NASA astronauts lose tool bag during first spacewalk

The NASA James Webb Space Telescope has unmatched capabilities of capturing deep space beyond our galaxy going as far back as almost to the point of the Big Bang event event. Now, a new study by the eXtreme Ultraviolet Environments (XUE) program revealed observations about water and other molecules being present in the regions where rocky planets form and that too under extreme environmental conditions. This study has stunned researchers as it challenges the previous theories about where rocky planets develop. Know more about the James Webb Space Telescope findings here.

With the help of its advanced ground and space-based telescopes, NASA has discovered thousands of asteroids to date, including a potentially life-threatening asteroid called Bennu which has a 1/2700 chance of impacting Earth between 2175 and 2195. Moreover, the space agency has also recently shed light on an asteroid that is expected to pass Earth as soon as today, December 4! This space rock has been designated as Asteroid 2013 VX4. Know all the details about this close encounter with the asteroid.

NASA's OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft, formerly known as OSIRIS-REx, is actively preparing for a groundbreaking solar approach, bringing it closer to the Sun than ever before as it targets the asteroid Apophis. The spacecraft's closest approach, referred to as perihelion, is set for January 2, 2024, positioning OSIRIS-APEX approximately 46.5 million miles away from the Sun. This distance is roughly half the span between Earth and the Sun and well within the orbit of Venus. NASA has highlighted that this close encounter will subject the spacecraft's components to higher temperatures than originally designed.

The solar activity on Earth has intensified. Yesterday, December 1, it was reported that a second coronal mass ejection (CME) was headed for the Earth which could turn the ongoing solar storm even more intense, and exactly that happened. A few hours earlier, the second CME made an impact and sparked an incredibly powerful G3-class solar storm. The storm resulted in some of the brightest aurora displays seen across the world. While it has begun subsiding slowly, a NASA model has shown that more CMEs are headed toward the Earth and might make contact with our magnetosphere before the end of the day.

India and the United States are set to embark on a groundbreaking collaboration in space exploration, marking a significant milestone in their space partnership. The announcement came after NASA Chief Bill Nelson met with Union Minister Jitendra Singh in New Delhi. The recent NASA and ISRO collaboration involves the launch of a remote sensing satellite named NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) in the first quarter of the upcoming year. Apart from this, there are various other projects on which ISRO and NASA will work together.

In a significant diplomatic overture, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced on Tuesday the United States' readiness to partner with the Indian space agency ISRO in the construction of its very own space station. Touching down in India for a week of strategic engagements, Nelson revealed that discussions between the two nations also involve plans to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) by the close of the upcoming year.

For the first time ever, NASA has tested its next generation of Mars helicopters in two different worlds. A new rotor for helicopters that will be used in future missions was tested recently at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, while real-life flight simulation was conducted on Mars through the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which broke altitude and airspeed records during an experimental flight. The NASA team was surprised by the performance of the new Mars helicopter while conducting the test. Know the details.

India has increasingly been focusing on international collaboration in the field of space exploration. The Indian space agency ISRO has been collaborating with NASA and JAXA for its major space exploration missions i.e NISAR and LUPEX respectively. Today, to take the partnership to a higher level, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is visiting India. His visit is aimed at strengthening the partnership between NASA and ISRO. Check here to know all about the objectives of his visit to India.

Studying asteroids can help scientists unlock the secrets of the Earth and how they formed. However, asteroids also pose a threat to the planet on occasion. These ancient space rocks have impacted Earth in the past and changed the course of history. More often than not, asteroids pass Earth at close but safe distances without ever touching the atmosphere even. However, it is still important to track them to minimize the uncertainties around their close approaches. NASA, the US space agency, has revealed that a building-sized asteroid is expected to pass Earth by a close margin today, November 24. Know all about the close encounter of Earth with this asteroid today.

NASA in October launched the Psyche mission to study a metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The Psyche spacecraft was installed with a Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) tool which made a mind-blowing achievement by sending the first-ever laser message to Earth from 16 million kilometres afar. The communication message was part of an experiment which NASA was able to conduct successfully. Know more about the DSOC experiment here.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope now has reached 25000 light-years away from Earth at the star-forming region called Sagittarius C. The telescope has yet again given researchers a surprising view of deep space with extraordinary details and never-seen features. The region consists of a massive amount of protostar which is still in the formation stage and gaining mass at the same time. Check out what researchers are saying about the new discovery and image captured by the powerful telescope.

NASA, with the help of its advanced ground and space-based telescopes, has tracked a mammoth asteroid whose orbit will bring it very close to Earth today. As per the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), an asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2023 VE7, is on its way toward Earth and could make its closest approach to the planet today, November 20.