WashU study helps Martian astronauts prepare for dust: Mars dust may be less abrasive than lunar dust, spacesuit samples suggest
https://source.washu.edu/2026/10/washu-study-helps-martian-astronauts-prepare-for-dust/?_gl=1*53txes*_ga*OTM0NTA5ODY3LjE3OTM1NjM3ODc.*_ga_T94ZQ4ENLH*czE3OTM1NjM3ODckbzEkZzEkdDE3OTM1NjM4MzEkajE2JGwwJGgw
https://redd.it/1xld57o
@r_space
NASA's Swift telescope is about to fall out of orbit, and the Sun is the reason. It lost 0.7 km of altitude in all of 2019. This year it lost 185 km.
Swift has been catching gamma-ray bursts since 2004. Those are the brightest explosions in the universe, from collapsing stars and colliding neutron stars. Swift was built to spot one and swing its telescopes onto it within about a minute. It has found well over a thousand.
It never had an engine to hold its orbit, so it was always going to come down eventually. The Sun set the timing. When the Sun is active, it heats Earth's upper atmosphere and makes it swell upward. The air thickens at the height where satellites fly. During the quiet years around 2019, Swift barely moved. Then the current solar cycle ramped up, and the fall began. Each drop put it into denser air, which made it fall faster still. By our model, the air at its height today is about 1,400 times denser than what it flew through in 2019.
NASA tried to save it. A company called Katalyst launched a small spacecraft in July to grab Swift and push it higher. That spacecraft went into a spin, and the rescue was called off in August.
The U.S. Space Force forecast puts reentry around November 4, give or take about 14 hours. Most of Swift will burn up. Whatever survives will come down somewhere in the tropics, most likely over ocean.
https://redd.it/1xlk9id
@r_space
The Soap Bubble Nebula and Crescent Nebula Captured From My Backyard [OC]
https://redd.it/1xlcsu3
@r_space
This Is Caldwell 28, One Of The Closest Star Clusters To Earth.
https://redd.it/1xldv39
@r_space
Did SpaceX really help Russia's Cosmos 2612 close on ICEYE-X36? The orbit records don't back it up
https://orbinauts.com/news/did-spacex-really-help-russias-cosmos-2612-close-on-iceye-x36/
https://redd.it/1xla0lc
@r_space
All Space Questions thread for week of November 01, 2026
Please sort comments by 'new' to find questions that would otherwise be buried.
In this thread you can ask any space related question that you may have.
Two examples of potential questions could be; "How do rockets work?", or "How do the phases of the Moon work?"
If you see a space related question posted in another subreddit or in this subreddit, then please politely link them to this thread.
​
Ask away!
https://redd.it/1xl876y
@r_space
Neil Armstrong stands in front of the X-15 rocket plane in 1960, the North American X-15, an experimental hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft used to test speed and altitude limits at the edge of the atmosphere
https://redd.it/1xl3r6i
@r_space
Recommendations
Hey all,
I'm looking for book recommendations for my girlfriend who loves Space, theroies and physics. Any good books I could look into?
https://redd.it/1xkyb9e
@r_space
NASA Explores Potential Commercial Servicing for Hubble Telescope - NASA Science
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasa-explores-potential-commercial-servicing-for-hubble-telescope/
https://redd.it/1xktl11
@r_space
I'm building an iPhone app that tells you what time it is on Mars, at every rover and lander site. What would you want in it?
Hi everyone! I'm a solo developer and a big Mars nerd, and for the past months I've been building Mars Meridian, a free iPhone app that keeps time on Mars.
\- Mars time, live: coordinated Mars time plus the local solar time at every landing site, from Viking 1 to Perseverance and Zhurong
\- sols and seasons
\- live Earth–Mars distance and signal delay
\- Orbiters
\- Rover routes with journal highlights
\- past surface weather
\- upcoming events with reminders
\- Widgets
\- Meri, a little rover who explains the tricky parts (like why a sol is 39 minutes longer than a day)
No ads, no tracking, no account.
It isn't on the App Store yet, and before launch I'd love your input:
What Mars info would you actually check regularly?
Is there a mission, data set or feature you'd want?
https://redd.it/1xkjoq9
@r_space
Vera C. Rubin Observatory discovers two new hidden companions of the Milky Way — a galaxy named Aquarius IV, and a star cluster named Rubin-GC1
https://redd.it/1xkno17
@r_space
New Dwarf Planet 2026 ED138
Hey everyone,
For a small body space scientist, who focuses on objects smaller than planets and larger than atoms this is exciting: a new dwarf planet, found by Rubin Observatory. According to NASA JPL Horizons system it is currently 47.2 AU away at a brightness of around 19 mag.
Fun fact: it was found that this object was observed, but not discovered back in 1937. Insane...
So I made a quick comprehensive short about it. The science part will take some time: 2026 ED138
JPL Small-Body Database, 2026 ED138, orbit solution 2, https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=2026+ED138
https://redd.it/1xkid4y
@r_space
China plans to achieve 1st crewed lunar landing before 2030: deputy chief designer
https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/6311228-china-plans-to-achieve-1st-crewed-lunar-landing-before-2030-deputy-chief-designer
https://redd.it/1xkhj70
@r_space
Beautiful Image of recent Launch of ISRO GSLV MK2 by ChennaiAstronomyClub
https://redd.it/1xkf7p3
@r_space
I made a small orbital arcade game for Android. Does the spacecraft’s motion feel believable?
Hi! I’m the developer of **Orbital**, a small Android arcade game about surviving in orbit around a planet. Hold to move into a higher orbit and release to fall closer to the planet. Lower orbits are faster, so you have to dodge debris and stay in control.
Google Play: [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.axelchabe.orbital](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.axelchabe.orbital)
I’m aiming for arcade gameplay, not a full orbital mechanics simulator, but I’d love honest feedback:
* Does the movement feel physically coherent, even with the simple controls?
* Is it clear why the ship moves faster closer to the planet?
* Did you notice anything confusing, unfair, buggy, or visually hard to read?
https://redd.it/1xkbbf2
@r_space
26 years ago, three astronauts moved into the International Space Station, beginning humanity's continuous presence in space
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/looking-back-international-space-station-start-of-expedition-1/
https://redd.it/1xlkmpf
@r_space
Halloween Aboard the International Space Station
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/halloween-aboard-the-international-space-station/
https://redd.it/1xlhwif
@r_space
NASA's Swift space telescope is about to crash to Earth. Where will it fall?
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/nasas-swift-space-telescope-is-about-to-crash-to-earth-where-will-it-fall
https://redd.it/1xldx4i
@r_space
Crew from NASA's simulated Mars mission emerges after 378 days in isolation
https://www.reuters.com/science/crew-nasas-simulated-mars-mission-emerges-after-378-days-isolation-2026-11-01/
https://redd.it/1xlbs6a
@r_space
JWST discovers mysterious object with one single emission line in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field within the constellation of Fornax — where there doesn't seem to be anything at all
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9a94
https://redd.it/1xl8q5u
@r_space
Milky Way captured with Iphone 16Pro in the Swiss Alps
https://redd.it/1xl4nbd
@r_space
Colors of the Moon Credit: Marcella Giulia Pace
https://redd.it/1xl0owq
@r_space
The Flying Dragon Nebula
https://redd.it/1xkvu3b
@r_space
Vera C. Rubin Observatory discovers possible new solar system dwarf planet beyond Neptune
https://www.livescience.com/space/planets/bright-object-beyond-pluto-may-be-the-solar-systems-sixth-dwarf-planet
https://redd.it/1xktj77
@r_space
The Atronomical Society of the Pacific has launched a YouTube channel and I think the content is pretty great.
AstroBeatShow" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@AstroBeatShow
https://redd.it/1xkopd1
@r_space
Opinion - The success of Artemis II should be a launch pad to Mars" Author: Scott Hubbard, former NASA Mars program director
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/opinion-success-artemis-ii-launch-130000894.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://redd.it/1xkmano
@r_space
Without protective clothing, how long would it take someone to die in space, and would it be painful?
Let’s assume someone was suddenly ejected from their spacecraft wearing whatever they would normally wear inside the craft, and was able to take a full breath before exiting.
https://redd.it/1xkge4x
@r_space
The Deepfield a universe data feed website.
Hey all. I've been working on this website that pulls from data feeds online that are open. We ingest all our data on the update speed of the provider and credit them in the details. I've launched my first alpha of it to test server load, and user experiences.
https://deepfield.lucidgamingnexus.com/
The main goal was to keep everything as scientifically accurate as possible, so if I have interpolate orbit in between updates we explain the methodology and data sources in the info panels as well. Many of the planets have layers accurate to NASA's datasets and some other real (ish) time sources.
Datasets so far are every object you can see in the screenshot (planets, stars, galaxies, blackholes, nebula, satellites). Then object layer data like wildfires, magnetic fields, vegetation, sea temperatures etc.
Also has all solar activity we can find as real time as possible and any near earth asteroids in the next 60 days.
Coming soon data: Volcanoes, air flights, ship paths, and the bold attempt will be map tiles for all the planets and moons that NASA has tile data on.
Would be amazing if people could give me feedback on:
Any bugs you had.
UI feel and look.
Data suggestions or information you think I'm missing.
Anything else! Happy flying.
https://preview.redd.it/1lpjjihgmtyh1.png?width=1910&format=png&auto=webp&s=c6fdf99e5728761e6e4c6df5022c5e26bc6b430b
https://redd.it/1xkd8kz
@r_space
What came first and how
I have been struggling with this for a while now, people always ask what was before the big bang but that only makes me question more. To start something means something was there to start it , so can there even be a beginning. Nothingness just doesn’t make sense to me, where did the energy come from ? Are we trapped inside some giant’s aquarium
https://redd.it/1xk6zxj
@r_space
