Jul 1, 2021 | Asteroids, Crewed Space, Daily Space, JAXA, OSIRIS-REx, Random Space Fact, Rockets, ROSCOSMOS, Soyuz, Space History, Spacecraft, SpaceX
On this week’s Rocket Roundup, a sounding rocket launches with student payloads, the Russian Space Force launches a classified satellite, and finally, a routine ISS resupply mission. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at STS-71 and the first Shuttle-Mir docking.
Jun 24, 2021 | Crewed Space, Daily Space, JAXA, Random Space Fact, Rockets, ROSCOSMOS, Space China, Space History, Spacecraft, SpaceX
On this week’s Rocket Roundup, the Chinese send a crewed mission to their new space station, SpaceX launches a new GPS satellite, China adds to their Yaogan satellite constellation, and Japan yeets a CubeSat from the International Space Station on behalf of Mauritius. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at the Soviet Salyut 3.
Jun 19, 2021 | Daily Space, Dark Matter, Exoplanets, Galaxies, KBOs, Spacecraft, Stars
The payload computer aboard the Hubble Space Telescope stopped running on Sunday, June 13, 2021, and now the operations team is working to either save the module or switch to a backup. Plus, a protoplanetary disk, stellar mega-flares, missing dark matter, trans-Neptunian objects, and a review of Brandon Sanderson’s novel Skyward.
Jun 17, 2021 | Crewed Space, Daily Space, Random Space Fact, Rockets, ROSCOSMOS, Space China, Space History, Space Policy, Spacecraft
This Rocket Roundup includes a Chinese launch and two launches from Northrop Grumman, including one for the National Reconnaissance Office. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at the first woman in space, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, and Vostok 6.
Jun 16, 2021 | Climate Change, Daily Space, Earth, ESA, Exoplanets, Guest Interview, Spacecraft, Stars, Supermassive Black Holes, Venus
Contrary to the destructive role supermassive black holes are thought to play in the lives of stars, it turns out that certain types of galaxies benefit from black holes clearing the way and keeping star formation going. Plus, lightning at the edge of space, a landslide in the Himalayas, and an interview with Dr. Darby Dyar and Dr. David Grinspoon about the recent selection of three different Venus missions.
Jun 14, 2021 | AAS, Daily Space, Exoplanets, Guest Interview, Mars, Rovers, Spacecraft, Stars, Zhurong
Two seemingly unrelated stars, each with several exoplanets, turn out to be members of an enormous, diffuse star cluster. Plus, baby squid go to the ISS, new images from China’s Zhurong rover, a brightening blazar, and an interview with scientist Sophia Gad-Nasr and artist Cathrin Machin about how art and science work together.