She was rejected by NASA at 14, then unpacked a space toilet: Claire Parfitt’s unlikely journey from a teenage work-experience placement to leading Mars exploration studies at the European Space AgencyAt 14, Claire Parfitt dreamed of working in space and applied to NASA, only to be rejected. She instead landed a work placement at Leiceste...
14 Aug, 2026, 09.35 PM IST
Redcliffe Labs, Skyroot Aerospace to test diagnostic reagents in orbitReagents are chemicals used in diagnostic tests to detect specific biological markers in a sample. The founders said the longer-term object...
14 Aug, 2026, 07.55 PM IST
Pakistan heads to Moon with China’s help; Jinnah-1 rover to study lunar south pole where Chandrayaan-3 landed 3 years agoPakistan is preparing to send its first lunar rover, Jinnah-1, to the Moon in 2029 as part of China’s Chang’e-8 mission. The rover will stu...
14 Aug, 2026, 04.00 PM IST
In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts saw mysterious flashes with their eyes closed. Scientists later found the causeDuring the Apollo missions, astronauts noted peculiar flashes of light occurring inside their spacecraft. These experiences were later attr...
13 Aug, 2026, 12.03 AM IST
On the ISS, astronauts see 16 sunrises every day as the station circles Earth, but their bodies refuse to follow the 90-minute cycle, forcing crews to stick to a familiar 24-hour routine despite living through multiple days and nightsAstronauts on the International Space Station experience sixteen sunrises daily. They follow a strict twenty-four-hour schedule, ignoring t...
12 Aug, 2026, 11.03 PM IST
Key Largo used a sealed underwater habitat 22 feet below the surface to test prolonged human immersion; the result revealed a startling effect as a professor emerged after 100 days with his spine compressed and his height reduced by half an inchJoseph Dituri spent 100 days underwater in a 100-square-foot habitat near Key Largo, Florida. The extreme experiment changed more than his ...
12 Aug, 2026, 07.49 PM IST
In 1961, a UCLA graduate student at JPL discovered how spacecraft could borrow speed from planetary gravity. Decades later, his gravity-assist technique produced a fuel-saving breakthrough that transformed deep-space explorationIn 1961, UCLA graduate student Michael Minovitch found a smarter way to move spacecraft through space. At JPL, he studied planetary gravity...
12 Aug, 2026, 06.19 PM IST
Boulder used a two-day gathering of scientists and engineers to tackle the challenge of reaching Titan; the result transformed the roadmap for human exploration beyond Mars, revealing that time and technology are the real barriersScientists and engineers explored the feasibility of human missions to Titan. Titan offers a dense atmosphere and abundant local chemistry ...
11 Aug, 2026, 10.27 PM IST
In 2006, NASA grew Salmonella in space; the bacteria returned more virulent than genetically identical germs cultivated on EarthIn a striking discovery, researchers found that Salmonella bacteria cultivated in space exhibited a heightened level of aggression, proving...
11 Aug, 2026, 05.53 PM IST
NASA invites ISRO to join Moon Base programme as India, US deepen space cooperationIndia has been invited to join NASA's Moon Base program. Discussions focused on expanding civil and commercial space cooperation. Both nati...
11 Aug, 2026, 02.16 PM IST
In 1970, Sylvia Earle led five women into an underwater laboratory on a 14-day mission that helped strengthen the case for women in extreme-environment scienceThe year 1970 marked a groundbreaking moment when five female aquanauts embarked on a 14-day journey under the sea in the Tektite II projec...
10 Aug, 2026, 06.17 PM IST
In 1994, NASA raised jellyfish in orbit to study their sense of balance; they developed normally but had trouble swimming under Earth’s gravityNASA ventured into the unknown in 1994 by studying baby jellyfish in orbit. The jellyfish managed to develop vital sensory adaptations for ...
08 Aug, 2026, 07.43 PM IST
In 2025, scientists tracked 12 people through 10 months of Antarctic isolation. The findings could reshape how future Mars astronauts are trained for the psychological challenges of deep-space missionsTen months of Antarctic isolation revealed a hard truth about deep space. Twelve people trapped at Concordia Station faced rising conflict,...
08 Aug, 2026, 06.11 PM IST
Why SpaceX's accidental Moon crash is worrying scientists ahead of Artemis missionsA spent SpaceX rocket stage has impacted the Moon after a year in space. Astronomers confirm the four-tonne Falcon 9 upper stage hit the lu...
05 Aug, 2026, 10.14 PM IST
In 2003, NASA sent tiny worms aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. After the disaster, scientists discovered that an aluminium container had helped them survive the deadly impactWhen Space Shuttle Columbiabroke apart on February 1, 2003, all seven astronauts lost their lives. Yet one NASA experiment survived. Tiny C...
05 Aug, 2026, 07.52 PM IST
SpaceX rocket crashes on the Moon — joins a surprising list of objects humans have left on the lunar surfaceA SpaceX rocket has crashed on the Moon's surface. This event adds to the growing collection of human-made debris on the lunar landscape. D...
05 Aug, 2026, 05.01 PM IST
4-ton, school-bus-size SpaceX rocket stage crashes into the Moon at 5,400 mph after drifting through space for months. Here’s what scientists hope to learnA 4-ton SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stage drifting through space since 2025 was expected to crash into the Moon at 5,400 mph, raising fresh ques...
05 Aug, 2026, 04.51 PM IST