Content for Space

Space

Outer space, or simply space, is the expanse that exists beyond the Earth and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles, predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, neutrinos, dust, and cosmic rays. The baseline temperature of outer space, as set by the background radiation from the Big Bang, is 2.7 kelvins (−270.45 °C; −454.81 °F).

NASA’s Juno Provides High-Definition Views of Europa’s Icy Shell

“Imagery from the solar-powered spacecraft shows some intriguing features on the ice-encased Jovian moon. Images from the JunoCam visible-light camera aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft supports the theory that the icy crust at the north and south poles of Jupiter …

Ongoing Venus Volcanic Activity Discovered With NASA’s Magellan Data

“An analysis of data from Magellan’s radar finds two volcanoes erupted in the early 1990s. This adds to the 2023 discovery of a different active volcano in Magellan data. Direct geological evidence of recent volcanic activity on Venus has …

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Team Says Goodbye … for Now

“The final downlink shift by the Ingenuity team was a time to reflect on a highly successful mission — and to prepare the first aircraft on another world for its new role. Engineers working on NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter assembled …

NASA’s Voyager 1 Resumes Sending Engineering Updates to Earth

“After some inventive sleuthing, the mission team can — for the first time in five months — check the health and status of the most distant human-made object in existence. For the first time since November, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is …

NASA Data Reveals Possible Reason Some Exoplanets Are Shrinking

“A new study could explain the ‘missing’ exoplanets between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. Some exoplanets seem to be losing their atmospheres and shrinking. In a new study using NASA’s retired Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers find evidence of a possible cause …

NASA’s 6-Pack of Mini-Satellites Ready for Their Moment in the Sun

“The satellites are part of the agency’s SunRISE mission, which will study the physics behind explosions that the Sun generates. Most NASA missions feature one spacecraft or, occasionally, a few. The agency’s Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE …

Webb Study Reveals Rocky Planets Can Form in Extreme Environments

“An international team of astronomers has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to provide the first observation of water and other molecules in the highly irradiated inner, rocky-planet-forming regions of a disk in one of the most extreme environments …

NASA’s Voyager Team Focuses on Software Patch, Thrusters

“The efforts should help extend the lifetimes of the agency’s interstellar explorers. Engineers for NASA’s Voyager mission are taking steps to help make sure both spacecraft, launched in 1977, continue to explore interstellar space for years to come …

Chinese satellite company tests data transfer to ground station mounted on vehicle

“Jilin-based Chang Guang Satellite Technology has tested a transportable ground station in its latest space-to-ground ultra-high-speed laser communications trial in what it deems an important step towards the technology’s commercial application. CGST, which operates the world’s largest imaging …

New Map of Space Precisely Measures Nearly 400,000 Nearby Galaxies

“The Siena Galaxy Atlas will be an invaluable tool for research into how galaxies form and evolve, gravitational waves, dark matter, and the structure of our universe. Mapping the night sky is essential for understanding our universe. Both researchers and …