Discovery Space

NASA scientists are using artificial intelligence to comb through decades of archived data, surfacing discoveries that earlier analysis missed. A report by Microsoft highlights how machine learning tools are being applied to the space agency's vast historical datasets, helping researchers find new patterns and insights in old missions. The work illustrates a growing trend of AI-assisted science at major research institutions.

NASA is celebrating a milestone for the Hubble Space Telescope, which this month completed its 200,000th orbit around Earth. The space agency marked the occasion by releasing a striking new image. Hubble has now been operating in space for more than 36 years and continues to make new discoveries despite its age.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed an exotic spiral galaxy that appears to be rotating in two opposite directions at the same time. The rare finding, reported by NASA and covered by outlets including Mashable, offers astronomers an unusual case study in galactic dynamics and may prompt further research into how such counter-rotating structures form.

Primordial Space has released a video tracing the history of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, laid 168 years ago to connect North America and Europe. The account walks viewers through the technological precursors, from Jean-Antoine Nollet's 1746 electric shock experiment and Claude Chappe's semaphore towers to Volta's battery, showing how early electrical discoveries eventually made instant intercontinental communication possible.

A roundup of solar system discoveries made over the last few months is drawing wide attention, compiling findings from recent planetary science and astronomy work. The compilation is trending globally, with more than 141,000 people liking it, suggesting strong public interest in what researchers have been learning about planets, moons and other bodies in our cosmic neighbourhood.

NASA has released a new documentary, 'Planetary Defenders: This Is Not an Exercise', explaining how newly discovered asteroids are tracked and their orbits calculated. The film highlights the work of scientists defending Earth from potential impacts. Space and astronomy enthusiasts are sharing the documentary, which is freely available on NASA's streaming platform, praising its accessible look at planetary defence efforts.

NASA currently lists 49 citizen science projects that anyone can join, with no citizenship required. The projects, also called participatory science, let volunteers and amateurs contribute to real research, and participants have already helped make thousands of important scientific discoveries. The list is being shared widely as an invitation for the general public to get involved in space and earth science.

Discovery Space has been awarded a $20,000 grant to launch a new laser welding program. The funding will support hands-on learning in welding technology at the science center. Details on the donor, the program's launch date, and who it will serve have not yet been made public.

Astronomers report that a lava-covered exoplanet, described as unusually cool for its molten surface, appears to hold onto an atmosphere. The finding is notable because atmospheres on rocky worlds orbiting close to their stars are typically stripped away, so detecting one could offer clues about how planets retain gases in extreme environments. It is being shared among space and astronomy enthusiasts as an intriguing exoplanet discovery.

Commentary is drawing a line from the Wright brothers' first powered flight on Earth to NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, which became the first aircraft to fly on Mars. The argument being made is that humanity's pioneering flights show how exploration expands the boundaries of the possible, and that lessons from mistakes and discoveries on Earth should guide future space exploration.