Space

A NASA fleet has spotted the first magnetic switchback near Earth, a zigzag in the magnetic field at the edge of our planet’s shield. The result shows that twists once seen near the Sun also appear in our space neighborhood.

The work was led by E. O. McDougall, a physicist, at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). McDougall’s research focuses on magnetic switchbacks and reconnection in space plasmas.

About 4.5 billion years ago, the most momentous event in the history of Earth occurred: a huge celestial body called Theia collided with the young Earth. How the collision unfolded and what exactly happened afterward has not been conclusively clarified. What is certain, however, is that the size, composition, and orbit of Earth changed as a result—and that the impact marked the birth of our constant companion in space, the moon.

What kind of body was it that so dramatically altered the course of our planet's development? How big was Theia? What was it made of? And from which part of the solar system did it hurtle toward Earth?

High-energy cosmic radiation damages cells and DNA, causing cancer, and secondary neutrons—generated especially from the planetary surfaces—can be up to 20 times more harmful than other radiations. Aluminum, the most widely used shielding material, has the drawback of generating additional secondary neutrons when below a certain thickness.

Consequently, boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), which are lightweight, strong, and possess excellent neutron shielding capabilities, are emerging as a promising alternative

Moss spores have survived a prolonged trip to space, scientists reveal. The spores spent nine months on the outside of the International Space Station (ISS) before returning to our planet, and over 80% of the spores were still able to reproduce when they arrived back on Earth.

The discovery improves our understanding of how plant species survive in extreme conditions, the researchers wrote in their findings, published Thursday (Nov. 20) in the journal iScience.

It's a thought that may have crossed your mind at some point: what would be the practicalities of firing your enemies into the Sun?...

Official NASA news film from 1976 about the first public rollout ceremony of the space shuttle prototype, named Enterprise after the ship from "Star Trek". You can very briefly see cast members Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley attending the ceremony at timestamp 04:12. You can also briefly see Fred Haise (one of the astronauts from Apollo 13) at 02:15 as he piloted the atmospheric flight testing on the shuttle prototype.

The film gives background on the whole shuttle programme, including future plans and its hopes of reducing the cost of sending things into space. Unfortunately, in retrospect the shuttle's increased complexity compared to a classic rocket meant its goal of cheap space access was never actually realised. Safety problems including the destruction of Challenger and Columbia sealed its fate, and NASA returned to using conventional capsules on rockets for future human spaceflight missions.

The Enterprise never flew in space, but was used to make sure everything else was working by being taken into the air on a Boeing 747, detaching and then gliding to a runway. The original plan for Enterprise was to convert it into a full space-going shuttle, but changes to the shuttle design meant it was easier to just build a new one. The Enterprise is currently on display in a museum in New York.

This video was created by NASA and is in the public domain.

Another Astrum, another banger.

What to you think? Could we find another Earth-like planet within our lifetime? Or any life later at all? Maybe with in a far-off exoplanet or even within the Sol System (out solar system)? Well, we can only hope. I certainly have a feeling that we may.