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A crew of four passengers led by a cryptocurrency bill… [+11332 chars]

A four-person crew will spend three to five days aboard a SpaceX capsule orbiting above the poles of Earth — a flight path never flown before.

SpaceX is set to launch 4 people on a first-of-its-kind mission around Earth’s poles. Here’s what to know - CNN

NASA has scrubbed two graphic novels featuring female astronauts from its website, in a move that is in apparent alignment with the Trump administration’s anti-DEI stance.
Diversity, Equity, and Inc… [+1796 chars]

The Trump administration's chilling effect on science agencies affects more than just funding.

Gizmodo.com

NASA Wipes Graphic Novels About Women Astronauts From Its Websites - Gizmodo

For the first time, Neptunes auroras are no longer just a matter of speculation. Thanks to NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have captured vivid images of auroral activity lighting… [+4508 chars]

James Webb Space Telescope captures Neptune’s auroras, revealing new details about its atmosphere and magnetism.

Earth.com

Auroras captured on Neptune for the first time, thanks to the Webb Telescope - Earth.com

It seems like everyone on Earth — and beyond — is getting into the podcast business these days.
The International Space Station National Laboratory just launched "Between a Rocket and a Hard Space,"… [+2763 chars]

NASA's Patrick O'Neill hosts this exciting space series, which is now available on major listening platforms.

Space.com

ISS National Lab explores the future of space in new podcast 'Between a Rocket and a Hard Space' - Space.com

Stargazers will be treated to overlapping meteor showers in April.
From April 20 to April 26, both the Lyrids and Eta Aquarids meteor showers will be visible in the night skies. April is also a good… [+3294 chars]

A roundup of this month's astronomical highlights.

Gothamist

April’s glittery night sky features 2 meteor showers - Gothamist

Behold, the piping host particles of solar wind streaming from our Sun, caught in new footage from the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter.
The video was captured by the orbiter’s Metis instrument, a coronagraph… [+1614 chars]

The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter's instruments captured an extreme stream of wind from our host star.

Wild Video Shows Solar Winds Spiraling Millions of Miles From the Sun - Gizmodo

A breathtaking image of Saturn has gone viral on TikTok, presented as the final photo taken by NASAs Cassini spacecraftbefore its dramatic plunge into the planet in 2017. But while the image may be c… [+3948 chars]

A breathtaking image of Saturn has gone viral, racking up millions of views on social media. It's claimed to be the final photo taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft moments before its fiery descent.

Indiandefencereview.com

NASA Responds to Viral ‘Last Photo’ from Cassini’s Final Dive Into Saturn - Indian Defence Review

Throughout the course of their lives, humans are known to establish and navigate an intricate web of social relationships, ranging from friendships to family bonds, romances, acquaintances, professio… [+4416 chars]

Throughout the course of their lives, humans are known to establish and navigate an intricate web of social relationships, ranging from friendships to family bonds, romances, acquaintances, professional relationships and, today, online interactions. Over the …

Phys.Org

How humans across cultures and historical periods conceptualize relationships - Phys.org

For many years, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been hellbent on sending humans to the surface of Mars.
With the help of his space company's massive Starship rocket, the mercurial entrepreneur is hoping to… [+3517 chars]

Scientists found that substances found in Martian dust could be life-threatening to human space travelers, greatly imperiling their health.

Futurism

Elon Musk's Mars Colonization Plans Foiled by Pesky Foe - Futurism

A colossal iceberg the size of Chicago has broken from a floating glacier in Antarctica, and like a retractable roof at a stadium, the drifting structure has opened up a hidden habitat to the element… [+4323 chars]

A colossal iceberg the size of Chicago has broken from a floating glacier in Antarctica, and like a retractable roof at a stadium, the drifting structure has opened up a hidden habitat to the elements.

ScienceAlert

Antarctic Iceberg Breaks Away to Reveal a Never-Before-Seen Ecosystem - ScienceAlert

A dazzling galaxy discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is forcing cosmologists to reexamine key assumptions about the early universe. The object, JADES-GS-z13-1, appears just 330 milli… [+4837 chars]

A distant galaxy has just turned up in James Webb's lens—far too bright and far too early. Its ultraviolet glow cuts through a universe that should have been dark and opaque.

The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

A New Cosmology Mystery: James-Webb Telescope Observes a Galaxy It Shouldn’t! - The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

Astronauts will attempt to grow mushrooms in space for the first time during SpaceX's upcoming Fram2 mission.
Launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
 as early as Monday (March 31), the Fram2
 m… [+3852 chars]

"Successfully growing edible mushrooms in space represents a significant milestone for space exploration and sustainable nutrition."

SpaceX's Fram2 astronaut flight over Earth's poles will be the 1st to grow mushrooms in space - Space.com

Pale rocks found on Mars by NASA’s Perseverance rover contain kaolinite, a mineral that forms in warm, wet environments, suggesting the planet may have once been much more hospitable to life. Scienti… [+7527 chars]

Pale rocks on the red planet reveal a watery past and suggest the potential for life. Sometimes, scientists have to dig, work, and sweat to make scientific discoveries. And sometimes, a robot rolls over a rock that turns out to be a revelation. That’s what ha…

SciTechDaily

Alien Clues in Strange Martian Stone: Scientists Stunned by Rover Discovery - SciTechDaily

In pink, wild type cells expressing gamma actin. In black, knock-out cells that do not express gamma actin. The yellowish lines reveal the tortuous nature of the junctions. Credit: © Laboratoire Citi… [+3954 chars]

Our skin and mucous membranes are protected by epithelial cells, which form a barrier that defends the body from the outside environment. This barrier function relies on specialized structures called junctions that hold cells together and regulate the exchang…

The Protein You’ve Never Heard Of That Helps You Hear - SciTechDaily

File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) ahead of the launch of the Starlink 12-18 mission. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
Update March 30, 3 p.m. EDT: SpaceX… [+3199 chars]

Spaceflight Now

Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral - Spaceflight Now

Sand dunes shape some of the most fascinating scenery on Earth, particularly in arid regions. Among them, star dunes – sometimes called pyramid dunes – stand out for their towering height and eye-cat… [+5699 chars]

Star dunes - sometimes called pyramid dunes - stand out among sand dunes for their towering height and eye-catching form.

Star dunes: Shrouded in beauty and wonder, they are now a bit less mysterious - Earth.com

Life on our planet has been shaped over an immense span of time. About 4 billion years ago, Earth began to show signs of the conditions that allowed the first cells, and eventually living organisms, … [+5460 chars]

About 4 billion years ago, Earth began to show signs of the conditions that allowed the first cells to take hold and populate the planet.

How did the first cells form on Earth? Scientists think they finally figured it out - Earth.com

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space &amp; Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

In January I noted that NASA had taken NODIS offline - so I posted an archive version of what was there before they fiddled with it

Nasawatch.com

Detailed Look At Changes to NASA’s NODIS - NASA Watch

Mars holds many curious features, and one of the most intriguing is the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF). This enormous stretch of terrain sits near the planets equator, exactly where smooth northern p… [+5784 chars]

The Medusae Fossae Formation of Mars has ice deposits over 2 miles deep, potentially providing vital water resources for exploration.

Water reservoir on Mars is two miles deep, would cover planet with nine feet of water - Earth.com

Heres some trivia that Ive never thought about: despite being long in the shadow of the Pontiac Trans Am, did you know that the 1980 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 was the first that was powered by an engine b… [+1156 chars]

The year 1980 may have been peak Malaise, but this Chevrolet Camaro Z28 offered the most Z horsepower since 1974.