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Study casts doubt on the chances of life on watery alien planets
Scientists searching for habitable planets often see the presence of water as a key sign, but they might not want to raise their hopes too high. A recently published study has indicated that there was no clear evidence of extremophiles (life that can survive extreme conditions) in Ethiopia's Danakil Depression, home to some of the world's most acidic, saltiest and superheated water. In other words, the mere existence of water isn't enough -- the conditions have to be at least slightly conducive to life. Accordingly, water that was 'just' very salty included numerous forms of extremophiles, including several newly discovered examples.
Watch Boeing's Starliner capsule launch abort test at 9AM ET
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule is about to take a step closer toward taking people to orbit, and you can watch this step unfold first-hand. NASA and Boeing are streaming live coverage of the Starliner's pad abort test on November 4th at 9AM Eastern. Like similar tests, the New Mexico dry run will verify whether the vessel can safely jettison itself (and importantly, astronauts) away from its host rocket if there's an emergency before liftoff. The four launch abort engines and control thrusters will lift the spacecraft roughly a mile above the ground and a mile north of the test platform.
Scientists find a hidden black hole using new detection method
How do you see something that's invisible? As reported by Space.com, a team of scientists has come up with a new way to spot dim black holes by looking at how they influence light given off by stars around them.
Samsung's 'SpaceSelfie' balloon crashed in someone's yard
Samsung is learning first-hand about the risks of using high-altitude balloons for promotional stunts. A Michigan couple found the phone maker's "SpaceSelfie" balloon (meant to pitch the Galaxy S10) in their yard after it crashed to Earth on October 26th. The vessel didn't hurt anyone or damage property, but it was clearly a less-than-ideal touchdown -- Samsung characterized it as an "early soft landing in a selected rural area" that was prompted by US weather conditions.
NASA's InSight probe is still struggling to crack the surface of Mars
It's been a rough few weeks on Mars for NASA's InSight lander. After overcoming a major hurdle and getting its drill running again a few weeks ago, a new problem has arisen - its heat probe has popped right out of the soil.
Air Force's X-37B space plane lands after record 780 days in orbit
There was no doubt that the US Air Force's X-37B was going to break its own record for time spent in orbit, but it's now clear by how much. The mysterious Boeing-made space plane has landed at Kennedy Space Center after 780 days in orbit, comfortably surpassing the earlier record of 717 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes. That's more than three times the 240 days originally expected from the reusable vehicle, which just finished its fifth mission.
NASA's VIPER rover will look for water ice on the Moon
Before NASA takes humanity back to the Moon, it'll first send a golf cart-sized robot to the lunar south pole where the crewed Artemis mission will also land. The machine, called Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or VIPER, will look for water ice in the region and will collect samples to help us figure out if Earth's faithful companion has enough water to sustain future missions and inhabitants. VIPER will be equipped with four science instruments to sample various soil environments, including a meter-long drill to be able to collect specimen from underneath the surface.
SpaceX's next Crew Dragon test could happen next week
SpaceX is reportedly gearing up for the next test of its Crew Dragon capsule. A static fire test (a simulated launch with a rocket engine secured to the ground) is set to take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida November 2nd, according to CNBC. Engadget has contacted SpaceX for comment.
SpaceX hopes to offer satellite internet to customers by mid-2020
SpaceX has Starlink internet satellites in orbit, but when is it going to offer honest-to-goodness service? You may have to wait a little while. Company President Gwynne Shotwell told a media roundtable that SpaceX hoped to offer Starlink broadband to US customers in mid-2020. Service will depend on putting enough satellites into use, and that will require six to eight missions including the one from May. Just don't ask about prices and plans at this stage -- the only clue is that this will be "additive" to SpaceX's main business instead of a primary money maker.
Blue Origin teams with spaceflight veterans to complete its lunar lander
Blue Origin won't be alone in working on a crewed lunar lander that will (hopefully) participate in NASA's Artemis program. Jeff Bezos' outfit has unveiled a trio of partners that will help it complete the Human Landing System, all of which are space industry veterans. Lockheed Martin will work on the reusable Ascent Element vehicle as well as lead crewed flight ops. Northrop Grumman, meanwhile, will produce the Transfer Element that brings the landing system toward the Moon. Draper, in turn, will handle descent guidance and avionics.
The Morning After: A final trailer for 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. It's Tuesday, and we're approaching the holiday season with verdicts on the Pixel 4 and the Surface Pro 7, both of which get a mixed reception. There's also a new Star Wars trailer, so make sure to watch through that before you bump into colleagues over coffee.
A star died violently and left behind this 'fluffy' ball
Stars die all the time, but the untimely passing of SN 1572, also known as Tycho's Supernova, is possibly the most famous. That's because it's relatively close to us in the Milky Way's Cassiopeia constellation, so when it exploded in the year 1572, it became the second-brightest object in the night sky for a time. It caught the eye of many astronomers of the day, but was named for Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who made the most accurate observations.
Rocket Lab plans to send payloads to the Moon
Rocket Lab has been increasing the altitude of its missions in recent months, but now it wants to venture much, much farther. The private spaceflight firm now intends to help launch missions to higher Earth orbits, lunar orbit and even Lagrange points. It'll use a combination of Electron rockets, the Photon payload platform and a "dedicated bulk maneuver stage" to provide the new capabilities as soon as the fourth quarter of 2020.
Next-gen hearing implants could overcome inner ear damage
Many hearing implants won't help people with inner ear damage or auditory nerve problems, but the brainstem implants that do frequently do an incomplete job. Soon, however, there might be a far better solution. Researchers have designed a conformable electrode implant that should more effectively counter inner ear damage. It uses body-safe, resilient platinum for electrodes, but overcomes the metal's usual stiffness thanks to micron-level machining inspired by kirigami paper cutting. Once wrapped in silicone, it's highly conductive but can cling tightly to the auditory brainstem and send more targeted signals than in conventional implants.
Qantas completes record 19-hour flight to test limits of air travel
Qantas just broke a record for air travel, and it may have helped science in the process. The Australian airline has completed the first non-stop commercial flight from New York City to Sydney as part of a project researching the effects of very long flights -- in this case, 19 hours and 16 minutes. The study measured pilots' brain waves, melatonin and overall alertness, while passengers helped gauge the effectiveness of anti-jetlag measures like changes to cabin lighting and meals. Travelers even participated in exercises to keep their bodies limber.
NASA's InSight lander can finally dig a hole for its Mars heat probe
NASA's InSight lander was supposed be digging a hole so a probe (above) could measure the heat escaping from Mars' interior, but it hasn't made much progress since work got started in February -- it hadn't even finished burying itself. At last, it's making some headway. The agency has revealed that the probe, nicknamed "the mole," is finally digging in earnest thanks to a new strategy. The arm had been stymied by unusually rough soil, but the team found it could get the necessary friction by having InSight press its robotic arm against the probe.
Hitting the Books: How to sling a cat through interstellar space
Welcome to Hitting the Books. With less than one in five Americans reading just for fun these days, we've done the hard work for you by scouring the internet for the most interesting, thought provoking books on science and technology we can find and delivering an easily digestible nugget of their stories.
The Morning After: Nike's accessible AJI
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to your weekend! This morning is a great time to catch up on all of Google's new hardware, our re-review of the Galaxy Fold and some exciting news items from Friday. That includes Nike's accessible Air Jordans and Google's parent company getting into the drone delivery business in the US.
Japan will help NASA build a space station near the Moon
Back in September, NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) revealed their intention to work together under the Artemis program. Now, it's official -- Japan will join NASA's quest to go to Mars and to return to the Moon. The Japanese government has accepted the country's space policy committee's recommendation to help with NASA's Lunar Gateway project during a meeting attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and cabinet members.
Watch NASA's first all-woman spacewalk
NASA's first all-woman spacewalk was supposed to take place back in March, but the agency had to cancel the historic event due to the lack of spacesuits that fit both astronauts. Now, it's finally happening.