HercuList Secrets

Russian and Soviet space stations throughout history

The Russian wing of the International Space Station is only growing. Despite a misfired thruster on its newly added laboratory module, Nauka, plans are still going ahead to launch another module, Prichal, in November 2021.

NASA eyes solar array glitch on new Lucy asteroid spacecraft

A new NASA spacecraft headed for the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter has a small issue with its solar panels, but the probe isn't in immediate danger, space agency officials said. The Lucy spacecraft, which launched smoothly on Saturday (Oct. 16) atop a ...

An asteroid zipped past Earth closer than the moon's orbit yesterday

A bus-sized asteroid made a harmless close pass by our planet on Sunday (Oct. 17). Asteroid 2021 TG14 passed by Earth at a distance of roughly 155,000 miles (250,000 km). That's well within the orbit of our moon, which orbits at an average distance of ...

Astronauts capture stunning aurora from International Space Station

"I caught this aurora just as orbital sunrise was beginning. Breathtaking!" wrote NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough on Oct. 12, two days after the show took place. With his tweet came a sweeping view of auroras over the barely lit limb of the Earth.

Mystery solved! Bizarre Hubble double galaxy caused by 'ripple' in space

Astronomers believe they've solved, at long last, a mystery first discovered nearly a decade ago by the Hubble Space Telescope. The dilemma centered on a strange "double galaxy," a pair of streaky objects that once defied explanation.

NASA officials optimistic Lucy asteroid mission will overcome solar array snag

Spaceflight Now

Spaceflight Now

A NASA official said Monday there is "widespread optimism" that a solar array snag discovered on the Lucy asteroid probe after its launch over the weekend will not jeopardize the spacecraft's 12-year exploration mission.

NASA's Lucy mission carries Amanda Gorman poem, Beatles lyrics to space

CNN

CNN

Accompanying Lucy on a 12-year journey are messages from Earth, including a poem by inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and lyrics and quotes from the Beatles. The ambitious mission will explore the never-before-seen Trojan asteroid swarms ...

Three hours to save Integral

On 22 September, around midday, ESA's Integral spacecraft went into emergency Safe Mode. One of the spacecraft's three active 'reaction wheels' had turned off without warning and stopped spinning, causing a ripple effect that meant the satellite itself ...

Hear sounds captured from Mars by NASA's Perseverance rover

Thanks to two microphones aboard NASA's Perseverance rover, the mission has recorded nearly five hours of Martian wind gusts, rover wheels crunching over gravel, and motors whirring as the spacecraft moves its arm. These sounds allow scientists and ...

Giant space bubble reveals reverse shockwaves from a catastrophic star explosion

NASA telescopes have captured the colorful blast of a stellar explosion thousands of years ago, shedding new light on the evolution of such cosmic remains. When a star reaches the end of its life, it explodes in a bright burst called a supernova.