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Take a look at the full asteroid Bennu sample in all its glory
NASA has shared a high-resolution image of the asteroid Bennu sample inside the Touch-and-Go-Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), which remained closed because of stuck fasteners until last week. The mission obtained an abundance of material.
Japan’s SLIM lunar lander made it to the moon, but it’ll likely die within hours
JAXA, the Japanese space agency, confirmed that its SLIM lunar lander successfully made a soft landing on the moon. But, its solar cell isn't working as planned and it isn't generating electricity. JAXA says it only has enough battery for a few more hours.
Peregrine moon lander and its cargo will likely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere
In the latest update from Astrobotic, the company said the Peregrine lander seems to be heading back toward Earth and will likely burn up in the atmosphere. As of Saturday, Peregrine had made it 242,000 miles from Earth but has been leaking propellant for days.
NASA finally got the stuck lid off its asteroid Bennu sample container
NASA says it's finally removed two fasteners that were keeping it from getting to the asteroid Bennu sample. The sample is housed in a Touch-and-Go-Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), which itself is being protected in a glovebox.
NASA's new X-59 plane could hit supersonic speeds with minimal sonic boom
NASA’s X-59 Quesst supersonic commercial jet will have its flight test livestreamed on January 12.
The EPA scraps plan that would have had it ban mammal testing in favor of computer models
The Environmental Protection Agency has scrapped a plan to phase out mammal testing for studying chemical toxicity.
Peregrine Mission 1 heralds the beginning of the moon’s commercialization
Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander is scheduled to launch on January 8 atop United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur rocket. The mission is the first of those contracted under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
Now’s the last chance to send your name to one of Jupiter’s moons on NASA’s Europa Clipper
NASA's Europa Clipper mission is set to launch in October 2024 to study whether the icy Jupiter moon could support life. In a campaign called Message in a Bottle, NASA has invited the public to have their names added to the spacecraft alongside a poem by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón.
Swedish Researchers develop ‘electronic soil’ that speeds up plant growth
Researchers from Linköping University in Sweden developed a ‘bioelectronic soil’ that can speed up the growth of plants in controlled agricultural farming environments.
NASA beamed a video of a cat named Taters from deep space to Earth
On December 11, NASA successfully beamed an ultra-high definition video from the Psyche spacecraft to Earth. At the time, Psyche was about 19 million miles away. The video signal was received 101 seconds after it was sent.
SpaceX dominated private spaceflight in 2023, but its competitors (mostly) aren't quitting
In 2023, there were at least 200 successful orbital launches, and nearly half of them were conducted by SpaceX. Private space companies have been ramping up their activities as they compete to serve as launch providers and facilitate space tourism. But it wasn't a milestone year for all.
These tomatoes were lost on the International Space Station for almost a year
NASA shared a photo of two tomatoes that turned up on the International Space Station after eight months lost. They were harvested by astronaut Frank Rubio, who returned to Earth in September. The tomatoes held up well in space, appearing only dehydrated but otherwise intact.
Watch Blue Origin's first launch in 15 months here at 11:37AM ET
Blue Origin's first New Shepard launch in over a year is set to take place on Tuesday. You can watch the livestream here.
Webb telescope’s new Uranus image looks like a portal to another dimension
The James Webb Space Telescope has a treat to celebrate the upcoming second anniversary of its launch. NASA and the ESA, which operate the craft alongside the CSA, shared a dazzling new image of the icy planet Uranus.
Agility's Digit warehouse robot understands natural language commands thanks to AI smarts
Agility Robotics shared a demo video Wednesday of one of its Digit robots upgraded with AI smarts. Although that may conjure images in your mind of sentient sci-fi machines taking over the world, the demo video reveals much more plodding, if not boring, work.
Researchers made VR goggles for mice to study how their brains respond to swooping predators
Researchers from Northwestern University developed mouse-sized VR goggles to create a more immersive environment for studying their response to overhead threats. The goggles surround the mouse's face while it runs on a treadmill.
Looking back at 25 years of the ISS
Wednesday marks the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station’s (ISS) physical assembly in orbit. On December 6, 1998, the crew aboard the space shuttle Endeavor attached the US-built Unity node to the Russian-built Zarya module, kicking off the modular construction of the ISS.
Black hole behavior suggests Dr. Who's 'bigger on the inside' Tardis trick is theoretically possible
Do black holes, like dying old soldiers, simply fade away? Do they pop like universe-spawning balloons?
SpaceX loses another Starship and Super Heavy rocket in double explosion during test
SpaceX launched the second flight of Starship from its Boca Chica spaceport on Saturday morning. A few minutes into launch, the Super Heavy booster exploded, followed by Starship itself.
SpaceX prepares for Starship's second test flight after securing FAA clearance
The FAA has cleared Starship for a second test flight after an explosive first launch. SpaceX is now aiming for a November 17 launch date.

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