Science & Research

UK agency ARIA funds early projects building “AI scientists” that can run lab experiments

The UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) has awarded extra funding to 12 teams building “AI scientists” that can design, run, and analyze lab experiments, after receiving 245 proposals. The small, short grants are meant to gauge how quickly automated scientific workflows are advancing and to inform future larger ARIA programs.

NASA selects three new Artemis science payloads for Moon surface deliveries no earlier than 2028

NASA selected three new Moon-surface science investigations for delivery via its CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign, with U.S. companies delivering the payloads no earlier than 2028. The payloads will study lunar terrain temperatures, subsurface heat flow, and the surface radiation environment to support future exploration and safety.

NASA crew returns to Earth early after an astronaut develops a serious medical condition

An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three crewmates more than a month early, marking NASA’s first medical evacuation from the International Space Station.

ISS Crew-11 returns to Earth early after a serious medical issue

Four Crew-11 astronauts splashed down off the coast of California and ended their International Space Station mission one month early because of a serious medical issue affecting an unidentified crew member.

Two retired U.S. Air Force F-15 jets join NASA Armstrong to support supersonic flight research

Two retired U.S. Air Force F-15 jets from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing joined NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center to support supersonic flight research, including the Quesst mission’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft.

SpaceX Dragon Endeavour returns Crew-11 to Earth off California

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission returned four crew members to Earth with a Pacific Ocean splashdown off Southern California, about a month earlier than planned because of a monitored medical concern affecting one crew member.

NASA and Department of Energy plan a lunar surface reactor by 2030

NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy plan to develop a lunar surface reactor by 2030.

Portugal signs the Artemis Accords as the 60th participating country

Portugal signed the Artemis Accords, joining 59 other countries in a commitment to principles for responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond with NASA.

NASA demolishes historic Saturn V and space shuttle test towers at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA demolished two historic test facilities at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama that were used in Saturn V and space shuttle development and were no longer in use.

Anxiety treatment in the US has relied on tranquilizers, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants, with no new FDA-approved anxiety drugs since 2004

Anxiety affects a large share of people globally, and US FDA approvals show anxiety drug treatment shifting from 1950s tranquilizers to benzodiazepines and then antidepressants, with no new anxiety medications approved since 2004.

SpaceX receives FCC approval to launch 7,500 additional Gen2 Starlink satellites

The FCC approved SpaceX to launch 7,500 more second-generation Starlink satellites, with deployment deadlines extending to 2031.

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