NASA

NASA’s newest mission, TRACERS, soon will begin studying how Earth’s magnetic shield protects our planet from the effects of space weather. Short for Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, the twin TRACERS spacecraft lifted off at 11:13 a.m. PDT (2:13 p.m. EDT) Wednesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. “NASA is proud to launch TRACERS to demonstrate and expand American preeminence in space science research and technology,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. “The TRACERS satellites will move us forward in decoding space weather and further our understanding of the connection between Earth and the Sun. This mission will yield breakthroughs that will advance our pursuit of ...

If you’ve seen video footage of the James Webb Space Telescope, there’s a good chance you’ve seen it through her lens.ALTSophia Roberts is an astrophysics video producer at NASA Goddard in Maryland. She spent years chasing Webb around the country as one of its primary videographers, documenting its construction and crafting stories that explained why Webb was worth building.“There were countless potential points of failure. It was up to the communications team to acknowledge those risks honestly and help the public understand why the mission still mattered,” she said.ALTSophia’s incredible efforts included capturing hours-long timelapses of major operations, filming inside clean rooms (special facilities where space mission components are assembled and tested), and editing these moments to...

Outer space, the new high ground, is no longer the solitary domain of state powers. The growing participation of the private sector alongside government initiatives signals a dramatic transformation in the space ecosystem. This democratization brings tremendous opportunity but, with it, alarming vulnerabilities. The growing proliferation of sensitive technologies across borders, often without proper oversight, constitutes a significant and growing risk to international stability, fueling conflict, cyberattacks and an alarming potential lack of accountability. To continue reading this article: Register now and get3 free articles every month. You’ll also receive our weekly SpaceNews This Week newsletter every Friday. Opt-out at any time. Sign in to an existin...

This second, as you’re reading these words, trillions of tiny particles are hurtling toward you! No, you don’t need to brace yourself. They’re passing through you right now. And now. And now. These particles are called neutrinos, and they’re both everywhere in the cosmos and also extremely hard to find.Neutrinos are fundamental particles, like electrons, so they can’t be broken down into smaller parts. They also outnumber all the atoms in the universe. (Atoms are made up of electrons, protons, and neutrons. Protons and neutrons are made of quarks … which maybe we’ll talk about another time.) The only thing that outnumbers neutrinos are all the light waves left over from the birth of the universe! Credit: Photo courtesy of the Pauli Archive, CERNPhysicist Wolfgang Pauli proposed the existen...

Space is a global frontier. That’s why we partner with nations all around the world to further the advancement of science and to push the boundaries of human exploration. With international collaboration, we have sent space telescopes to observe distant galaxies, established a sustainable, orbiting laboratory 254 miles above our planet’s surface and more! As we look forward to the next giant leaps in space exploration with our Artemis lunar exploration program, we will continue to go forth with international partnerships!Teamwork makes the dream work. Here are a few of our notable collaborations: Artemis ProgramOur Artemis lunar exploration program will send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024. Using innovative technologies and international partnerships, we will explore m...