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Events in space don’t always unfold like they do in the movies.
But a spacecraft journey can provide awe-inspiring views and surprising moments more spectacular than fiction.
SpaceX stacked its lunar megarocket and Starship capsule on the launch pad this week for the liftoff of its fourth test flight, and the exciting show did not disappoint.
The uncrewed Starship capsule took an orbital walk before making a controlled re-entry and deploying its heat shield against the scorching temperatures of Earth’s atmosphere. In the end, the sturdy craft made its expected landing burn and crashed into the Indian Ocean.
Milestones reached during the flight demonstrate Starship’s eventual reusability, which will come in handy as the SpaceX team plans to send its vehicle on trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Meanwhile, SpaceX competitor Boeing made historic breakthroughs during the crewed maiden voyage of its Starliner spacecraft.
Defying gravity
After lifting off on Wednesday, Starliner and its first human crew set course for the International Space Station.
But the flight was not without problems, including helium leaks and thruster failures.
After resolving potential mishaps with mission control, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were happily welcomed aboard the station on Thursday afternoon. Now, the pair of astronauts will spend the next eight days at the station.
“We are very happy to be in space,” Williams said. “It just doesn’t get much better.”
Curiosities
Giant snake motifs dominate a collection of ancient rock carvings found in Venezuela and Colombia that are believed to be among the largest ever found.
The researchers suggest that the monumental works, which also include human figures, geometric shapes and birds, served as markers of the territories inhabited by the engravers.
One of the snake engravings measures about 42 meters long, which could be the largest rock engraving recorded in the worldaccording to the researchers.
“One could be a warning sign: you’re in our backyard, you better behave. The other could be an identity marker – you are in our backyard, among friends,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Philip Riris, a senior lecturer at Bournemouth University in England.
“But I don’t think they had a single purpose, so they could easily be both.”
Dino-mite!
A family hike through the Badlands of North Dakota in 2022 led to a significant scientific discovery — and soon, the rare dinosaur discovery will be displayed at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Sam Fisher, his children, Jessin and Liam, then 10 and 7, and their cousin Kaiden Madsen, 9, spotted what appeared to be a dinosaur leg sticking out of a rock, so they consulted a museum researcher.
One Initial excavation suggests it is a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rexand the fossil will be displayed at the museum from June 21st.
Museum experts will determine the true nature of the fossil as they clean it, and the public will be able to observe the entire process in real time.
Once upon a time there was a planet
Geoscientists have discovered the first evidence of freshwater on Earth trapped in ancient crystal grains dating back about 4 billion years, which is much older than expected.
Previously, researchers thought Earth was completely covered by a global ocean at that time, rather than having dry land.
A new study suggests that Earth’s water cycle was already at work.
The discovery means that, geologically speaking, the recipe for the beginning of life existed not long after our world was formed.
Fantastic creatures
About 50,000 years ago, gigantic “thunder birds” that were taller than humans and weighed hundreds of pounds lived in the forests and grasslands of Australia.
But these flightless birds, known as mihirungs, have been difficult to find in the fossil record – until now.
When researchers discovered a skull belonging to the species, known as Genyornis newtoni, they decided to create a digital reconstruction of the creature.
The final product revealed that the enormous thunderbird had a face not unlike a strange goose with a powerfully muscular jaw.
Explorations
Take a trip of curiosity with these stories:
— Engineers have determined a new plan that will enable NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope keep making mind-blowing observations of the cosmos after the observatory repeatedly went into “safe mode” this year.
– O the largest collection of fossilized poop in the world is now on display at the Poozeum in Williams, Arizona, where visitors can gain “direct insights into the diets, behaviors and environments of ancient creatures,” said owner George Frandsen.
– One exquisitely decorated blue room is the latest discovery discovered at the Pompeii archaeological site, and researchers believe it served as an ancient Roman sanctuary.
— Botanists have discovered that the cells of a small fern contain more than 50 times more DNA than those of humans, making it the largest known genomeaccording to new research.
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