New Storm-Tracking Satellite Will Observe Space Weather Too

Headed to space today (with weather permitting), the GOES-T satellite and its arsenal of high-resolution cameras will track storms, wildfires and more in real time across North America. The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NAOA) partnered with NASA to design and construct the satellite, which already has siblings in space. In contrast to previous satellites of this nature, which mostly trek through low Earth orbit, …

How a Shield Protects NASA’s James Webb Telescope From the Sun

Launched on 25 December, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is a groundbreaking new observatory on a mission to study outer space through infrared light. In order for it to do so, however, a system needed to be developed to protect it from the sun. Thus, scientists created a cooling kite-shaped armor made from layers less than five millimeters thick. This sunshield keeps the telescope below -370 …

NASA’s New Rock Samples Could Prove Life Existed On Mars

According to NASA scientists, the rock samples taken from the Jezero Crater on Mars could indicate that life previously existed on the planet. The samples, taken by the rover Perseverance (which first drilled into Mars on 6 September and then again a few days later) have been identified as volcanic in origin. To the scientists’ surprise, these samples also contained salts—likely calcium sulphate or calcium …