A rocket belonging to the up-and-coming Astra space company failed to deliver two of NASA’s weather-tracking satellites to space after its second stage engine shut down prematurely. Both satellites were lost as a result of the failure. Astra’s Launch Vehicle 0010 (LV0010) successfully took off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:43PM ET, … Read more
With a head like a horse, a body resembling a giant bear and possessing huge, clawed knuckles upon which it walked like a gorilla, Anisodon looks like a figure from Greek mythology. But it’s not a beast of the underworld or a monster of nightmares. Instead it is one of a bizarre group of animals … Read more
California-based Astra on Sunday launched two shoebox-size NASA satellites from Cape Canaveral in a modest mission to improve hurricane forecasts, but the second stage of the company’s low-cost booster malfunctioned before reaching orbit and the payloads were lost. “The upper stage shut down early and we did not deliver the payloads to orbit,” Astra tweeted. … Read more
ARCADIA, Calif. — An Astra launch of two NASA cubesats to monitor tropical storms failed June 12 when the rocket’s upper stage shut down prematurely. Astra’s Rocket 3.3 vehicle, designated LV0010, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 1:43 pm Eastern. The liftoff took place near … Read more
Our brains are scary good at finding patterns where none actually exist. It’s why we see a face on the surface of Mars, and it’s the basis for the cloud gazing game many of us played as kids. The shifting nature of condensing water vapor in the sky makes perfect fodder for finding silhouettes of … Read more
When it comes to my own health, I’m not a hypochondriac. But if we’re talking about Daisy, my 4.5-pound, 17-year-old Yorkie? Every sneeze, every meal she doesn’t finish, or any time she loses a fight that she started with our 18-pound cat — I’m convinced she’s embarking on her inevitable journey across the rainbow bridge. … Read more
Artist’s concept of a “strawberry” supermoon. The Next Full Moon is the Strawberry Supermoon; the Mead, Honey, or Rose Moon; the Flower, Hot, Hoe, or Planting Moon; Vat Purnima; Poson Poya; and the LRO Moon. Many cultures going far back in history have different names for the twelve full moons experienced each year. Often the … Read more
Update for 1:31 pm ET: Astra is now aiming for a 1:43 pm EDT (1743 GMT) launch for two hurricane-studying cubesats of NASA’s TROPICS mission. Astra aims to notch its second consecutive satellite-deploying success today. The California-based startup is targeting Sunday (June 12) for the launch of two tiny cubesats for NASA’s Time-Resolved Observations of … Read more
Roaming Mars is a lonely existence for NASA’s Perseverance, but the exploratory rover now has a traveling companion: a hitchhiking “pet rock” that got stuck in one of its wheels. Luckily, the Martian stone won’t impact the rover’s science mission and is only a minor inconvenience – like having a pebble stuck in your shoe. … Read more
Remains of Europe’s largest-ever land-based dinosaur were discovered in England, scientists say. The prehistoric bones belonged to a two-legged, crocodile-faced dinosaur. University of Southampton paleontologists said the predator was 32ft long and lived 125 million years ago. Dinosaur remains found off the south coast of England could be the largest land predator that ever roamed … Read more