LAUNCH at 0411 UTC Nov 25 of the uncrewed Shenzhou 22 spaceship, heading to the Chinese Space Station to provide the crew there with a new return ferry vehicle.

[Growing support for geoengineering research] “ For years, the idea of #geoengineering—artificially lowering global temperatures through technological means—has been met with skepticism. … the problem is not geoengineering itself but the risk humans might hastily deploy such technology … As the […]

[‘An incredible privilege and a daunting task’: Oregon tribe harvests beached whale for the first time in generations] “ This was the first time in generations that the Siletz tribe has harvested a whale … Before anyone cut into the animal, they smudged and prayed over its body. They honored […]

[Astronomy Picture of the Day - Dione and Rhea Ring Transit] “ Image Credit & Copyright: Christopher Go The remarkable image was recorded on November 20, when Saturn's rings were nearly edge-on when viewed from planet Earth. In fact, every 13 to 16 years the view […] [Original post on gluck.cc]

[Lichens could help protect humans from harmful radiation in extraterrestrial environments] “ Kaja Skubała, PhD, a professor at the Jagiellonian University (JU) … told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that in the future, these organisms could help protect humans from harmful radiation. … Future […]

[Elon Musk’s taxpayer funded Artemis Starship scam continues by moving the moon landing to September 2028] “ SpaceX is planning to tell NASA it won’t be able to land humans on the moon until at least the end of 2028 — more than a year later than the White House wanted. … SpaceX is pushing off […]

[“WARNING ‑ Risk of accident or injury when using the cup holder while the vehicle is moving” —Mercedes-Benz] This is actually in the owners manual. “ The cup holder cannot secure containers while the vehicle is moving. If you use a cup holder while the vehicle is […] [Original post on gluck.cc]

3 Launches 3 Pads 3 Days

Theo Jansen still at it with full force... (life goals!) Strandbeest evolution 2025 https://youtube.com/watch?v=ANhA94ZqnEQ ...and obligatory re-sharing of some pics of our joint generative design workshop in 2013, incl. Theo's graveyard of older Strandbeests and mechanisms […]

The former Shenzhou-20 crew undocked from the Chinese Space Station at 0314 UTC Nov 14 in Shenzhou 21. This leaves the former SZ-21 crew on CSS with SZ-20, which has a cracked window pane

[A physician went to the anti-vaccine movement’s biggest gathering] “ … we mustn’t underestimate the threat a movement like [Children’s Health Defense] represents. For the scientists and officials they accuse of causing an endless litany of health harms, there were no olive branches on offer […]

The MAPHEUS-16 flight was successfully launched from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. The 13.4-metre rocket, carrying 21 experiments with a combined mass of 506 kilograms, reached an altitude of 267 kilometers. Video credit: DLR/SSC/MORABA

#aurora ribbons from cockpit of a flight heading to Fort MacMurray #alberta as major solar storm hits earth.

I haven't yelled that many (overwhelmingly excited) swear words at the sky for a long time. WWOOOOOWWWWW. Reddest auroras I've ever seen!! Usually it takes a long time exposure/CCD camera to see red at all. This is BRIGHT!! You can actually see easily outside […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

For those who keep asking me about 3I/ATLAS, here's a great writeup by my friend @astrowright.bsky.social sites.psu.edu/astrowright/...

[Operation Space Station Premieres on November 5, 2025 9PM on PBS] “ Experience dramatic life-or-death moments on the remarkable science lab that orbits Earth … After 25 years of continuous human presence in space, astronauts and Mission Control insiders reveal the most terrifying moments […]

[Operation Space Station Premieres on November 5, 2025 9PM on PBS] “ Experience dramatic life-or-death moments on the remarkable science lab that orbits Earth … After 25 years of continuous human presence in space, astronauts and Mission Control insiders reveal the most terrifying moments […]

Casey Handmer's rant on NASA's Orion capsule is worth a read. caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/n...

[Hammering urchins among new strategies to help Oregon's kelp forests bounce back] “ After a decade of urchins devastating kelp forests, researchers are finally fighting back — and bringing the literal hammer down. … All totaled, divers destroyed more than 260,000 urchins. The results shocked […]

[NASA Gets Moon Lander Plan B’s From SpaceX and Blue Origin | Paywall NYTimes] “ … the next landing of NASA astronauts would occur before President Trump’s second term ends in January 2029. … NASA went to SpaceX and Blue Origin, which has a contract to build a lander for later Artemis missions […]

Astronauts Ryzhikov and Dubritskiy made spacewalk VKD-65 from the Poisk airlock on Oct 28, with hatch open from 1418 to 2112 UTC and depressurization from 1357 to 2115 UTC. Among other activities they installed the IPI-500 experiment on the Nauka module

The incredible tragedy for #ArcticScience of NOAA shutting down their #methane monitoring data. 5th May 2025 is the last data we'll ever get. #nckf25

[Octopuses Invade the English Coast] According to Steve Simpson, a professor of #marinebiology at the University of Bristol, “climate change is a likely driver” of the population boom. “We are right on the northern limit of the #octopus species range, but our waters are getting warmer … But […]

Star Trek: The Next Generation S1E1 “Encounter at Farpoint” first aired in this day in 1987, Sep 28 #startrek #tng #onthisday #scifi https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094030/?ref_=ttep_ep_1

Here's the official Global Meteor Network camera video from Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan! This video is courtesy University of Western Ontario and Defence R&D Canada. I counted 13 pieces in the video, how many do we think made it to the ground and are sitting on canola stubble east of Saskatoon?

If you're looking for evidence to convince your undergrads not to rely on AI this semester, this study is pretty damning "Over 4 months, LLM users consistently underperformed" One caution though: the paper is not yet peer reviewed.🧪⚛️👩‍🔬 🗞️: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 📖: arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872

Project Hail Mary In theaters March 20, 2026 #scifi #space Trailer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12042730/

[An Annual Blast of Pacific Cold Water Did Not Occur, Alarming Scientists] “ Each year between January and April, a blob of cold water rises from the depths of the #gulfofpanama to the surface, playing an essential role in supporting #marine life in the region. But this year, it never arrived […]

[How making sand art on Oregon Coast isn't just beautiful, but healing] “ The flowy, multicolored dress-wearing sand raker is Karen Chalmers … sand raking and spinning along Oregon’s coast. … “You're like one with the universe. It's the definition of moving meditation,” Chalmers said. … “I just […]

Clam gardens have been used by Pacific Northwest native tribes for thousands of years. They build rock walls to trap sediment, at the right height to be immersed at high tide but also exposed for harvest at low tide. This encourages burrowing clams to settle in […] [Original post on scicomm.xyz]

A little scary news. Patch is back but completely avoid stepping on his back right paw. I hope his injury is temporary. But we felt bad for him so didn’t even chase him out of the pool for chewing on hoses. Man, he loves to chew on those hoses. Sorry hoses. Get better big buddy.

[Magic Mushroom Edibles Found to Contain Undisclosed Ingredients—And No Psilocybin] “ Researchers tested 12 “magic mushroom” edible products sold in Portland, Ore., and found no trace of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound that gives magic mushrooms their name. Instead seven of the products […]

Huh, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen a real estate listing for an astronomical observatory. It's the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope, a radio telescope that operated between 1965 and 2023. Along with the remains of the telescope you get a […] [Original post on aus.social]

[Massive ‘secret’ fresh water aquifer discovered under ocean floor] “ It’s just one of many depositories of “secret fresh water” known to exist in shallow salt waters around the world … “If we were to go out and start pumping these waters, there would almost certainly be unforeseen consequences […]

[Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S3 E8 Four-and-a-Half Vulcans * If you enjoy, make sure you watch after the credits until the very end! Possible spoiler] I was pleasantly surprised to find a scene after the credits with Spock (Ethan Peck) and Doug (Patton Oswalt). Ethan Peck broke character and […]

I mainly use Bluesky for messing about, but the occasional science pieces I write - and the posts from @ojastro.bsky.social - get far better engagement than on Xitter. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The five large AST Space Mobile BlueBird comm sats were launched in 2024; time to take a look at their orbits. After ejecting their antenna covers in October (magenta lines) the main sats (blue) decreased drag and appear to be using drag control to stay at the same height but at 10000 km spacings

[EV Insurance Premiums Are 49% Higher Than Gas Vehicles] “ The insurance premiums on electric vehicles are, on average, a whopping 49% higher than those for gas-powered cars, according to new data from the digital insurance platform Insurify. … they have higher sticker prices, are more easily […]

Starship apogee was 192 km. Now on the way down at 175 km

Successful flight 10 of Starship; 8 dummy Starlinks deployed, in-space Raptor restart, reentry and soft landing in Indian Ocean. Partial structural failure of aft skirt at T+47m, some minor flap damage, but overall a good flight putting the program back on track.

Oleander aphids are neat, their bright colors make them look like little alien monsters #bugstodon #bugs

[New Method To Use Drones For Whale Research | NYTimes paywall] “ … a #drone descends from the sky toward a sperm #whale. Instead of dropping a tag from above, this drone will press against the whale’s back to attach a specialized sensor. The tag’s suction cups will stick to the whale’s skin […]

[NASA captured 10 mysterious dark voids over Heard Island near Antarctica] “ #VonKarmanVortices form when fast-moving winds encounter an obstacle, such as an island or mountain, disrupting airflow and creating alternating spinning eddies on either side. … The […] [Original post on gluck.cc]

I once was asked by a kindergartner if clams sleep. I was stumped, and we actually have no idea! We know many bivalves have strong biological clocks, often showing circadian rhythms in activity. But as to whether they sleep? No one knows! #clamfacts

[‘Astonishingly bright’ space object discovered 11 million light-years away ‘doesn't fit comfortably into any known category’] “… mystery object found in a nearby galaxy and only visible so far in millimeter radio wavelengths … Shablovinskaia discovered it using ALMA … "When you put it into […]

[SWOT satellite provided a multidimensional look at the leading edge of the tsunami] … triggered by the Kamchatka #earthquake. The measurements included a wave height exceeding 1.5 feet (45 centimeters), shown in red in the highlighted track, as well as a look at […] [Original post on gluck.cc]

[USA, China, Russia may build nuclear plant on moon – a space lawyer explains why, and what the law has to say] “ #nasa plans to build a #nuclear reactor on the #moon – a space lawyer explains why, and what the law has to say If deployed responsibly, it could allow countries to peacefully […]

[A New Lunar Far Side Radio Telescope Is Ready For Testing] “ … planned to launch on a lunar lander in 2026. … LuSEE-Night had to weigh no more than 128 kg in order to fit on the Blue Ghost lunar lander it was intended to go to the Moon on. … it is primarily meant as a technology demonstration […]

[Researchers identified a particular strain of ocean bacteria that causes seastar wasting disease] “ … researchers reported that they have identified a particular strain of ocean bacteria that has killed more than 6 billion sea stars since 2013. … In all, scientists have seen signs of the […]

NASA press release on the successful NISAR launch. The satellite is in the planned orbit and in contact with the ground controllers at ISRO. Full deployment of all the satellite systems including the large reflector will take about 20 days, step by step. #nasa #isro #sar #satellite […]