Off-World(Page 19)

Latest in Off-World

The European Space Agency just greenlit a UK aerospace manufacturer's tests of a novel air-breathing rocket engine that sucks up atmospheric oxygen.

Amazing New Rocket Engine Sucks up Atmospheric Oxygen for Fuel

By Victor Tangermann

When India blew up a satellite, it introduced a lot of debris into orbit. Lockheed Martin's experimental Space Fence is keeping an eye on it.

India Blew up a Satellite. Now A “Space Fence” Is Tracking Its Debris

By Dan Robitzski

Harvard astronomers found evidence that 'Oumuamua isn't the only interstellar visitor we've had in recent years. Others may have crashed into the Earth.

An Interstellar Rock Like ‘Oumuamua May Have Hit Earth In 2014

By Dan Robitzski

After an outpouring of anger about the project on social media, PepsiCo no longer says it plans to launch a space billboard.

After Backlash, Pepsi Says It Never Planned a Space Billboard

By Jon Christian

In a rare find, scientists found what they think are fragments of a comet sealed away deep inside of a meteorite that struck Antarctica.

Scientists Found a Chunk of a Comet Inside a Meteorite

By Dan Robitzski

A video of mice in microgravity reveals that the animals quickly adapted to their off-world conditions, running, eating, and cleaning themselves.

Space Station Mice Learned to Propel Themselves in Zero Gravity

By Kristin Houser

New research shows that metallic asteroids may have once been home to volcanoes, as molten metal trapped beneath the surface erupted outward.

Explosive Research: Some Asteroids May Have Had Volcanoes

By Dan Robitzski

The leader of Asgardia warns that world leaders must do more to prepare for a potentially life-threatening asteroid impact.

The “Space Nation” Warns That an Asteroid Could Wipe out Humanity

By Kristin Houser

A distant asteroid named 6478 Gault likely fell prey to the YORP effect — sunlight caused it to spin so fast that it's ripping apart.

Astronomers Just Spotted an Asteroid Ripping Itself Apart

By Dan Robitzski

India Just Shot Down a Satellite With a Missile

India Just Shot Down a Satellite With a Missile

By Victor Tangermann

Organisms Survived on the Outside of the Space Station

Organisms Survived on the Outside of the Space Station

By Victor Tangermann

To save money on future missions, Japan's space agency is working to develop remote-controlled robots that can handle menial or dangerous tasks in space.

Japan Wants to Send Telepresence Robots to Space

By Dan Robitzski

This ultra-high-definition 360 degree visualization comes courtesy of data collected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and NASA's Ames supercomputer.

360-Degree Video Puts You in the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy

By Victor Tangermann

A new antimicrobial coating kept bacteria from growing on the International Space Station's door, which could protect immune-compromised astronauts.

Scientists’ New Goal: Make the ISS Bathroom Less Disgusting

By Dan Robitzski

Leaders from 25 nations, including China, Russia, and the U.S. are currently meeting in Geneva to draft laws that would prevent a space arms race.

25 Governments Are Meeting Right Now to Prevent a Space Arms Race

By Dan Robitzski

The Japanese Space Agency just announced that Hayabusa2, the same robotic probe that landed on an asteroid, will drop a bomb on it and mine the fragments.

Japan Announces Plan to Bomb Asteroid

By Dan Robitzski

A team at Japanese space agency JAXA is preparing to shoot a metallic bullet at the surface of Ryugu, a tiny 1km asteroid.

A Japanese Spacecraft Is About to Shoot an Asteroid With a Bullet

By Victor Tangermann

The Pentagon Wants an Orbital Space Weapon to Blast Enemy Missiles

The Pentagon Wants an Orbital Space Weapon to Blast Enemy Missiles

By Jon Christian

A new scientific hypothesis posits that interstellar rocks like 'Oumuamua could have helped form planets throughout the galaxy.

Interstellar Visitor Like ‘Oumuamua May Have Formed Earth’s Core

By Dan Robitzski

See the Most Breathtaking Views of the Martian Surface Yet

See the Most Breathtaking Views of the Martian Surface Yet

By Victor Tangermann

Every picture of the solar system shows Venus as our closest neighbor. Sure, it comes closer to Earth than any planet, but on average Mercury is closer.

Mercury Is Every Planet in the Solar System’s Closest Neighbor

By Dan Robitzski

A planned space hotel will import its own water from Earth, so that guests won't be forced to drink recycled urine like on the International Space Station.

Luxurious Space Hotel Will Import Water Instead of Recycling Pee

By Jon Christian

China has announced the "imminent launch" of the first mission to build its new orbital space station, according to state and local media.

China Announces “Imminent Launch” of New Space Station

By Jon Christian

JAXA releases a video of its Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully landing on tiny asteroid Ryugu and shooting it with a bullet.

New Video Shows Japanese Probe Shooting Asteroid With Bullet

By Victor Tangermann

Virgin Galactic released some incredible high-definition footage of its space plane VSS Unity's second flight into space.

Check Out This Stunning Footage of Virgin Galactic’s Space Plane

By Victor Tangermann

A new space imaging system could prevent satellite collisions by monitoring the sky with unprecedented resolution during daylight hours.

“Game-Changing” Camera Could Prevent Satellite Collisions

By Kristin Houser

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos thinks humanity will "live in giant O'Neal-style space colonies," according to a recent interview rather than settling on planets.

Jeff Bezos: In the Future, We’ll Live In “Giant Space Colonies”

By Victor Tangermann

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wants to send its first passengers to space as soon as this year aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.

Jeff Bezos: New Shepard Will Launch First People Into Space “This Year”

By Victor Tangermann

Virgin Galactic's suborbital space plane VSS Unity reached a maximum altitude (apogee) of 240,000 feet or 45 miles(73 km) on its fifth test flight.

Virgin Galactic’s Space Plane Soars to New Heights

By Victor Tangermann

Scientists have discovered a star in the Andromeda Galaxy that explodes every year — the first of its kind in the known universe.

Scientists Discovered a Star That Explodes Every Year

By Jon Christian

Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 just touched down on the surface of Ryugu for the third time to collect samples after firing a bullet at its surface.

Japan Just Landed a Robot Spacecraft on an Asteroid

By Victor Tangermann

A new tool called the TreePol spectropolarimeter could someday scan for extraterrestrial life without picking up any false positives.

New Gadget Detects Lifeforms From Long Distances

By Dan Robitzski

A team of engineers at the University of Surrey launched a 4.9 foot harpoon from a satellite at a piece of space debris to catch it out of the sky.

Watch a Harpoon Attached to a Satellite Spear a Piece of Space Debris

By Victor Tangermann

Surveys of all the matter in the universe missed about a third of what was predicted by calculations. Scientists may have finally found the missing stash.

Scientists May Have Finally Found the Universe’s Missing Matter

By Dan Robitzski

Chinese scientists recently announced plans to build and launch a solar power plant that would float in outer space and beam electricity down.

China Is Building a Solar Power Station in Space

By Dan Robitzski

The Gateway Foundation showed off its latest vision of the future: the Von Braun Rotating Space Station.

Watch This Epic “Trailer” for the Commercial Lunar Space Station

By Victor Tangermann

A newly released Pentagon report details the laser weapons likely in development by China and Russia to attack U.S. satellites.

Pentagon Warns That Enemies Could Shoot US Satellites With Lasers

By Kristin Houser

Scientists Want to Build a Space Station Inside an Asteroid

Scientists Want to Build a Space Station Inside an Asteroid

By Dan Robitzski

UK Startup Shows Off World’s Largest 3D Printed Rocket Engine

UK Startup Shows Off World’s Largest 3D Printed Rocket Engine

By Victor Tangermann

Hexoskin's new smart shirt can track astronauts' vital signs, including blood oxygen, heart rate, and skin temperature.

This Smart “Astroskin” Shirt Tracks Astronauts’ Vital Signs

By Victor Tangermann

Russian media is reporting that the American toilet on the International Space Station (ISS) burst late last week, spilling gallons of fluid.

Russia Says the American Toilet on the Space Station Blew Up

By Jon Christian

Here’s a New Image of Russia’s Secret Uncrewed Spacecraft

Here’s a New Image of Russia’s Secret Uncrewed Spacecraft

By Victor Tangermann

A new 3D map of the Milky Way galaxy shows a different structure than scientists expected. It turns out the outer disk is all warped out of shape.

The Milky Way is a Lot More Warped Than Scientists Thought

By Dan Robitzski

A team of four universities is working on the comprehensive guide to all existing space law, a field they argue is currently too jumbled to make sense of.

These Four Universities Are Trying to Figure Out Space Law

By Dan Robitzski

A new study found that spaceflight was associated with changes in the brain's white matter, causing it to age faster. But consequences are still unknown.

Alarming Research: Zero Gravity Makes Astronauts’ Brains Age Faster

By Victor Tangermann

Despite "less than 0.3% of the budget of large international projects," a team of Japanese astronomers found a tiny object at the edge of our Solar System.

Astronomers Find Rare, Distant Space Object With $3,000 Telescope

By Victor Tangermann

This Ridiculous Startup Wants to Roast Coffee in Space

This Ridiculous Startup Wants to Roast Coffee in Space

By Victor Tangermann

Johns Hopkins University and NASA released the most high-resolution image of Ultima Thule yet, in all its dented and scarred glory.

New HD Photo of Ultima Thule Looks Like a Giant Beat Up BB-8

By Victor Tangermann

Under Armour is Making Spacesuits for Virgin Galactic

Under Armour is Making Spacesuits for Virgin Galactic

By Dan Robitzski

A catastrophic impact with a "Mars-sized planet" may have left behind the chemical building blocks that led to life on Earth.

New Theory: Life on Earth Came From Impact With Another Planet

By Jon Christian

See What Astronomers Are Calling “The Last Breath of a Dying Star”

See What Astronomers Are Calling “The Last Breath of a Dying Star”

By Kristin Houser

Computer simulations can help spot new planets that were previously obscured by the death throes of old stars.

This Scientist Is Hunting for Planets That Orbit Dead Stars

By Dan Robitzski

The ESA says it's studying the prospects of a 2025 mission to the Moon that would use robotic mining equipment to extract water and fuel.

Europe Wants to Extract Rocket Fuel From Lunar Surface in 2025

By Jon Christian

Astrophysicists just uncovered why some dying stars' supernovae appear to lack high-energy gamma ray bursts. A protective cocoon has been blocking them.

Protective “Cocoons” Could Block Deadly Stellar Gamma-Ray Bursts

By Dan Robitzski

The consensus: it's not just Futurism readers who hate the idea of space billboards — scientists are worried about the concept as well.

Experts Respond to Orbiting Space Billboards: “Harmful”

By Jon Christian

The U.S. military has released this year's Missile Defense Review that includes plans for space-based missile sensors, and interceptors.

The U.S. Wants to Put Ballistic Missile Defense Systems in Space

By Victor Tangermann

After multiple delays, bad weather, and a dramatic last-second abort, the United Launch Alliance is launching top secret spy satellite into space today.

Watch the U.S. Launch a Classified Spy Satellite Today

By Victor Tangermann

For the past three decades, NASA and Russia's Roscosmos have operated as equals. But now it seems that NASA may have outgrown its Russian counterpart.

Russia and America’s Long Space Partnership Could Soon Fall Apart

By Dan Robitzski

New documents show that the U.S. secretly funded research ranging from UFOs to a "warp drive," "extra dimensions," and "traversable wormholes."

The U.S. Secretly Funded Research on UFOs, Wormholes, and Warp Drives

By Jon Christian

Tokyo-based company Astro Live Experiences just launched its experimental prototype satellite that it will use to create a fake meteor shower.

A Startup Is About to Launch a Satellite Full of Fake Shooting Stars

By Dan Robitzski

Relativity Space — a 3D-rocket-printing company founded by SpaceX, and Blue Origin alumni — got permission from the Air Force to launch from Cape Canaveral.

U.S. Air Force Approves Launch Site for 3D Printed Rocket

By Victor Tangermann

Watch The Most Distant Object Ever Observed Tumble Through Space

Watch The Most Distant Object Ever Observed Tumble Through Space

By Dan Robitzski

Russia's Spektr-R space telescope sitting in a bay before its launch

Russia’s Only Space Telescope Has Stopped Responding to Commands

A steam-powered spacecraft prototype funded by NASA has the potential to explore planets, asteroids, and other space objects indefinitely.

See the Steam-Powered Probe That Could Explore Space Forever

By Kristin Houser