In 1969, three NASA astronauts abroad Apollo 10 flew incredibly close to the Moon. They had a lunar module a working descent engine but weren't allowed to landDuring the Apollo 10 mission, astronauts soared just nine miles above the Moon's surface, meticulously testing lunar module systems and lan...
24 Aug, 2026, 09.46 PM IST
In 1968, Apollo 8 photographed the famous Earthrise during its fourth lunar orbit; decades later, NASA used time-lapse images and LRO maps to reconstruct when and where it happenedThe forgotten camera aboard Apollo 8 inadvertently captured the Earthrise photo, highlighting an extraordinary moment for humanity. Utilizi...
24 Aug, 2026, 06.50 PM IST
In 1964, NASA first tracked a satellite with lasers; the method later helped measure sea-level rise and ice lossIn 1964, NASA researchers made history by tracking a satellite for the first time using a laser beam. Leveraging spare radar components and...
24 Aug, 2026, 06.30 PM IST
In 1975, Soviet Union sent a cannon to space and tested it from Salyut 3 station, just six months before US and Soviet astronauts met in orbit for the Apollo-Soyuz mission during the Cold WarIn January 1975, the Soviet Union fired a 23mm cannon from its Salyut 3 military space station as a test of its orbital defence system. The...
24 Aug, 2026, 12.07 PM IST
In 1985, NASA astronauts built two giant “flyswatters” aboard Space Shuttle Discovery; they used them in an attempt to activate a stranded satelliteIn the remarkable year of 1985, astronauts faced a daunting challenge when they crafted makeshift tools from spare materials aboard their s...
23 Aug, 2026, 02.20 PM IST
In 1966, Michael Collins lost a camera and a micrometeorite experiment during a Gemini X spacewalk; both drifted away into orbitDuring the Gemini X mission in 1966, astronaut Michael Collins faced setbacks when he lost both his camera and a scientific experiment duri...
23 Aug, 2026, 01.50 PM IST
In 2013, NASA beamed laser data from lunar orbit at 622 megabits per second, demonstrating faster space communications than radioIn 2013, NASA's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration set a groundbreaking standard by achieving data transmission speeds of 622 megabits...
22 Aug, 2026, 02.30 PM IST
NASA's Curiosity Rover on Mars captured a mysterious ‘jellyfish’ with two small legs and a body sparking theories of alien life on the Red planetA NASA Curiosity rover image of Mars shows a mysterious jellyfish-like figure with a body and two legs in Gale Crater, absent from photos t...
21 Aug, 2026, 05.43 PM IST
Trump pledges 'golden age' of space travelUS President Trump plans to boost American space travel and lunar missions. The United States aims to compete with China for a moon landing...
21 Aug, 2026, 05.39 PM IST
NASA is paying Rs 5 crore prize to solve a hidden space problem that requires no rocket scienceNASA has launched the Orbital Clarity Challenge, offering up to $500,000 to inventors who can develop affordable tools to measure the thin ...
21 Aug, 2026, 05.11 PM IST
Satellite researchers studied China’s desert solar farms; vegetation developed across 30.8 square kilometres within and around the installationsSolar farms in the arid deserts of China are transforming barren landscapes into vibrant green spaces. Between 2011 and 2018, researchers n...
21 Aug, 2026, 02.20 PM IST
NASA germinated corn seeds during spaceflight; seedlings showed altered root growth and twisted shoot patterns in microgravityIn a groundbreaking experiment, corn seeds grown in space exhibited unusual growth patterns, with roots growing sideways and shoots curling...
21 Aug, 2026, 01.50 PM IST
Donald Trump pushes commercial space boom with 1,000-launch annual goalPresident Trump signed a memo to significantly increase U.S. commercial space launches. The directive aims for one thousand launches and re...
21 Aug, 2026, 06.37 AM IST
NASA abandons attempt to rescue aging space telescope from atmospheric re-entryNASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have ended their mission to save the Swift Observatory. Persistent attitude-control failures on the Li...
21 Aug, 2026, 12.25 AM IST
Why NASA's latest moon discovery creates a major dilemma for Artemis astronautsMicrobes from Earth can survive on the Moon's surface for days. New research shows shadowed lunar craters offer protective microclimates fo...
20 Aug, 2026, 09.05 PM IST
Rescue mission for aging NASA space telescope failsKatalyst's LINK craft was launched in early July to approach the observatory, also known as Swift, some 216 miles (347 km) in space, grap...
20 Aug, 2026, 08.11 AM IST
New NASA images show massive 60-foot crater created when SpaceX Falcon 9 stage hit the MoonNASA released new photographs of the SpaceX rocket crater on the Moon. These images were captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter space...
19 Aug, 2026, 09.06 PM IST