New Scientific Discoveries, Part Vier

[Gfted1]

Venus Aerospace debuts potentially revolutionary rocket engine with landmark 1st flight (video) | Space

I dig the way it sounds as it rockets away.

[rjshae]

A Japanese Spacecraft Has Crash-Landed on the Moon—Again

These commercial missions seem to be having a lot of trouble trying to stick the landing. By comparison, the old US Surveyor landers did pretty well: they successfully landed 5 out of 7 using a fairly simple system by today's standards.

[rjshae]

The First Images from Vera Rubin are About to Drop

Quote

On 23rd June 2025 at 15:00 UTC, the Rubin Observatory will unveil its first spectacular images in what they're calling the "First Look" event. This event will be live-streamed via YouTube, allowing people worldwide to witness this exciting moment together. It represents more than just another technological achievement; it symbolises our relentless pursuit to understand the universe, carrying forward Vera Rubin's legacy of discovery into an age where the observatory that carries her name will give us a whole new view of the universe.

Prepare to drink from the firehose...

[rjshae]

What we know so far about 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar visitor

This is the third interstellar object discovered passing through the Solar System. Based on its hyperbolic orbit, this may be from a thick disk star system and hence it could be (2/3 chance) older than the Sun. They expect it to be a water-rich comet; it's already developed a coma from solar heating.

The new VCR observatory is expected to discover many more such objects. Maybe one day we'll be able to get a sample?