the most optimistic predictions. Originally designed for up to five flights, the helicopter is now gearing up for its 19th flight, which will be its first of 2022. But this flight won't be easy, especially given the tricky take-off it will have to perform.
The launch of the world's most powerful space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, was just the beginning of this space-based observatory. Having left Earth's atmosphere and traveled over 250,000 miles away from our planet, it is now more than 70% of its way to its final orbit around the sun (via NASA).
In December the world was hooked on the mystery of the odd-looking cube spotted on the Moon's surface by the Chinese rover Yutu-2. Now, a new post from the rover drivers on Chinese-language WeChat offers some explanations about the strange little cube.
After years of setbacks and delays, NASA finally launched the James Webb Space Telescope on Christmas Day 2020, ushering in a new era of space observation. The observatory is still making its way through the initial stages of its mission, a process that includes everything from deploying its high-gain antenna and other systems to kicking off its orbital injection burn.