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Space boom is outgrowing its rocket launch sites. FAA wants feedback

Space boom is outgrowing its rocket launch sites. FAA wants feedback

NASA's lunar ambitions under its Artemis program and SpaceX's plans for its Starship rocket are fueling the need for more launch sites across the US.
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Congresswoman Valerie Foushee Commends NASA's Roman Telescope Launch and Discloses Q2 Fundraising

Congresswoman Valerie Foushee Commends NASA's Roman Telescope Launch and Discloses Q2 Fundraising

Congresswoman Valerie Foushee, alongside Representative Zoe Lofgren, congratulated NASA and its partners on the successful launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope from Kennedy Space Center. Foushee lauded the launch as a 'historic achievement,' acknowledging the contributions from NASA Goddard, contractors, academic partners, and scientists from Duke and North Carolina Central University. This new flagship observatory is designed to explore significant questions in astronomy, including the study of galaxies, dark matter, black holes, and exoplanets. In other news, Foushee's Q2 FEC disclosure, filed on July 15, 2026, revealed $88.6K in fundraising, with 49.2% originating from individual donors. She also reported $71.4K in spending and $47.8K in cash on hand at the end of the filing period. Her estimated net worth is $207.5K as of September 1, 2026.
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Scientists find a huge 10-sided wave pattern swirling in the clouds over Saturn's south pole

Scientists find a huge 10-sided wave pattern swirling in the clouds over Saturn's south pole

Scientists have discovered an enormous 10-sided wave pattern in the icy ammonia clouds over Saturn's south pole
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SpaceX's next rocket launch from Vandenberg. Track liftoff, scrub updates

SpaceX's next rocket launch from Vandenberg. Track liftoff, scrub updates

Here's how you can track SpaceX's next rocket launch, another Starlink internet satellite mission, at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
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Florida soccer continues strong start to season

Florida soccer continues strong start to season

Florida soccer remains in the IWSOC Coaches Poll for the second straight week as they continue their non-conference slate.
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NASA Research Indicates Human Microbes May Survive on Moon's South Pole, Raising Contamination Concerns for Future Missions

NASA Research Indicates Human Microbes May Survive on Moon's South Pole, Raising Contamination Concerns for Future Missions

A recent NASA study, published in Science Advances, suggests that human-related microbes could survive for extended periods on the lunar surface, particularly in the Moon's south polar regions. Researchers, led by Prabal Saxena of Goddard Space Flight Center, mapped where five common human-associated microbes (three bacteria: Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Deinococcus; and two fungi: Aspergillus, Fusarium) could withstand the Moon's harsh conditions, specifically ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Contrary to expectations that survivable microbes would cluster only in permanently shadowed regions, the study found survivable pockets spread across the entire polar regions. This is largely due to the lower UV radiation levels at the poles compared to the equator, and the ability of even small surface features to cast shadows that offer protection. The fungus Aspergillus demonstrated the highest survivability, lasting for a week or longer in some areas. The study highlights that spacesuits are not completely sealed and ca...
The Columbus Dispatch The Columbus Dispatch
Carl Walz went from watching Neil Armstrong to setting a space record

Carl Walz went from watching Neil Armstrong to setting a space record

Astronaut Carl Walz applied multiple times to NASA's astronaut program before he was finally accepted.
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NASA's Roman telescope is in space. But don't expect photos until 2027

NASA's Roman telescope is in space. But don't expect photos until 2027

Here's what to know about the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, as well as what's next for NASA's latest astronomical observatory.
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SpaceX recovers Starship from the Indian Ocean a month after launch and is shipping it back to Texas

SpaceX recovers Starship from the Indian Ocean a month after launch and is shipping it back to Texas

SpaceX has pulled off its biggest salvage operation yet, recovering its most recently launched Starship from the Indian Ocean
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Sierra Space Secures National Security and Commercial Contracts for Dream Chaser's Inaugural Flight

Sierra Space Secures National Security and Commercial Contracts for Dream Chaser's Inaugural Flight

Sierra Space, a defense-tech space company based in Colorado, has announced securing contracts with undisclosed national security and commercial customers for payloads on the inaugural flight of its Dream Chaser spaceplane. The Dream Chaser is a unique commercial, reusable, and runway-capable orbital spaceplane designed to return cargo from orbit at less than 1.5g and land on any 737-capable runway. This inaugural mission is significant as it will serve national security, commercial, and civil customers, including NASA's Cargo Resupply Services program, on a single flight. According to Dan Jablonsky, CEO of Sierra Space, this establishes a new operational model where one platform serves multiple customer types, highlighting the multi-use space economy. The spaceplane's design allows for hardware with partial space certification, reducing development costs and accelerating time to orbit. Sierra Space is currently finalizing the manifest for this mission, which will launch from Kennedy Space Center, conduct ...
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James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Evolving Gas Dispersal Mechanisms in Planet-Forming Disks, Impacting Giant Planet Formation

James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Evolving Gas Dispersal Mechanisms in Planet-Forming Disks, Impacting Giant Planet Formation

New observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) indicate that the processes stripping gas from planet-forming disks around young, Sun-like stars evolve as these systems mature. This research, led by Naman Bajaj of the University of Arizona and coauthored by SETI Institute scientist Uma Gorti, examined protoplanetary disks around 72 young stars. The study, one of the largest JWST investigations into planet formation, reveals that different mechanisms dominate gas removal at various stages of disk evolution. In younger systems, strong jets and broad outflows containing molecular and atomic gas, consistent with magnetically powered winds, are prevalent. As systems age and less material falls onto the central star, these jets weaken. High-energy radiation from the young star then penetrates deeper into the disk, heating and expelling gas through a process known as photoevaporation, which becomes increasingly significant.
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A rare all-female spacewalk happens today. Here's how to watch live

A rare all-female spacewalk happens today. Here's how to watch live

NASA's Jessica Meir and the ESA's Sophie Adenot will take part in just the sixth-ever spacewalk outside the ISS exclusively featuring women.