Collection
Out of This World
Space, the stars, and the possibility of life beyond Earth
SpaceX's Starhopper successfully completes its 150m hover test (updated)Just like yesterday, SpaceX is lined up to attempt its most ambitious launch yet of the water tower-like Starhopper test vehicle. This is all in preparation for its upcoming Starship, but first the Raptor engines and frame need some shorter non-orbital attempts. If all goes well, it will fly to around 500 feet high at about 6 PM ET, but as we saw with yesterday's test, anything can happen, like a wiring issue -- even with just eight tenths of a second left on the countdown. Update: The test went off as planned this time, apparently without a hitch. You can watch the flight below, but we're already looking forward to bigger and better hops.
2Hubble's New Portrait of JupiterThis new Hubble Space Telescope view of Jupiter, taken on June 27, 2019, reveals the giant planet's trademark Great Red Spot, and a more intense color palette in the clouds swirling in Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years. The colors, and their changes, provide important clues to ongoing processes in Jupiter's atmosphere.
12Traveling to the sun: Why won't Parker Solar Probe melt?This summer, NASA's Parker Solar Probe will launch to travel closer to the Sun, deeper into the solar atmosphere, than any mission before it. If Earth was at one end of a yard-stick and the Sun on the other, Parker Solar Probe will make it to within four inches of the solar surface.
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