TrendingAdvertisementUnited Launch Alliance plans to launch its first, new Vulcan rocket -- as shown in an artist rendering here -- in April 2021. Image courtesy of United Launch AllianceUnited Launch Alliance, a leading launch provider to the U.S. government for 14 years, is on schedule to launch its next-generation rocket, the Vulcan Centaur, in early 2021, CEO Tony Bruno said.The new rocket is designed to provide a more efficient, more powerful launch vehicle than ULA's workhorse rockets, Atlas and Delta, with engines produced in the United States. The company previously bought Russian...…TrendingAdvertisementUnited Launch Alliance plans to launch its first, new Vulcan rocket -- as shown in an artist rendering here -- in April 2021. Image courtesy of United Launch AllianceUnited Launch Alliance, a leading launch provider to the U.S. government for 14 years, is on schedule to launch its next-generation rocket, the Vulcan Centaur, in early 2021, CEO Tony Bruno said.The new rocket is designed to provide a more efficient, more powerful launch vehicle than ULA's workhorse rockets, Atlas and Delta, with engines produced in the United States. The company previously bought Russian...WW…

TrendingAdvertisementResearchers at South Florida State College study floating hemp plants for their ability to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. Photo courtesy of South Florida State CollegeFlorida researchers have started to study how hemp plants could battle toxic algae blooms by cleaning polluted waterways.If research results appear promising, they intend to grow large mats of hemp in key Florida waterways, potentially providing a source of industrial hemp fiber while also benefiting water quality.Advertisement"I'd like to see 10,000 acres of hemp mats growing in Lake...…TrendingAdvertisementResearchers at South Florida State College study floating hemp plants for their ability to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. Photo courtesy of South Florida State CollegeFlorida researchers have started to study how hemp plants could battle toxic algae blooms by cleaning polluted waterways.If research results appear promising, they intend to grow large mats of hemp in key Florida waterways, potentially providing a source of industrial hemp fiber while also benefiting water quality.Advertisement"I'd like to see 10,000 acres of hemp mats growing in Lake...WW…

TrendingAdvertisementBill Nelson, the NASA administrator nominee, holds up a cellphone as an example of technology that NASA missions helped advance, during his confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Pool photo by Graeme Jennings/UPI |NASA still has a shot at landing astronauts on the moon by 2024, , the administration's choice to lead NASA, said in a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday."I think you may be pleased that we're going to see that timetable tried to be adhered to," Nelson testified...…TrendingAdvertisementBill Nelson, the NASA administrator nominee, holds up a cellphone as an example of technology that NASA missions helped advance, during his confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Pool photo by Graeme Jennings/UPI |NASA still has a shot at landing astronauts on the moon by 2024, , the administration's choice to lead NASA, said in a Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday."I think you may be pleased that we're going to see that timetable tried to be adhered to," Nelson testified...WW…

TrendingAdvertisementA SpaceX rocket like this one launched 60 more  Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space center in Florida on Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of SpaceXA problem with power to the rocket forced a last-minute abort of 's planned launch of 60 Starlink communications satellites Sunday morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The Falcon 9, burning rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen, was to lift off in ideal weather, using its first stage for the fifth time -- a tribute to the company's goal to reuse hardware for future missions.AdvertisementBut computers stopped...…TrendingAdvertisementA SpaceX rocket like this one launched 60 more  Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space center in Florida on Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of SpaceXA problem with power to the rocket forced a last-minute abort of 's planned launch of 60 Starlink communications satellites Sunday morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The Falcon 9, burning rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen, was to lift off in ideal weather, using its first stage for the fifth time -- a tribute to the company's goal to reuse hardware for future missions.AdvertisementBut computers stopped...WW…

TrendingAdvertisementA SpaceX Starship rocket flies high above South Texas on Tuesday, minutes before the test flight crashed and exploded in fog below. Photo courtesy of SpaceXA fourth Starship rocket prototype for 's launch company exploded after a test flight on Tuesday morning in South Texas.As with previous test flights, SpaceX flew Starship -- model SN11 -- to over 6 miles high above the launch facility about 180 miles south of Corpus Christi. The rocket then glided on wing flaps back to the launch pad.AdvertisementHeavy fog and problems with the video feed made it unclear exactly...…TrendingAdvertisementA SpaceX Starship rocket flies high above South Texas on Tuesday, minutes before the test flight crashed and exploded in fog below. Photo courtesy of SpaceXA fourth Starship rocket prototype for 's launch company exploded after a test flight on Tuesday morning in South Texas.As with previous test flights, SpaceX flew Starship -- model SN11 -- to over 6 miles high above the launch facility about 180 miles south of Corpus Christi. The rocket then glided on wing flaps back to the launch pad.AdvertisementHeavy fog and problems with the video feed made it unclear exactly...WW…

TrendingAdvertisementAn aerial photo shows the cleanup of damage from the December collapse of Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, where the ongoing remediation is estimated at up to $50 million. Photo courtesy of National Science FoundationThe destructive collapse in December of the world's most powerful radar telescope, Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, will make some observations of an upcoming asteroid mission difficult, according to NASA.The primary goal of the asteroid experiment, or DART mission, is to crash a spacecraft into a small moon that circles asteroid Didymos in 2022, and...…TrendingAdvertisementAn aerial photo shows the cleanup of damage from the December collapse of Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, where the ongoing remediation is estimated at up to $50 million. Photo courtesy of National Science FoundationThe destructive collapse in December of the world's most powerful radar telescope, Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, will make some observations of an upcoming asteroid mission difficult, according to NASA.The primary goal of the asteroid experiment, or DART mission, is to crash a spacecraft into a small moon that circles asteroid Didymos in 2022, and...WW…

TrendingAdvertisementAstronaut Chris Cassidy unpacks a box of food that was flown to the International Space Station in October as NASA planned a contest that seeks innovative ways to grow food in space. Photo courtesy of NASANASA is prepared to pay $500,000 for a good idea to help feed astronauts on long-term space missions with something other than dried, packaged food from Earth.The space agency has set a July 30 deadline on its Deep Space Food Challenge, when it will choose a winning idea. The Canadian Space Agency launched a similar challenge with phased awards totaling $500,000 that...…TrendingAdvertisementAstronaut Chris Cassidy unpacks a box of food that was flown to the International Space Station in October as NASA planned a contest that seeks innovative ways to grow food in space. Photo courtesy of NASANASA is prepared to pay $500,000 for a good idea to help feed astronauts on long-term space missions with something other than dried, packaged food from Earth.The space agency has set a July 30 deadline on its Deep Space Food Challenge, when it will choose a winning idea. The Canadian Space Agency launched a similar challenge with phased awards totaling $500,000 that...WW…

TrendingAdvertisementA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, similar to the one shown that was launched in 2020, is packed with dozens of satellites for the Transporter-1 rideshare launch Saturday. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI |plans to launch the most satellites ever deployed in a single mission, 143, on Saturday morning from Florida for more than a dozen customers.A 2017 mission by the India Space Research Organization launched 104 spacecraft, which would be the previous record if the SpaceX launch is a success.AdvertisementLiftoff aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is...…TrendingAdvertisementA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, similar to the one shown that was launched in 2020, is packed with dozens of satellites for the Transporter-1 rideshare launch Saturday. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI |plans to launch the most satellites ever deployed in a single mission, 143, on Saturday morning from Florida for more than a dozen customers.A 2017 mission by the India Space Research Organization launched 104 spacecraft, which would be the previous record if the SpaceX launch is a success.AdvertisementLiftoff aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is...WW…

TrendingAdvertisementFlorida has sued Georgia over increasing water flow in the Apalachicola River and bay, where local resident Bonnie Cassel is pictured catching oysters in 2013, in the hope it would would help revive local fisheries. Photo courtesy of Heather RashFlorida's request to the U.S. to limit the state of Georgia's water usage along the Apalachicola River basin is headed to a hearing on Feb. 22.The case is the first such interstate water dispute in the eastern United States to be heard by the high court since 1931, when New Jersey won a bid to restrict New York's water...…TrendingAdvertisementFlorida has sued Georgia over increasing water flow in the Apalachicola River and bay, where local resident Bonnie Cassel is pictured catching oysters in 2013, in the hope it would would help revive local fisheries. Photo courtesy of Heather RashFlorida's request to the U.S. to limit the state of Georgia's water usage along the Apalachicola River basin is headed to a hearing on Feb. 22.The case is the first such interstate water dispute in the eastern United States to be heard by the high court since 1931, when New Jersey won a bid to restrict New York's water...WW…

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is being prepared to launch the first Dragon 2 spacecraft to the International Space Station on a resupply mission for NASA from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI |An illustration shows the International Space Station with the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock, the dome right of center, which is prepared to be  launched Saturday aboard a SpaceX rocket. Image courtesy of NanoracksHeart tissue samples are prepared at Stanford University for launch to the International Space Station. Photo courtesy of Stanford UniversityHeart tissue...…A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is being prepared to launch the first Dragon 2 spacecraft to the International Space Station on a resupply mission for NASA from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI |An illustration shows the International Space Station with the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock, the dome right of center, which is prepared to be  launched Saturday aboard a SpaceX rocket. Image courtesy of NanoracksHeart tissue samples are prepared at Stanford University for launch to the International Space Station. Photo courtesy of Stanford UniversityHeart tissue...WW…