June 5, 2021

Collapsing Star Produces One of the Most Fantastic Explosions Ever Seen (Source: C/Net)
When some stars die, they collapse and go supernova, creating bright flashes of gamma rays and X-rays known as gamma-ray bursts. GRBs are thought to be the biggest explosions in the universe, and now scientists have observed one closer than ever before, leading to a surprise that challenges our understanding of the massive blasts that can also give birth to black holes.

NASA's Fermi and Swift satellites detected a gamma-ray burst in the direction of the constellation Eridanus on Aug. 29, 2019. It was catalogued as GRB 190829A, and almost immediately observatories around the world automatically shifted to collect more data on the cosmic event. It turned out to be about a billion light-years away -- a comfortable distance to watch the very violent show, but about 20 times closer to Earth than the typical GRB. (5/3)

Report Finds No Evidence That UFOs Are Alien (Source: Space Daily)
There is no evidence that unexplained aerial phenomena spotted in recent years by US military personnel are aliens, an upcoming government report said, but officials still can't explain the mysterious aircraft. Senior administration officials briefed on the findings of the highly anticipated report said they were able to confirm the unusual vessels were not the product of secret Pentagon technology.

But the review of more than 120 incidents over the past two decades was unable to explain the mysterious movements of the craft, which include unusual acceleration, direction changes and the ability to rapidly submerge. And while senior officials told the Times the lack of clear findings means that while there's no evidence of alien technology behind the phenomena, it's also impossible to rule out.

One senior official briefed on the report said intelligence and military officials increasingly worry the phenomena could be China or Russia experimenting with hypersonic technology. (6/4)

An Evolving Theory for Dark Matter (Source: Salon)
Dark matter is hard to directly observe; yet astronomers are certain it exists because of the huge gravitational effect it has on galaxies and the stars that live within them. So far, none of the efforts to figure out the nature of the particles that constitute dark matter have borne fruit. Modern dark matter detectors — which, technically, haven't definitively detected anything yet — operate on the principle that dark matter should, if one waits around long enough, eventually touch a piece of normal matter in such a way that we could briefly sense its ghostly signature.

Yet such experiments continue to turn up empty, despite instrumentation growing increasingly sensitive. That has led physicists to start asking other questions about dark matter. Is there something fundamental missing about our theories about how to interact with it? Or could it have properties different than we theorized? What if dark matter was interacting with itself in ways besides gravitationally — yet via a fifth fundamental force, one as-yet-unknown?

Dark matter could be explained by a proposed fifth fundamental force. The theory goes more or less like this: Much of the dark matter in the universe doesn't behave like the particles we know and study. Perhaps these "invisible" particles interact with other, equally invisible particles in a way that causes them to stop acting like particles — hence, the difficulty observing them. (6/4)

Space Force Wants to Turn Launch Ranges Into Rocket ‘Airports’ (Source: Air Force Times)
The military’s space launch bases are halfway through what promises to be a busy year for orbital operations, as the coronavirus pandemic eases in the U.S. and the commercial space industry continues to rise. Officials at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, and Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, are preparing for nearly 70 launches in 2021 if all goes to plan. In adjusting to a more constant launch pace, leaders are beginning to see the installations as a different kind of transportation hub: airports.

“I’m actually trying to change the thinking and nature of the base,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, commander of Space Launch Delta 45 — the former 45th Space Wing — at Patrick. The unit runs the nation’s historic rocket launch range at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Purdy argues launch requests and approvals are a better metric for gauging launch demand than estimating how many will go up as planned. He’s particularly eager to ditch the unit’s “Drive to 48” slogan, which he says is an outdated view of the launch schedule.

“As we bring more and more commercial providers on board, we’re going to have more and more launches and get to that ultimate … goal of two a day,” he said. “It’s all about converting our thinking and processes into that airport or services model in order to get there.” ... “When you talk about an airport, if you miss your spot, there’s a penalty — you have to pay for that in terms of getting back into the queue,” Vandenberg's Col. Anthony Mastalir said. “When it becomes very congested … some providers will decide, ‘Well, we can get there from the Western Range as well,’ so we’ll start to move traffic this way.” (6/4)

NASA Chief Says Russia Leaving ISS could Kick Off a Space Race (Source: CNN)
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson sits down with CNN's Rachel Crane to discuss what could happen if Russia pulls out of the International Space Station. Click here. (6/4)