The rocket production facility that's currently operated by #L3Harris in the Seattle area is due to become part of a new venture called #Rocketdyne, with AE Industrial Partners as the majority owner. https://www.geekwire.com/2026/rocketdyne-redmond-new-ownership/ #Space
In November 2026, a historic milestone awaits humanity's Voyager 1. The legendary probe will reach the "one light-day" mark, meaning it will be so distant that communication requires a 48-hour round trip!
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#Voyager1 #Voyager #Science #Astronomy #Physics #Space #DeepSpace #Nature #Astrodon #NASA
In November 2026, a historic milestone awaits humanity's Voyager 1. The legendary probe will reach the "one light-day" mark, meaning it will be so distant that communication requires a 48-hour round trip!
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#Voyager1 #Voyager #Science #Astronomy #Physics #Space #DeepSpace #Nature #Astrodon #NASA
When I was a freelance BBC presenter I was told I should not criticise the Royal Society when I wrote in support of Professor Dorothy Bishop’s resignation. I’m not now , so I can say that I think the society’s position on Elon Musk is troubling and wrong. Also, I’m not sure how many other fellows are there primarily because they are businessmen rather than scientists. #elonmusk #science #space #physics
When I was a freelance BBC presenter I was told I should not criticise the Royal Society when I wrote in support of Professor Dorothy Bishop’s resignation. I’m not now , so I can say that I think the society’s position on Elon Musk is troubling and wrong. Also, I’m not sure how many other fellows are there primarily because they are businessmen rather than scientists. #elonmusk #science #space #physics
"A single [large solar storm], of which there has already been precedence in historical memory, could wipe out our satellite infrastructure and leave us Earth-bound for the foreseeable future of humanity."
https://phys.org/news/2025-12-days-disaster-earth-orbit.html
JWST spotted point-like lights at the edge of the visible universe. Black holes? Nope. Colliding galaxies? Nope. Something never seen before.
These may be primordial clumps of gas collapsing directly into dense clusters of stars--some of the very first galaxies.
#PPOD: Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune in 1989, flying by 4,950 km above its cloud tops. It is still the only spacecraft to have visited the planet! The mission revealed 6 new moons, rings, and geysers erupting from the moon Triton. This Voyager 2 image of Neptune, processed by Kevin Gill, was captured on Aug. 31, 1989. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Kevin M. Gill
#PPOD: Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune in 1989, flying by 4,950 km above its cloud tops. It is still the only spacecraft to have visited the planet! The mission revealed 6 new moons, rings, and geysers erupting from the moon Triton. This Voyager 2 image of Neptune, processed by Kevin Gill, was captured on Aug. 31, 1989. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Kevin M. Gill
See the little dot? New studies of that blue flash from the distant universe (a "Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient") indicate it was caused by a black hole swallowing an entire star. For a moment, it blazed as bright as 100 billion Suns.
https://public.nrao.edu/news/radio-telescopes-uncover-invisible-gas-around-record-shattering-cosmic-explosion/ #space #science
See the little dot? New studies of that blue flash from the distant universe (a "Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient") indicate it was caused by a black hole swallowing an entire star. For a moment, it blazed as bright as 100 billion Suns.
https://public.nrao.edu/news/radio-telescopes-uncover-invisible-gas-around-record-shattering-cosmic-explosion/ #space #science
JWST spotted point-like lights at the edge of the visible universe. Black holes? Nope. Colliding galaxies? Nope. Something never seen before.
These may be primordial clumps of gas collapsing directly into dense clusters of stars--some of the very first galaxies.
A hellish world: Planet TOI-561 b, slightly larger than Earth, orbits an ancient, sunlike star so closely that a "year" lasts just 11 hours and its surface is lava. Yet somehow it has a thick atmosphere, hinting at how old, battered planets might rejuvenate themselves.
https://eos.org/articles/a-lava-world-unexpectedly-hosts-an-atmosphere #science #nature #astronomy
See the little dot? New studies of that blue flash from the distant universe (a "Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient") indicate it was caused by a black hole swallowing an entire star. For a moment, it blazed as bright as 100 billion Suns.
https://public.nrao.edu/news/radio-telescopes-uncover-invisible-gas-around-record-shattering-cosmic-explosion/ #space #science
In happier news, it's been a great week for learning strange new things about the universe. A few highlights:
The Rubin Observatory opened its eyes & immediately discovered 1900 asteroids, including the fastest-spinning large asteroid (once every 1.88 minutes!).
https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2601/ #science #nature #space
A rock in a rover on #Mars could prove the existence of life on other planets. #Trump wants to abandon it.
On Mars, in the belly of a rover named #Perseverance, a titanium tube holds a stone more precious than any diamond or ruby on Earth. The robot spotted it in 2024 along the banks of a Martian riverbed & zapped it with an ultraviolet laser.
#science #space #NASA #JPL #discovery #knowledge #idiocracy
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/02/trump-nasa-budget-american-space-program/685332/?gift=guxsrl_dAdXUP9zqbQPWxXpGZyoCujPSVvS4n6kP3FU