WireUnwired Topic Space

NASA Launches New Metascience Initiative and Doctoral Fellowships to Accelerate Space Innovation

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NASA is launching two new science and technology initiatives to deepen scientific understanding and accelerate the innovation that will shape America’s future in space. The initiatives are announced in conjunction with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) “Golden Age Summit” in Washington on Thursday with top U.S. agency leaders. The programs […]

NASA Launches SSPICY Mission to Test Autonomous In-Space Inspection and Space Debris Reduction Technologies

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A new NASA-supported spacecraft will get up close to satellites that are no longer in service, demonstrating technologies that could support future in-space repairs and reduce orbital debris. The Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission launched Oct. 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission is a technology demonstration where an […]

NASA’s SPHEREx Telescope Reveals Chemically Rich Atmospheres in Thousands of Free-Floating Brown Dwarfs

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NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) space telescope is shedding light on brown dwarfs, celestial objects that blur the line between stars and exoplanets. New findings published in The Astrophysical Journal show that these dark and cloudy worlds have chemically rich atmospheres not unlike the giant […]

NASA and Energy Department Sign Agreement to Advance Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion Systems

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As the Golden Age of deep-space exploration begins, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy are advancing the development of safe, reliable, next-generation nuclear technologies for space. Together, the agencies will supercharge civil space exploration, unlock bold scientific discovery, and solidify American leadership in space nuclear power and propulsion.  “We are entering the ‘Nuclear NASA-era,’ […]

NASA Tasks L3Harris Technologies With Building Final Test Telescope for the LISA Gravitational Wave Mission

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NASA has taken the next step in the process of developing a new all-glass telescope for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, a space observatory designed to detect ripples in space-time called gravitational waves. L3Harris Technologies will design, assemble, and integrate the new telescope for NASA. Called the Engineering Test Unit, this contribution represents […]

NASA’s PRIMA Spacecraft (Artist’s Concept)

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Description This artist’s concept depicts the proposed design for NASA’s PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA), which was selected by the agency in September 2026. The PRIMA observatory is the first in a new class of NASA astrophysics missions, called Probe Explorers, within the agency’s longstanding Explorers Program. By observing far-infrared light, PRIMA will enable scientists to study cosmic […]

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Photographs Martian Sunrise Illuminating Wind-Carved Cliffs on August 11, 2026

Description NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover captured this panorama of sunrise illuminating distant, wind-carved features called yardangs on Aug. 11, 2026, the 4,982nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Scientists are eager to learn more about how the yardang layer formed. Figure A is a crop zooming in on the distant yardangs. Since 2014, Curiosity […]

Artemis II Crew Moon Photo Annotations

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A visualization of a dark Moon eclipsing the Sun is marked with handwritten notes in this April 6, 2026, screenshot from an Artemis II crew member’s tablet. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (in blue) and Victor “Ike” Glover (in green) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Jeremy Hansen (in red) observed impact flashes and their locations, which […]

NASA to Cover Northrop Grumman CRS-24 Spacecraft Departure

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After delivering more than 11,000 pounds of supplies, science experiments, and other cargo to the International Space Station for NASA, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft is scheduled to depart Friday, Oct. 9, as part of the company’s Commercial Resupply Services-24 mission, or Northrop Grumman CRS-24. Watch NASA’s live coverage of undocking and departure beginning at 12:30 […]

Astronomers Solve Cosmic Cold Case with NASA Hubble Data

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Diligent sleuthing by astronomers uncovered a surprising chemical clue that indicates the white dwarf star HS 0209+0832 may host a second-generation planet. This artist’s concept released on Oct. 5, 2026, depicts that possible explanation. The white dwarf is the “dead” core of a star that burned through all of its nuclear fuel and lost its outer […]