"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools."
--1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work.

"Correction: It is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum. The 'Times' regrets the error."
NY Times, July 1969.

— New York Times

Astronomy

What Is Chronic Venous Insufficiency, Trump’s Blood Vessel Condition?

Scientific American.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 5:18pm

After photographs showed President Donald Trump with swollen ankles and bruised hands, the White House revealed he has chronic venous insufficiency—a blood vessel disease that affects circulation in the legs

Categories: Astronomy

What's the deal with Lex Luthor's pocket universe in James Gunn's 'Superman'?

Space.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 5:00pm
Superman is full of awesome sci-fi elements, but the most fascinating one might be Lex Luthor's pocket dimension. How does that even work?
Categories: Astronomy

Scientists extracted water and oxygen from moon dust using sunlight. Could it work on the lunar surface?

Space.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 5:00pm
Soil excavated from the moon could be used to produce oxygen and methane, which could be used by lunar settlers for breathing and for rocket fuel.
Categories: Astronomy

New Thermal Hole Opens at Yellowstone National Park

Scientific American.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 4:40pm

The park’s newest hydrothermal feature has an otherworldly milky texture from dissolved silica

Categories: Astronomy

Lunar lava tubes on Earth? China completes underground moon simulation test area (video)

Space.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 4:00pm
China has taken a new step in its long-term planning for lunar exploration with the completion of a "simulated moon underground space."
Categories: Astronomy

Billions of phones can detect and warn about nearby earthquakes

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 3:00pm
Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts program is a globe-spanning earthquake early-warning system that uses billions of phone sensors to detect seismic shaking and alert those at risk
Categories: Astronomy

Billions of phones can detect and warn about nearby earthquakes

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 3:00pm
Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts program is a globe-spanning earthquake early-warning system that uses billions of phone sensors to detect seismic shaking and alert those at risk
Categories: Astronomy

Genetically tailored microbes could tweak our microbiomes

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 3:00pm
Researchers have genetically engineered gut microbes to absorb compounds that contribute to kidney stones – and to thrive in the competitive gut microbiome
Categories: Astronomy

Genetically tailored microbes could tweak our microbiomes

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 3:00pm
Researchers have genetically engineered gut microbes to absorb compounds that contribute to kidney stones – and to thrive in the competitive gut microbiome
Categories: Astronomy

Three-Person Mitochondrial IVF Leads to Eight Healthy Births

Scientific American.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 3:00pm

Long-awaited results of a three-person IVF technique suggest that mitochondrial donation can prevent babies from inheriting diseases caused by mutant mitochondria

Categories: Astronomy

Europe working to launch 'Invictus' hypersonic space plane by 2031 (video)

Space.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 3:00pm
The European Space Agency is funding the development of a hypersonic space plane pathfinder, which will start flying by 2031, if all goes according to plan.
Categories: Astronomy

What has Webb Taught Us About Rocky Exoplanets So Far?

Universe Today - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 2:02pm

The JWST has pushed the boundaries of exoplanet characterization. But one thing it hasn't done yet is to determine if rocky exoplanets close to our Solar System can retain their atmospheres. The authors of a new study propose a new "five-scale height challenge" that will help astronomers obtain more precise atmospheric information on rocky exoplanets using Webb.

Categories: Astronomy

Satellite Constellations Are Too Bright, Threatening Astronomy and Our Night Sky

Universe Today - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 2:02pm

Our quest for universal internet is stealing the stars. Thousands of satellites now travelling across the night sky are far brighter than international safety limits, turning what was once humanity's window to the cosmos into a highway of artificial lights. New research reveals that major constellations like Starlink and OneWeb are breaking the brightness rules designed to protect both cutting edge astronomy and the simple joy of stargazing potentially robbing future generations of the dark skies that have inspired wonder for centuries.

Categories: Astronomy

Scientists Solve 400 Year Old Solar Mystery

Universe Today - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 2:02pm

For over four centuries, the dark blemishes on our Sun's surface have puzzled astronomers. Now, German scientists have cracked the code behind sunspot stability, revealing how these Earth sized magnetic monsters, each powerful enough to rival an MRI machine yet spanning areas larger than our entire planet, maintain their grip on the solar surface for weeks or months at a time. This breakthrough not only solves one of astronomy's oldest mysteries but could revolutionize our ability to predict the explosive solar storms that threaten our satellite dependent world.

Categories: Astronomy

Earth Was Born With Water; No Delivery Needed

Universe Today - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 2:02pm

The source of Earth's water is one of the most compelling questions facing scientists. Earth's habitability depends on multiple factors, but water is the basis for life, and it had to come from somewhere. Did comets and meteorites deliver it after Earth formed? Or did water become part of our planet as it formed?

Categories: Astronomy

A Lunar Base Could Start with a Dome over a Crater Made of Regolith

Universe Today - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 2:02pm

When astronauts live on the Moon permanently, they're going to need a safe habitat, ideally made out of local construction material. A new paper suggests that lunar astronauts could cover a 17-meter crater with a dome made from a lunar regolith-based geopolymer. A 3D printer would extrude a paste made of lunar regolith that would be sintered together into the shape of the dome. This would provide protection from radiation and could even maintain a pressurized habitat.

Categories: Astronomy

This Earth-sized Exoplanet is On a Death Spiral

Universe Today - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 2:02pm

An international team of astronomers have discovered an Earth-size exoplanet on a very tight orbit around its star. It completes an orbit in only 5 hours and 22 minutes. Unfortunately, the planet will either be torn to pieces or crash into its star in about 31 million years.

Categories: Astronomy

2 billion-year-old moon rock found in Africa reveals secret lunar history

Space.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 2:00pm
The basaltic meteorite is a piece of lunar rock that formed in a lava flow 2.35 billion years ago, long after volcanism on the moon was supposed to have ended.
Categories: Astronomy

Brain Activity Patterns Reveal Why Waking Up from Sleep Can Be So Difficult

Scientific American.com - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 1:50pm

Neuroscientists have found that the brain can wake up in different ways, explaining why some mornings feel like a dream and some feel like a disaster

Categories: Astronomy

Space Station Crew Celebrates Milestone

NASA Image of the Day - Thu, 07/17/2025 - 1:35pm
NASA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Anne McClain shows off a hamburger-shaped cake to celebrate 200 cumulative days in space for JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi (out of frame) since his first spaceflight as an Expedition 48-49 Flight Engineer in 2016.
Categories: Astronomy, NASA