NASA has just released the closest-ever images of the sun. Take a look
The images were taken some 6.1 million kilometres from the sun's surface and reveal solar winds raging within the sun's corona — offering scientists new insight into the star's influence on the solar system and Earth.
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Winnipeg Free Press
a minute ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stuck astronaut Butch Wilmore retires from NASA less than 5 months after extended spaceflight
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — One of NASA's two previously stuck astronauts has retired from the space agency, less than five months after his unexpectedly long spaceflight came to an end. NASA announced Butch Wilmore's departure on Wednesday. Wilmore and Suni Williams launched last summer as test pilots on Boeing's first astronaut flight. What should have been a weeklong trip to the International Space Station turned into a stay of more than nine months because of Boeing's malfunctioning Starliner. Starliner came back empty, and Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth in March with SpaceX. Wilmore, 62, had already retired from the Navy. Williams, 59, also a retired Navy captain, is still with NASA. She joined Second Lady Usha Vance at Johnson Space Center in Houston earlier this week, taking part in a summer reading challenge for schoolchildren. Selected as an astronaut in 2000, Wilmore logged 464 days in orbit over three missions. His final spaceflight made up nearly two-thirds of that total: 286 days. 'Throughout his career, Butch has exemplified the technical excellence of what is required of an astronaut,' NASA's chief astronaut Joe Acaba said in a statement. 'As he steps into this new chapter, that same dedication will no doubt continue to show in whatever he decides to do next.' Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
CTV News
11 hours ago
- CTV News
Space race is back: Push to get nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030
Watch NASA is fast-tracking plans to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030.
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
NASA races to put nuclear reactors on Moon and Mars
WASHINGTON — The United States is rushing to put nuclear power reactors on the Moon and Mars, and hopes to launch the first system by the end of the decade. Article content A new NASA directive — first reported by Politico and seen by AFP on Tuesday — calls for the appointment of a nuclear power czar to select two commercial proposals within six months, framing the push as crucial to outpacing a joint Chinese-Russian effort. Article content Article content Article content Signed by acting NASA chief Sean Duffy, who is also U.S. transportation secretary, the July 31 memo is the latest sign of the agency's shift towards prioritizing human space exploration over scientific research under President Donald Trump's second term. Article content Article content 'Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s,' it says. Article content 'The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first.' Article content The idea of using nuclear energy off-planet is not new. Article content Since 2000, NASA has invested $200 million towards developing small, lightweight fission power systems, though none have progressed towards flight readiness, according to the directive. Article content The most recent effort came in 2023 with the completion of three $5 million industry study contracts that focused on generating 40 kilowatts of power, enough to continuously run 30 households for ten years. Article content Unlike solar power, fission systems can operate around the clock — invaluable during the weeks-long lunar nights or Martian dust storms. Article content Advances in technology have made such systems increasingly compact and lightweight. Article content NASA formally committed to using nuclear power on Mars in December 2024 — the first of seven key decisions necessary for human exploration of the Red Planet. Article content Based on feedback by industry, surface power needs should be at least 100 kilowatts to support 'long-term human operations including in-situ resource utilization,' meaning things like life support, communications, and mining equipment to collect surface ice.
