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Mars could have an ocean's worth of water beneath its surface, seismic data suggest
What Will the Betelgeuse Supernova Be Like - And Will It Hurt Us?
When Betelgeuse goes off, it's going to be the show of a lifetime. But it’s not going to hurt us.
NASA to Provide Live Coverage of Crew-9 Return, Splashdown
NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT Monday, March 17.
NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station. Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18. The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week.
NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, are completing a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory and will return time-sensitive research to Earth.
Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon’s undocking depends on various factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return.
Watch Crew-9 return activities on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of additional platforms, including social media. For schedule information, visit:
For Crew-9 return, NASA’s live operations coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
Monday, March 17
10:45 p.m. – Hatch closing coverage begins on NASA+
Tuesday, March 18
12:45 a.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+
1:05 a.m. – Undocking
Following the conclusion of undocking coverage, NASA will switch to audio only.
Pending weather conditions at the splashdown sites, continuous coverage will resume on March 18 on NASA+ prior to the start of deorbit burn.
4:45 p.m. – Return coverage begins on NASA+
5:11 p.m. – Deorbit burn (time is approximate)
5:57 p.m. – Splashdown (time is approximate)
7:30 p.m. – Return-to-Earth media conference on NASA+, with the following participants:
- Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate
- Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program
- Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station, NASA’s International Space Station Office
- Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
To participate in the briefing media must contact the newsroom at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston by 5 p.m., March 17, at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. To ask questions, media must dial in no later than 10 minutes before the start of the call. The agency’s media credentialing policy is available online.
Find full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the Crew-9 mission at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
-end-
Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Kenna Pell / Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kenna.m.pell@nasa.gov / sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
Steve Siceloff / Stephanie Plucinsky
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov
Pallas Has a Very Blue Family
Despite their overall similarities, asteroids are usually pretty distinct from one another. Vesta has a very different spectroscopic profile than Psyche, for example. So it might come as no surprise that another of the main asteroids - Pallas - is in a class all its own except for the 300 or so members of its "family" with similar orbital profiles and spectroscopic lines. A new paper from researchers who were then Visiting Astronomers at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Haiwi'i took a look at members of that family in the infrared for the first time and compared them to a particular Near-Earth object that might have a similar make-up.
Solar Activity Update (March 16, 2025) | Sunspots, Solar Flares & Aurora Forecast
This butterfly-shaped nebula owes its structure to 2 chaotic young stars
The 1st private mission to Venus comes together ahead of possible 2026 launch (photos)
You can buy Chewbacca's Bowcaster or Luke's medal at a 'Star Wars' auction, but it could cost you half a million dollars
Status Report: Gravitational Waves
Astronomers at the International Astronomical Union report that we have now detected more than 200 gravitational-wave events, most the merger of two black holes.
The post Status Report: Gravitational Waves appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Tonight's Perseid Meteor Shower May Be Dipped in Aurora Sauce
The Perseids peak on Sunday night, August 11-12 and just might be joined by a colorful display of northern lights.
The post Tonight's Perseid Meteor Shower May Be Dipped in Aurora Sauce appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Woo-hoo — The Perseid Meteor Shower Is Coming!
It's time again for the annual August meteor-shower fest, the Perseids. This year's display should be a beauty with only minor moonlight and a special surprise at dawn.
The post Woo-hoo — The Perseid Meteor Shower Is Coming! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 9 – 18
The Perseid meteor shower peaks late Sunday night August 11th and maybe Monday night too. Jupiter and Mars have a close conjunction on the morning of the 14th, looking radically different in the same telescopic view.
The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 9 – 18 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Prepare for the Perseids and a Pretty Planetary Pairing
The year’s long-awaited Perseid meteor shower will be accompanied by a graceful planetary conjunction. It’s well worth staying up all night to watch.
The post Prepare for the Perseids and a Pretty Planetary Pairing appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, 15 Years Later
Fifteen years ago, the Hubble Space Telescope gazed intently at the infrared glow of galaxies in a tiny fraction of the sky. New research shows how this patch of space has changed since then.
The post The Hubble Ultra-Deep Field, 15 Years Later appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Neutron Stars Might Be Squishy Inside
New data on the brightest pulsar observed with a telescope on the International Space Station suggests neutron star interiors are "squishy."
The post Neutron Stars Might Be Squishy Inside appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Enroll in the School of Stars
Amateur astronomers are all life-long learners — and this "back to school" time of year provides just the right motivation.
The post Enroll in the School of Stars appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 2 – 11
The Perseid meteors ramp up this week to their peak. Saturn is nicely up in the east by late evening. Jupiter and Mars near their conjunction in the morning sky. And there's a story behind Poniatowski's Bull.
The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, August 2 – 11 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Does This Mars Rock Show a "Potential Biosignature"? Or Just "Wet Chemistry"?
"Leopard spots" on a Mars rock could come from life — or they could simply be a sign of a type of chemical reaction that requires water.
The post Does This Mars Rock Show a "Potential Biosignature"? Or Just "Wet Chemistry"? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.