NASA

We launched our Spitzer Space Telescope into orbit around the Sunday on Aug. 25, 2003. Since then, the observatory has been lifting the veil on the wonders of the cosmos, from our own solar system to faraway galaxies, using infrared light.Thanks to Spitzer, scientists were able to confirm the presence of seven rocky, Earth-size planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. The telescope has also provided weather maps of hot, gaseous exoplanets and revealed a hidden ring around Saturn. It has illuminated hidden collections of dust in a wide variety of locations, including cosmic nebulas (clouds of gas and dust in space), where young stars form, and swirling galaxies. Spitzer has additionally investigated some of the universe’s oldest galaxies and stared at the black hole at the center of the Milky Way....

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department’s enthusiasm for commercial innovation isn’t backed by sufficient funding, space industry executives said Sept. 11. These executives from venture-backed companies argued that while the Pentagon has created several initiatives to collaborate with private companies — such as the Defense Innovation Unit, the Office of Strategic Capital and SpaceWERX — these organizations focus heavily on seed funding and research-and-development contracts. What is lacking, they say, is a clear pathway for companies to move beyond R&D and secure funding to scale up production and become key suppliers in national defense. John Serafini, CEO of the remote-sensing company HawkEye 360, said DoD has built mechanisms to engage with commercial enterprises but the...

We launched our Spitzer Space Telescope into orbit around the Sunday on Aug. 25, 2003. Since then, the observatory has been lifting the veil on the wonders of the cosmos, from our own solar system to faraway galaxies, using infrared light.Thanks to Spitzer, scientists were able to confirm the presence of seven rocky, Earth-size planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system. The telescope has also provided weather maps of hot, gaseous exoplanets and revealed a hidden ring around Saturn. It has illuminated hidden collections of dust in a wide variety of locations, including cosmic nebulas (clouds of gas and dust in space), where young stars form, and swirling galaxies. Spitzer has additionally investigated some of the universe’s oldest galaxies and stared at the black hole at the center of the Milky Way....

WASHINGTON — While preparations for the first launch of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket are accelerating, the company acknowledges there is “lots to do” to get the vehicle ready to meet a narrow launch window next month. The company has highlighted several major milestones towards the inaugural launch of the vehicle from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, currently scheduled for no earlier than Oct. 13. That included the arrival Sept. 4 of Jacklyn, the European-built ship that will serve as the landing platform for New Glenn’s first stage, at Port Canaveral. A day earlier, the company rolled out the second stage of the rocket to the launch pad in preparations for a static-fire test. “We’re looking forward to firing up those two BE-3Us on New Glenn...

by Lance D. Davis Did you know our planet has two types of seasons? They are meteorological and astronomical. What’s the difference? “Meteorological seasons” follow the changing of the calendar, month to month, and are based on the annual temperature cycle – seasonal temperature variations modified by fluctuations in the amount of solar radiation received by Earth’s surface over the course of a year. For instance, the meteorological season of spring begins each year on March 1 and will end on May 31. However, “astronomical” seasons happen because of the tilt of Earth’s axis (with respect to the Sun-Earth plane), and our planet’s position during its orbit around the Sun. An illustration of the March (spring) and September (fall or autumn) equinoxes. During the equinoxes, both hemispheres...