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© 2026 Developments Today. All rights reserved.

Kepler's Supernova scattered debris across space as its giant star ended in an explosion. Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/DSS/D. Patnaude

Moon dust model could help astronauts read ancient supernova records

Scientists developed a stochastic model to decode how impacts mix lunar regolith.
The Moon may preserve supernova-derived radioactive isotopes for 80 to 100 million years or more.
The approach could guide future astronauts toward better lunar core-sampling sites.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 31, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Asteroid 2023 CX1 observed streaking over Normandy, France, on February 13, 2023. The resulting Saint-Pierre-le-Viger meteorite fall was one of 75 analyzed in this study conducted by the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center. (Photo Credit: G. de Reijke)

Researchers map the seven-stage path of meteorites through Earth’s atmosphere

Researchers from the SETI Institute and NASA Ames analyzed 75 meteorite falls.
The study proposes a seven-stage sequence from atmospheric entry to post-glow dispersal.
The work aims to improve understanding of meteorite survival and airburst hazards, including events like Chelyabinsk.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 31, 2026·via universetoday.com

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A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket rises from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope into space. (NASA Photo / Joel Kowsky)

NASA launches Roman Space Telescope months ahead of schedule

NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30, 2026.
The observatory is headed to Earth-sun L2 after a successful Falcon Heavy mission.
Roman combines Hubble-like sensitivity with a field of view more than 100 times wider.
Its science goals include probing dark matter, dark energy, and Earthlike exoplanets.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 31, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Our early Solar System likely had embedded magnetic fields at work even before the Sun was born, according to a new study. Credit: Hernán Cañellas

Ancient Meteorite Grains Point to Magnetism in the Sun’s Birth

Researchers studied calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions in the Antarctic meteorite DOM 08006.
The inclusions formed within the first 200,000 years of Solar System history.
Their magnetic imprint suggests magnetism likely helped shape the protosolar nebula.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 30, 2026·via universetoday.com

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nasa

NASA launches Roman Space Telescope toward a million-mile post

NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30, 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
The observatory is heading to the Sun-Earth L2 point about one million miles from Earth.
Roman will conduct wide-field infrared surveys focused on dark matter, dark energy and exoplanets.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 30, 2026·via nasa.gov

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artemis ii

Artemis II crew receives Congressional Space Medal of Honor

President Donald J. Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at NASA Johnson on August 28, 2026.
The recipients were Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
NASA says Artemis II launched April 1 and splashed down April 10, 2026.
The crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth at peak distance, farther than any humans had gone before.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 30, 2026·via nasa.gov

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NASA’s Roman Telescope Nears Launch for a Fast, Wide Survey of the Cosmos

NASA’s Roman Telescope Nears Launch for a Fast, Wide Survey of the Cosmos

NASA scheduled Roman for launch on August 30, 2026 aboard Falcon Heavy.
The telescope combines Hubble-class optics with a much wider field of view.
Roman is expected to return about 2,500 terabytes of data over five years.
Its science goals include dark matter, dark energy, cosmic structure, and exoplanets.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 30, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, shown in this artist’s concept, has orbited Earth for more than 20 years, studying the ever-changing universe. Credit: NASA’s GSFC Conceptual Image Lab

Swift Rescue Mission Shifts to Rendezvous Test After Spacecraft Trouble

NASA and Katalyst Space will not boost Swift's orbit after LINK developed an attitude control problem.
The mission has been reduced to a rendezvous and proximity-operations demonstration.
Swift's rapidly decaying orbit had prompted an unusually fast commercial rescue effort.
NASA says data from the attempt will inform future satellite servicing missions.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 30, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Milky Way galaxy as seen from the Earth's surface. Measurements of the Milky Way's star populations form part of an analytical tool called the Initial Mass Function. It helps astronomers estimate stellar masses in other galaxies. Source: Adobe Stock

Astronomers Say a Core Tool for Weighing Galaxies May Be Off

Researchers say the initial mass function may be applied too broadly across galaxies.
The common IMF is based largely on Milky Way observations and may underrepresent environmental differences.
Better stellar population estimates could improve models of galaxy mass, age, and evolution.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 29, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Pictured is team CERBERUZ, a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who won first place prizes in NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge. Of the students’ 30-person team, 14 are shown in front of two backdrops showing the NASA “meatball” insignia and NASA’s Centennial Challenges. Team members are holding two large checks made out to the team in amounts of $500,000 and $275,000.

NASA’s LunaRecycle Winner Points to a Leaner Moon Mission

NASA’s recycling challenge focuses on reducing waste during lunar and deep-space missions.
MIT won for a process that turns mixed trash into usable manufacturing feedstock.
The result supports NASA’s push for more self-sufficient off-world operations.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 29, 2026·via nasa.gov

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The four members of the Artemis II mission stand on stage after receiving the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. To their right is President Trump.

Artemis II crew receives Congressional Space Medal of Honor

The Artemis II crew received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in Houston on August 28, 2026.
NASA says the award recognizes exceptionally brave and meritorious astronaut service.
The ceremony ties the Artemis program to the broader historical legacy of U.S. human spaceflight.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 29, 2026·via nasa.gov

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SpaceX reaches 100 orbital missions in 2026 with Starlink launch

SpaceX reaches 100 orbital missions in 2026 with Starlink launch

A Falcon 9 launched 29 Starlink satellites on SpaceX’s 100th orbital mission of 2026.
The first-stage booster completed its ninth flight and landed on the Pacific droneship.
The milestone underscores how reusability and Starlink demand are sustaining SpaceX’s launch cadence.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 29, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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SpaceX pushes Falcon 9 reuse to a new mark with 37th booster flight

SpaceX pushes Falcon 9 reuse to a new mark with 37th booster flight

Falcon 9 booster B1067 completed a record-setting 37th mission.
The Starlink 10-49 launch added 29 satellites to SpaceX’s constellation.
The booster landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas after liftoff from Florida.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 29, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg images her eye with a fundoscope aboard the International Space Station during the Expedition 37 mission in 2013. Credit: NASA

Why astronauts’ lower eyelids rise in microgravity

Researchers reviewed 115 NASA photos from 13 astronauts and found an average 1 mm decrease in MRD2.
All astronauts surveyed showed signs of reverse ptosis, with 62% showing changes greater than 1 mm.
The study proposes cephalad fluid shift and elastic recoil of facial tissues as the main causes.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 29, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Researchers found this image of comet 28P/Neujmin in the archives of Japan's Subaru Telescope and its Subaru Prime Focus Camera (Suprime-Cam). It turned out to be from almost the perfect angle to study the comet from. It's a naked comet without a coma, and these lucky observations gave astronomers a great look at its surface. Image Credit: NAOJ

Subaru archive catches a rare ‘naked’ comet at just the right angle

Researchers found archival Subaru Telescope images of comet 28P/Neujmin at an unusually favorable viewing angle.
Because the comet was more than 10 AU from the Sun, coma contamination was minimized and the nucleus could be studied more directly.
The result shows how observatory archives can produce new science years after the original observations were made.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 28, 2026·via universetoday.com

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Image taken by the Artemis II crew during its historic mission around the Moon in April 2026. (Credit: NASA)

NASA study says some astronaut microbes could survive at the Moon’s south pole

NASA researchers modeled whether several Earth microbes could endure lunar south polar conditions.
The study found some locations may support survival, especially for UV-resistant Aspergillus niger.
The result heightens planetary protection concerns as human activity at the Moon’s south pole expands.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 28, 2026·via universetoday.com

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NASA insignia

Turkey set to join Artemis Accords as 71st signatory

NASA says Turkey will sign the Artemis Accords on August 31, 2026.
Turkey would become the 71st country to join the framework.
The ceremony will be hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in Washington.
NASA says the Accords aim to improve safety, transparency, and coordination in civil space exploration.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 28, 2026·via nasa.gov

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*A hypothetical Dyson Sphere Swarm. Credit: Wikipedia*

Webb observations rule out two more Dyson sphere candidates

Webb follow-up observations eliminated two M-dwarf Dyson sphere candidates identified by Project Hephaistos.
Researchers found the infrared excess came from background galaxies, not artificial megastructures around the stars.
The result highlights how difficult technosignature searches are and why high-resolution follow-up is essential.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 27, 2026·via universetoday.com

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A nighttime shot of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope encapsulated in its payload fairing, traveling to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Roman Space Telescope heads to Falcon Heavy ahead of launch

NASA moved the encapsulated Roman Space Telescope to the SpaceX hangar at Launch Complex 39A.
The observatory is set to be mated to a Falcon Heavy rocket at Kennedy Space Center.
NASA says launch is targeted no earlier than Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026.
Roman is designed to study dark energy and trace dark matter’s role in galaxy formation and evolution.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 26, 2026·via nasa.gov

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SpaceX prepares another Starlink launch as Florida Falcon 9 era closes

SpaceX prepares another Starlink launch as Florida Falcon 9 era closes

SpaceX plans to launch 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg on August 26, 2026.
The mission uses Falcon 9 booster B1082 on its 24th flight.
SpaceX says the prior Florida mission was the last planned Falcon 9 Starlink launch from that state.
The company is signaling a future shift of Florida Starlink missions toward Starship.

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DT Editorial Team·Aug 26, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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