Space Exploration
When is Elon Musk's mission to rescue the stranded astronauts from the International Space Station scheduled to begin?
According to SpaceX owner Elon Musk, the rescue mission for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams will begin in four weeks. The mission aims to return these stranded astronauts from the International Space Station safely to Earth. This upcoming operation highlights SpaceX's continued commitment to space exploration and astronaut safety, addressing the current situation of the two astronauts who are awaiting their return journey from the ISS.
Watch clip answer (00:12m)How was the Saturn-like exoplanet TVLM513B detected by astronomers?
TVLM513B was detected by astronomers through a wobble in its star's motion caused by the gravitational pull of the planet. This technique, which is usually used for detecting Jupiter-like planets in distant orbits, was successfully employed with observations obtained from a radio telescope - specifically the continent Wide Very Long Baseline Array. This marks the first time this detection method has been successfully applied using radio telescope observations. The discovery is particularly rare because it's uncommon to detect extrasolar planets orbiting around small, cool stars like TVLM513B's host, which is located approximately 35 light-years away from Earth.
Watch clip answer (01:16m)How did astronomers discover the exoplanet TVLM513B?
Astronomers discovered TVLM513B using the continent Wide Very Long Baseline Array. This discovery is notable because it's rare to detect extrasolar planets orbiting around small stars, making TVLM513B a significant find in astronomical research. The planet, which resembles Saturn, is located approximately 35 light years from Earth and orbits a faint, cool star. The detection was made possible by observing the subtle wobble of the host star caused by the planet's gravitational forces, representing an advancement in exoplanet detection methods.
Watch clip answer (00:13m)What is the Blue Ghost lunar lander and what milestone will it achieve?
Blue Ghost is a commercial lunar lander developed by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace that recently captured remarkable footage of the moon's far side from about 75 miles above the surface. The spacecraft has been on a 45-day journey through space and is currently orbiting the moon, with a landing scheduled for early March. Upon successful landing, Blue Ghost will achieve a historic milestone as the first American spacecraft to land intact and upright on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. This represents a significant advancement in commercial lunar exploration capabilities after a five-decade gap in American lunar landing achievements.
Watch clip answer (00:45m)What is the Blue Ghost spacecraft and what milestone could it achieve?
The Blue Ghost is a lunar lander developed by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace that has captured stunning new footage of the far side of the moon from about 75 miles above the surface. Currently on a 45-day journey through space, this commercial spacecraft is scheduled to land on the moon in early March. If successful, Blue Ghost would achieve a historic milestone as the first American spacecraft to land intact and upright on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. This represents a significant advancement in commercial lunar exploration capabilities after a gap of over 50 years since the last successful American moon landing.
Watch clip answer (00:45m)What are the key details about the asteroid that triggered the first ever impact notification in the International Asteroid Warning Network?
This asteroid has a 3.1% probability of impacting Earth (up from 2.3%), making it the second highest probability ever recorded after a 2004 asteroid with 4% probability. It's roughly the size of the Statue of Liberty or a football field and has triggered the first asteroid impact notification within the International Asteroid Warning Network since its creation in 2013. NASA is using the James Webb Space Telescope to gather more data, and the probability is expected to decrease with better observations. Despite concerns, there's still a 96.9% chance it will miss Earth.
Watch clip answer (00:52m)