SPACE

There are fears items like the clock recovered from the disaster will be lost once their keepers die.

We might not be able to claim that 2021 was *the* wildest year in recent history (2020 will likely get that credit for quite some time), but it might be a close second.

Among the space events to watch in the coming year is the collision between a NASA probe and an asteroid in the autumn of 2022. The DART mission. VIDEOGRAPHIC

NASA’s newest X-ray observatory is circling the world after launching from Kennedy Space Center.

Spacewalking astronauts have replaced a broken antenna outside the International Space Station after getting NASA's all-clear for orbiting debris.

The longest partial lunar eclipse of the year is happening early Friday, and people in all 50 states will be able to view it.

The actor shares a post from Rust's costume designer following the death of Halyna Hutchins.

San Antonio is home to so many new, exciting and technologically advanced companies.

The prestigious Riba Stirling Prize for architecture is won by a Kingston University London complex.

Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old William Shatner, has blasted into space and safely returned to Earth in a convergence of science fiction and science reality.

This is an exciting week for space travel, especially in Texas, but it will have to wait for at least an extra day.

The vigil is being held in the town where the murder suspect was arrested.

Three scientists have won the Nobel Prize for physics for work that found order in seeming disorder. They helped to explain and predict complex forces of nature, including expanding our understanding of climate change. (Oct. 5)

Campaigners say including extremist narratives among everyday conversations can be a pathway to radicalisation.

It didn't matter that I'd been looking at pictures of it for years — being in America was very, very foreign to me, from the food to the social life.

NASA's newest Mars rover has completed its first sample grab, tucking away the tube of rock for return to Earth.

NASA's newest Mars rover may have successfully collected its first rock sample for return to Earth, after last month's attempt came up empty.

Box office takings in the past month are half of their pre-pandemic levels.

A Russian space official says engineers will need to analyze whether a glitch that caused the International Space Station to spin out of its normal orientation could have any impact on the orbiting outpost's systems.

The home builder plans to use the remaining piece of the church that burned down in 2013...

Students were able to speak with three NASA astronauts about things like the future of space travel and what it takes to become an astronaut.

Thanks to space experts -- shout out to NASA -- we’re fortunate enough to have a heads up as to when we’ll get the best view of them.

A group of San Antonio middle schoolers say they're excited for the future after watching Jeff Bezos' historic spaceflight with crew members on Tuesday morning.

Billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos are ready to start offering trips to outer space.

Every coastline in the U.S. will experience rapidly increasing high-tide flooding due to “moon wobble” and climate change, according to a new study.

The Hubble Space Telescope should be back in action soon, following a tricky, remote repair job by NASA.

The UK businessman is about to realise a lifetime's ambition by flying to the edge of space.

Here are the 10 fact checks that most captivated — or angered — readers so far in 2021.

Astronomers say they've witnessed for the first time a black hole swallowing a neutron star, the densest object in the universe.

The U.S. Space Force has a new primer for activities beyond Earth orbit amid increased NASA and international interest in lunar activities.

A new study is throwing cold water on the possibility of life in the clouds of Venus.

Astronauts have finished unfurling a new pair of solar panels outside the International Space Station.

If you’ve missed any of the celestial events that have happened this year already -- the Pink Moon in April or the recent solar eclipse, to name a couple -- you’ve got one more chance to witness a rare supermoon this year, and it’s happening this week.

NASA is teaming up with the maker of Tide to figure out how to do laundry in space.

Employee at a Top Workplaces firm adapted his home into a remote mailroom

Spacesuit problems have prevented astronauts from completing the installation of powerful, new solar panels outside the International Space Station.

Venus is hotter than ever, with a third new robotic explorer on the horizon.

Well, it’s official — your uncle and Joe Rogan no longer need to take off their tinfoil hats. Pentagon officials have admitted to seeing Unidentified Flying Objects for years.

NASA is returning to sizzling Venus, our closest yet perhaps most overlooked neighbor, after decades of exploring other worlds.

There are many projects around the world that are focused on the future of space technology and one local company, Astroport Space Technologies, has a new partnership with NASA that will have them at the forefront in creating out-of-this-world space ventures.

Two Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station have wrapped up a spacewalk that lasted more than 7 hours to prepare for the arrival of a new Russian module.

Animal spaceflights paved the way for the first human astronauts, and today, creatures big and small continue to space travel, advancing our knowledge of how the zero-gravity environment impacts all beings and aiding research down on Earth.

There’s something exciting on the horizon: a supermoon, and it’s expected to be the largest moon we’ll see this year.

A UIW graduate is working towards becoming a physician for astronauts.

If you’re a lover of beautiful, bright shows in the sky, you’re going to want to check out the Eta Aquarids meteor shower that’s happening right now.

The largest section of the rocket that launched the main module of China’s first permanent space station into orbit is expected to plunge back to Earth as early as Saturday at an unknown location.

NASA chose Alan Shepard, Jr. to be the first American to enter space inside the Freedom 7 capsule on May 5, 1961.

A painting by Edinburgh-born artist Robert Scott Lauder is the focus of a major conservation project.

Astronomers call for the United Nations to protect the pristine night sky against light pollution from megaconstellations.

An astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) took this photo of the Texas Gulf Coast. (CREDIT: NASA)Have you ever wondered what the Texas Gulf looks like from afar... or more specifically, from space? A NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photo of the Texas Gulf Coast and shared it to social media on March 24. Check out this NASA photograph of the gulf coast and Austin/San Antonio area taken from aboard the International Space Station! If you’re from Texas, or are just a big fan, you can see the Texas coast along with narrow barrier islands that create protective bays between the Gulf of Mexico and the mainland.

In case you missed the great conjunction last month, when the two biggest planets in our solar system -- Jupiter and Saturn -- appeared to come within 1/10 of a degree from each other, there’s another spectacular sight to catch this weekend: The triple conjunction. It will come into the same 2 degrees of sky with the two other planets this weekend, Forbes reports. Jupiter (L) and Saturn appear about one-tenth of a degree apart during an astronomical event known as a Great Conjunction on Dec. 21, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)Though not quite as spectacular as the other nights, the triple conjuncture will also be visible Friday and Monday. But because our solar system is such an amazing thing, by Feb. 13, the planets will emerge from behind the sun to form yet another triple conjunction, but at that time, just before sunrise.

A group of astronomers are studying if we are really alone in the universe after puzzling radio waves were detected in Australia. The narrow beam of radio waves was picked up by the Parkes telescope in April and May of last year, according to The Guardian. The report says that scientists believe those radio emissions came from the direction of Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf star 4.2 light years from earth, also known as the nearest star to the sun. Pete Worden, the former director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, says it’s important to wait and see what the project’s scientist conclude. Worden says these signals are likely interference that we cannot yet fully explain.

As astronauts work on the International Space Station, it’s easy to wonder what their lives are like up there. How do astronauts do basic life activities on a floating space ship? How are their needs met?

A major event is happening in the sky this month, and it’s one that won’t be matched again until 2080, according to experts. The two largest planets in our solar system — Jupiter and Saturn — will engage in what is called a great conjunction. The two massive planets will be at their closest on Dec. 21, when they will be only 0.1 degrees apart. The last time there was a great conjunction was in 2000, but the planets were near the sun and difficult to observe. The great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn happens every 20 years, but because of the way the two planets orbit, astronomers predict the view of this year’s won’t be matched until 2080.

And with a different form of space race heating up, some companies are trying to cash in. NASA pledged in September to buy moon rocks from companies that can get robotic rovers to the lunar surface and scoop up samples of the dusty terrain, and the space agency asked for bids from companies all over the world. The goal is not to gather new information about lunar soil composition or study how various lunar resources can be used. NASA may be the only organization that’s currently in the market for buying moon rocks from private companies, but the space agency allowed the companies to name their price. The economic incentive for the four companies signed up for NASA’s new lunar resource program is not exactly clear, but all of the companies are already well underway developing various lunar exploration technologies.

This year, the International Space Station celebrated 20 years of having a continuous human presence on it. But what exactly is the International Space Station and what does it do? Over a 13-year period from 1998-2011, different modules were launched into space and attached to each other in orbit by astronauts. That mission was successful to create an initial base, and in subsequent years, other modules were launched into orbit and connected. The ISS is aging -- and if it’s not eventually destroyed or taken down by humans, space obstacles might arise, according to space.com.

Two Russian cosmonauts will conduct a six-hour spacewalk outside of the International Space Station on Wednesday morning. This will be the first spacewalk for cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov as they will prepare the space station for a new module, according to CNN. The ISS Expedition 64 Russian Spacewalk #47 is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. and will last for six hours. You can view a livestream of the spacewalk in the video player above.

Have you heard of the Leonid meteor shower? It comes around every November, but the chances of seeing it this year are much higher than last year. The shower happens at the same time every year, when Earth’s orbit crosses the orbit of Comet Tempel-Tuttle, according to Space.com. A trail of dust is left behind the comet, and when Earth’s orbit crosses that trail, pieces of the comet fall toward our planet’s surface. Luckily for us, meteors are visible to the naked eye, and the shower will peak overnight Monday into Tuesday (Nov. 16-17) around 3 a.m.

Update: Scientists have announced that the Moon may hold frozen water in more places than suspected, meaning astronauts could use those resources in the future. Original: NASA is expected to announce a new scientific discovery about the Moon on Monday. According to a news release, NASA will make “an exciting new discovery” as it continues to delve into moon and space exploration. NASA says the first woman and next man will be sent to the lunar surface in 2024 to prepare for the human exploration of Mars. The human expedition to Mars could take place in the 2030s, NASA said.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg is head to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of the Alamo City becoming the U.S. next space site. The city is on a short list of potential locations to host the U.S. Space Command Headquarters. WATCH: Mayor Ron Nirenberg joins KSAT Q&A ahead of trip to Washington“San Antonio, in addition to having the largest ever military medical assets outside of D.C., also has the largest number and density of cybersecurity assets outside of D.C.," Nirenberg said. "So, everything we do here, from an economic and medical and community perspective, works symbiotically with our military and that’s where we’re going.”Additionally, Nirenberg plans on discussing bringing the 2022 Warrior Games to Military City USA. Related: Mayor Ron Nirenberg stresses safety precautions as schools, bars reopen

SAN ANTONIO – In a first for NASA, a U.S. mission to collect a sample of an asteroid and return it to Earth culminates on Tuesday. NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security - Regolith Explorer asteroid sample return mission (OSIRIS-REx) has been orbiting Bennu, an asteroid 200 million miles from Earth. It is a complicated mission that may need a few “audibles” during the attempt, according to Jim Garvin, NASA Goddard Chief Scientist. On Thursday, OSIRIS-REx’s SamCam camera will capture images of the TAGSAM head to see whether it contains Bennu’s surface material. If these measures show successful collection, the decision will be made to place the sample in the Sample Return Capsule (SRC) for return to Earth.

NASA will be collecting a sample of an asteroid named Bennu on Tuesday. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241.

Mars will appear brighter than at any other point during the year on Oct. 13, when it will be closest to Earth. “So, a little over every two years, Mars and Earth are closest together in their orbits and, thus, Mars is at its brightest in our nighttime sky. (© 2012 Michael Orso)Blue moon on HalloweenFor the first time since 2001, trick-or-treaters will get the chance to experience a Halloween full moon. A blue moon, by the most popular definition, according to Gross, is when two full moons appear in a single month. “We will have full moons on Oct. 1 and 31, so that means that we’ll have a blue moon on Halloween,” Gross said.

As if there weren’t enough to think about these days, now there is talk of an asteroid supposedly heading directly for Earth. The truth of the matter is, there is an asteroid, and it is headed in our general direction, but maybe not right at us. A flying space object known as 2018 VP1 is hurtling through our solar system right now, and it’s due to be in our vicinity in early November. An internet video and a few stories have created a bit of buzz for those who look for this type of information. His insights into space, asteroids and 2018 VP1 were beyond helpful.

BEIJING China launched its most ambitious Mars mission yet on Thursday in a bold attempt to join the United States in successfully landing a spacecraft on the red planet. And the U.S. is aiming to launch Perseverance, its most sophisticated Mars rover ever, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, next week. Chinas tandem spacecraft with both an orbiter and a rover will take seven months to reach Mars, like the others. The UAE spacecraft Amal, or Hope, which will orbit Mars but not land, is the Arab worlds first interplanetary mission. NASA's Perseverance rover is up next.

Mango Cheesecake from Dario's Bakery | SA Live | KSAT 12Published: July 17, 2020, 1:54 pmHow to make the perfect summertime dessert, mango cheesecake. Dario's Bakery gives step-by-step instructions on how to make mango-nificent cheesecake from scratch.

2 new local businesses in one space | SA Live | KSAT 12Published: June 20, 2020, 9:57 amHot new place opens up by the University of Texas San Antonio. The Study Space is a fun new place to hang. They have a full coffee bar, restaurant and full bar. Don't forget about Dario's Bakery that just opened up inside. Chef Dario serves up a delicious key lime pie for summer.