Science News

Moon Goddess Touches Down **>>

China’s Chang’e made a historic touchdown on the far side of the moon. The probe, which consists of a stationary lander and the first mobile rover to operate on the Moon touched down on 3 January 2019.

Chang’e’s mission includes: Low-frequency radio astronomical study on the lunar surface, shallow structure investigation at the lunar far side within the roving area, and topographic and mineralogical composition studies of the lunar far side within the rover's patrol area. The Chang’e lander also has a micro ecosystem with silkworm eggs and seeds from various plants to research closed environmental system in a lunar environment.

New Horizons Passes By Ultima Thule **>>

A little over 30 minutes into the New Year, New Horizons completed a flyby of Ultima Thule; a mysterious object 4.1 billion miles from Earth in the Kuiper Belt, home to frozen relics left over from the birth of the solar system. It's the farthest flyby of an object in our solar system.

It will take nearly two years for all the data to be transmitted from New Horizons back to Earth. Meanwhile, the New Horizons crew are on the lookout for another potential Kuiper Belt object to hit.


SpaceX Looking To Test New Launch System In Early 2019 **>>

A redesigned test vehicle for SpaceX's upcoming launch system might be ready for test flights much earlier than previously announced, according to Dec. 24 tweet by the company's CEO Elon Musk. SpaceX filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission on Nov. 19 for a two-year experimental license.


Farout, Man. Groovy. **>>

This past December, astronomers discovered the furthest known object in the Sol System. 2018 VG18, also known as ‘Farout,’ orbits the Sun at 120 AU, or a bit over 93 million miles. Farout is so distant, it orbits very slowly, likely taking more than 1,000 years to take one trip around the Sun.