Space Exploration

Illustration depicting NASA's Orion spacecraft on safe reentry path during Artemis II mission after detecting helium leak, with crew visible and mission control monitoring.

Artemis II detects helium leak but proceeds to safe reentry

10 aprile 2026 Riportato dall'IA Immagine generata dall'IA

NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft around the Moon since 1972, has encountered a helium leak in its service module but officials say it poses no threat to the crew's return. The spacecraft, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, launched on April 1 and is set for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Friday evening. Ground teams adjusted the flight plan to study the leak while maintaining nominal performance.

NASA's Psyche spacecraft set for close Mars flyby

NASA's Psyche spacecraft is scheduled to pass within 2,800 miles of Mars on May 15 to gain a gravitational boost toward its target asteroid. The maneuver will increase the probe's speed while allowing tests of its scientific instruments.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains unusual heavy water

08 maggio 2026 Riportato dall'IA

A comet from beyond our solar system shows dramatically higher levels of deuterium-rich water than any object seen locally. The findings suggest it formed under much colder conditions than those in our own planetary neighborhood. Researchers used observations from two major telescopes to make the measurements.

Tecnologia

NASA sets Artemis III for late 2027 Earth orbit tests

Tecnologia

NASA releases initial Artemis II mission assessments

Scienza

JWST discovers water ice clouds on Jupiter-like exoplanet

Einstein's relativity explains scarcity of two-sun planets

Researchers have pinpointed why planets orbiting two stars, like Tatooine in Star Wars, are rarer than expected. Einstein's general theory of relativity causes orbital instabilities that eject or destroy most such planets around tight binary stars. Only 14 confirmed circumbinary exoplanets exist among over 6,000 discovered.

Scientists propose detecting alien life via planetary patterns

15 aprile 2026 Riportato dall'IA

A team of researchers has introduced a new method to detect extraterrestrial life by identifying statistical patterns across multiple planets rather than focusing on individual worlds. Led by Harrison B. Smith and Lana Sinapayen, the approach relies on life's potential to spread between planets and alter their environments. This 'agnostic biosignature' could help prioritize observations amid limited telescope time.

Dying stars devour nearby giant planets, astronomers find

Astronomers have discovered that aging stars expanding into red giants are engulfing close-orbiting giant planets. A study of nearly half a million stars shows fewer such planets around more evolved red giants, suggesting many have been destroyed. The findings come from data collected by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

Meteor impacts may have sparked life on early Earth

04 aprile 2026 Riportato dall'IA

Scientists suggest that asteroid impacts created hot, chemical-rich environments that could have kick-started life on Earth. A new review led by recent Rutgers graduate Shea Cinquemani highlights impact-generated hydrothermal systems as potential cradles for life's building blocks. These systems may have persisted for thousands of years, providing ideal conditions for early biology.

08 maggio 2026 07:00