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VP Mike Pence Lays Out Administration’s Plan to go Back to the Moon Looking to the future of space exploration, NASA’s priorities are sometimes subject to change. In 2004, the Bush administration released it’s “Vision for Space Exploration“, which called for the development of rockets that would return astronauts to the Moon. This policy was later replaced by the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, which outlined plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s. Earlier today, on Thursday, October 5th, Vice President Mike Pence and several members of the Trump administration announced that their priorities have shifted onceRead More →

New Study Proposes a Giant, Space-Based Solar Flare Shield for Earth In today’s modern, fast-paced world, human activity is very much reliant on electrical infrastructure. If the power grids go down, our climate control systems will shut off, our computers will die, and all electronic forms of commerce and communication will cease. But in addition to that, human activity in the 21st century is also becoming increasingly dependent upon the infrastructure located in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Aside from the many telecommunications satellites that are currently in space, there’s also the International Space Station and a fleet of GPS satellites. It is for this reasonRead More →

NRO Spysat Set to Kick Off Florida Space Coast Launch Double Header Overnight Oct. 5 on ULA Atlas V: Watch Live A ULA Atlas V rocket carrying the NROL-52 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office stands poised for launch. Liftoff is slated for is 4:07 a.m. ET, Oct. 5, 2017 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL — A classified spy satellite for the U.S. governments National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is set to kick of a launch double header this week on the Florida Space Coast with what should be aRead More →

LIGO Scientists who Detected Gravitational Waves Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics In February of 2016, scientists working for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) made history when they announced the first-ever detection of gravitational waves. Since that time, multiple detections have taken place and scientific collaborations between observatories  – like Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo – is are allowing for unprecedented levels of sensitivity and data sharing. Not only was the first-time detection of gravity waves an historic accomplishment, it ushered in a new era of astrophysics. It is little wonder then why the three researchers who were central to the first detection have beenRead More →

Determining the Mass of the Milky Way Using Hypervelocity Stars For centuries, astronomers have been looking beyond our Solar System to learn more about the Milky Way Galaxy. And yet, there are still many things about it that elude us, such as knowing its precise mass. Determining this is important to understanding the history of galaxy formation and the evolution of our Universe. As such, astronomers have attempted various techniques for measuring the true mass of the Milky Way. So far, none of these methods have been particularly successful. However, a new study by a team of researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics proposedRead More →

SpaceX Targets Saturday Launch of SES-11 after Successful Static Fire Test of Recycled Rocket; Space Coast Gator Gazes in Glee SpaceX conducts successful static hot fire test of recycled Falcon 9 at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on 2 Oct 2017 as a gator gazes from Playalinda waterways, FL. Liftoff is slated for 7 Oct 2017 with SES-11/EchoStar 105 telecommunications comsat. Credit: Ken Kremer/Kenkremer.com PLAYALINDA/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – SpaceX is targeting Saturday Oct. 7 for blastoff of the SES-11/EchoStar 105 commercial telecomsat following a successful static fire test of the first stage engines of the ‘used’ Falcon 9 booster, as aRead More →

Lockheed Martin Unveils Details of their Proposed Base Camp for Mars Before NASA can mount its proposed “Journey to Mars“, which will see astronauts set foot on the Red Planet for the first time in history, a number of logistical and technical issues need to be addressed first. In addition to a launch vehicle (the Space Launch System), a crew capsule (the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle), and a space station beyond the Moon (the Deep Space Gateway), the astronauts will also need a space habitat in orbit of Mars. To build this habitat, NASA has reached out to its long-time contractor, Lockheed Martin. And onRead More →

Matt William’s New Sci-Fi Book is Out: The Cronian Incident It’s time to do a little shameless self promotion for our tireless staff writer Matt Williams. In addition to pumping out an astonishing amount of space news here on Universe Today, Matt is also a science fiction author, having written 10! books. But in the last week, he’s reached a bit of a special milestone: he’s a published science fiction author, thanks to Castrum Press. Matt’s new book is called The Cronian Incident, and it’s part 1 of a new series called the Formist Series. Here’s the blurb: The Cronian Incident by Matthew Williams JustRead More →

Old Mars Odyssey Data Indicates Presence of Ice Around Martian Equator Finding a source of Martian water – one that is not confined to Mars’ frozen polar regions – has been an ongoing challenge for space agencies and astronomers alike. Between NASA, SpaceX, and every other public and private space venture hoping to conduct crewed mission to Mars in the future, an accessible source of ice would mean the ability to manufacture rocket fuel on sight and provide drinking water for an outpost. So far, attempt to locate an equatorial source of water ice have failed. But after consulting old data from the longest-running missionRead More →