BEIJING—China launched into orbit last month the first piece of a permanent space station using its most powerful rocket, but international focus has fallen instead on the re-entry of debris which critics say has been shrouded in secrecy. What Happened? The Long March 5B rocket successfully delivered its payload into orbit on April 29, in…
Explainer—Why All the Fuss Over Falling Debris From China’s Most Powerful Rocket?
Scientists Discover That Egyptian Mummy Thought to Be Male Priest Was Actually Pregnant Woman in Her 20s
A team of researchers in Warsaw, Poland, carrying out an examination on an ancient Egyptian mummy, initially believed to be a male priest, were amazed when the mummy was revealed to be a woman who was pregnant before her death. The discovery, made by researchers of the Warsaw Mummy Project, is the first of its…
Manmade Satellites Cause Light Pollution in Night Sky, Study Finds
Years ago, if you joined a stargazing party in a rural area, you could admire a dark night sky that was largely free of manmade light pollution. Those days may be behind us now. Satellite companies are rushing to launch small satellites into low orbits of Earth to provide fast internet access to remote places….
Archaeologists Uncover Neanderthal Remains in Caves Near Rome
MILAN—Archaeologists discovered the remains of nine Neanderthals at a prehistoric site near Rome, Italy’s Culture ministry said on Saturday. Eight of the remains are dated between 50,000 and 68,000 years ago, while one, the oldest, is dated to between 90,000 and 100,000 years ago, the ministry said in a statement. The find occurred in Grotta…
NASA Mars Helicopter Heard Humming Through Thin Martian Air
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—First came the amazing pictures, then the video. Now NASA is sharing sounds of its little helicopter humming through the thin Martian air. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California released this first-ever audio Friday, just before Ingenuity was set to soar on its fifth test flight. The low hum from the helicopter blades…
No Plan to Shoot Down Chinese Rocket—Pentagon Chief
WASHINGTON—U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday there was no plan at this point to shoot down the remnants of a large Chinese rocket expected to plunge through the atmosphere this weekend. The Long March 5B rocket blasted off from China’s Hainan island on April 29, carrying the Tianhe module, which contains what will…
SpaceX Starship Rocket Prototype Achieves First Safe Landing
SpaceX achieved the first successful touchdown of its prototype Starship rocket during the latest test flight of the next-generation launch vehicle in south Texas on Wednesday, after four previous landing attempts ended in explosions. The feat marked a key milestone for the private rocket company of billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk in its development of…
In Mexico, Ancient Maya Cave Reveals Mysterious Painted Hand Prints
MERIDA—Dozens of black and red hand prints cover the walls of a cave in Mexico, believed to be associated with a coming-of-age ritual of the ancient Maya, according to an archeologist who has explored and studied the subterranean cavern. The 137 prints, mostly made by the hands of children, are more than 1,200 years old,…
NASA’s Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Shifts Into New Operational Test Phase
LOS ANGELES—After exceeding all expectations with its initial four test flights, the first ever by an aircraft over the surface of another planet, NASA’s tiny Mars robot helicopter Ingenuity is ready for graduation. The U.S. space agency announced on Friday that Ingenuity is shifting from a pure proof-of-concept, technology demonstration mode to a more ambitious…
SpaceX Returns 4 Astronauts to Earth; Rare Night Splashdown
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—SpaceX safely returned four astronauts from the International Space Station on Sunday, making the first U.S. crew splashdown in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot. The Dragon capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, just before 3 a.m., ending the second astronaut flight for Elon Musk’s…
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