The TOI Science Desk stands as an inquisitive team of journalists, ceaselessly delving into the realms of discovery to curate a captivating collection of news, features, and articles from the vast and ever-evolving world of science for the readers of The Times of India. Consider us your scientific companion, delivering a daily dose of wonder … Read more
Retired major-general William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic Earthrise photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90. His son, retired air force … Read more
Hot on the heels of the successful crewed launch of Boeing’s new CST-100 Starliner on Wednesday, we have another rocket launch: This time it’s SpaceX’s massive Starship. This is the fourth test flight of the rocket — which will be uncrewed — that SpaceX founder Elon Musk hopes will one day take astronauts to Mars. The 120-minute … Read more
NEW DELHI: In an exciting development, scientists have discovered an Earth-sized exoplanet, SPECULOOS-3 b, orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star approximately 55 light-years from Earth. On the cosmic scale, this distance is relatively close, highlighting the growing potential for discovering more exoplanets in our stellar neighborhood.SPECULOOS-3 b is nearly identical in size to Earth, offering intriguing … Read more
NEW DELHI: Nasa is preparing to send astronauts back to the moon and has announced its plan to construct first lunar railway system, known as FLOAT (Flexible Levitation on a Track). Engineers at Nasa ‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California are currently developing the FLOAT system.According to Nasa’s blog post, the project is designed … Read more
China launched a probe on Friday to collect samples from the far side of the Moon, a world first as Beijing pushes ahead with an ambitious programme that aims to send a crewed lunar mission by 2030. A rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China’s … Read more
In the current era of increased geopolitical tensions, the Chang’e-6 mission is a rare example of constructive international collaboration. The probe carries instruments contributed by France, Italy, Pakistan and Sweden. The Swedish payload was developed with funding from the European Space Agency (ESA). This may seem surprising given the current state of world affairs. But … Read more
Scientists have taken a clue from a carnival stunt known as the Wall of Death to help future astronauts on the moon stay healthy. But instead of riding motorcycles, moon colonists will simply run around the walls. For decades, carnival goers have been thrilled at the spectacle of stunt drivers taking motorcycles and even cars up … Read more
China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program, which is now competing with the U.S., still … Read more
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China is preparing to launch a lunar probe Friday that would land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into geological and other differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. The unprecedented mission would be the latest advance in the increasingly … Read more
