Hacker News with Generative AI: Space Exploration

Berserker Hypothesis (wikipedia.org)
The Berserker hypothesis, also known as the deadly probes scenario, is the idea that humans have not yet detected intelligent alien life in the universe because it has been systematically destroyed by a series of lethal Von Neumann probes.[1][2] The hypothesis is named after the Berserker series of novels (1963–2005) written by Fred Saberhagen.[1]
Aliens, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Artificial Intelligence
4 points by slater 16 hours ago | 0 comments
You Can Still Read NASA's Deleted "First Woman" Graphic Novels (nasawatch.com)
Yet, as of March 2025 NASA has moved all evidence of these two publications from their various internet platforms as part of the ongoing Federal Government purge of anything related to diversity or women etc. (see “NASA’s Ever-Changing Artemis Crew Tagline‘). But these two publications are not totally gone. I found them – rather easily. Here they are:
Space Exploration, Government Censorship, Graphic Novels
41 points by rbanffy 1 day ago | 23 comments
SpaceX launches private Fram2 astronauts on first spaceflight over Earth's poles (space.com)
Space Exploration, SpaceX, Private Spaceflight
16 points by decimalenough 1 day ago | 3 comments
NASA astronauts tell of space odyssey and reject claims of neglect (theguardian.com)
In the end, whatever Elon Musk and Donald Trump liked to insist, astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams were never stuck, nor stranded in space, and definitely not abandoned or marooned.
Space Exploration, NASA, Astronauts
5 points by n1b0m 1 day ago | 2 comments
European Gaia mapping satellite is retired but proves tough to kill (theregister.com)
The last commands have been sent to the ESA's Gaia satellite and, after a dozen years scanning the galaxy, the spacecraft is shutting down its computers and boosting out into a retirement orbit around the Sun.
Space Exploration, Astronomy, Satellites, Europe
6 points by rntn 2 days ago | 1 comments
China's SpaceSail is expanding where Elon Musk is stumbling (restofworld.org)
China’s satellite internet upstart seems to be taking aim at Starlink.
China, Space Exploration, Satellite Internet, Elon Musk
9 points by marban 2 days ago | 0 comments
James Webb Space Telescope reveals that most galaxies rotate clockwise (smithsonianmag.com)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched into orbit around the sun in December 2021. Since then, it has been studying the history of our universe. Now, images of deep space from JWST’s Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) have revealed something puzzling: most galaxies rotate in the same direction.
Space Exploration, Astronomy, Galaxies
350 points by instagraham 2 days ago | 301 comments
First Orbital Rocket Launched from European Soil, Rocket Crashes, but It's Cool [video] (youtube.com)
Space Exploration, Rocketry, Europe
38 points by consumer451 3 days ago | 48 comments
Rocket carrying European orbital vehicle crashes after launch (phys.org)
The first orbital rocket launched from continental Europe crashed seconds after blast-off Sunday, dealing a blow to the continent's bid to build a new space economy.
Space Exploration, Europe, Rocketry, Failures
7 points by endofreach 3 days ago | 2 comments
First orbital rocket launched from Europe crashes after launch (theguardian.com)
A test rocket aimed at kickstarting satellite launches from Europe fell to the ground and exploded less than a minute after takeoff from a Norwegian spaceport on Sunday, in what the German startup Isar Aerospace had described as an initial test.
Space Exploration, Rocketry, Europe, Startups, Accidents
17 points by chha 3 days ago | 3 comments
Isar aerospace first test-flight (live) (isaraerospace.com)
Satellite launch service company Isar Aerospace has become the first European commercial space company to launch an orbital rocket from Continental Europe.
Space Exploration, Aerospace, Germany, Europe, Startups
19 points by amelius 3 days ago | 5 comments
Can Musk put people on Mars? (economist.com)
HUMAN LAWS can be changed, waived or broken. Physical laws are less biddable. When it comes to putting humans on Mars, which he sees as the first step towards the planet’s settlement and humankind’s salvation, Elon Musk now has little to worry about from human law.
Space Exploration, Elon Musk, Mars, Physics, Human Law
9 points by pseudolus 3 days ago | 4 comments
NASA terminating $420M in contracts not aligned with its new priorities (independent.co.uk)
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is terminating $420 million in contracts, the space agency says are “misaligned” with its new core priorities.
NASA, Space Exploration, Government Funding, Budget Cuts
6 points by g-b-r 4 days ago | 0 comments
Farewell, Gaia Spacecraft operations come to an end (esa.int)
The European Space Agency (ESA) has powered down its Gaia spacecraft after more than a decade spent gathering data that are now being used to unravel the secrets of our home galaxy.
Space Exploration, Astronomy
14 points by taubek 6 days ago | 0 comments
The disappearance of Gaia, ESA spacecraft will be turned off on 27 March 2025 (cosmos.esa.int)
On 4 March, astronomer Zhuo-Xiao Wang captured this view of the sudden disappearance of ESA’s Gaia spacecraft. After more than 11 years in space mapping the motions and properties of billions of stars, the spacecraft’s operations are coming to an end. Gaia will be switched off on 27 March 2025. During a series of final test operations, flight controllers at ESA’s ESOC mission control centre rotated Gaia, causing its sunshield to reflect more light towards Earth.
Space Exploration, Astronomy, Science, Spacecraft
126 points by croes 7 days ago | 45 comments
Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 (spaceinafrica.com)
Botswana’s first satellite, BOTSAT-1, was successfully launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9—Transporter 13 rideshare mission on Saturday, March 15, 2025, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, USA.
Space Exploration, Satellites, Botswana, SpaceX
395 points by vinnyglennon 7 days ago | 225 comments
Firm wins Space Force funding to provide an "aircraft carrier" in orbit (arstechnica.com)
Taking tactically responsive space to the next level. Literally.
Space Exploration, Military, Technology, Government Funding
6 points by tummler 7 days ago | 1 comments
ESA has a commercial launch strategy, but will member states pay? (arstechnica.com)
The European Space Agency is inviting proposals to inject competition into the European launch market, an important step toward fostering a dynamic multiplayer industry officials hope, one day, will mimic that of the United States.
Space Exploration, European Union, Business, Government Funding
17 points by rbanffy 7 days ago | 3 comments
Momentum seems to be building for Jared Isaacman to become NASA administrator (arstechnica.com)
With the vast majority of President Donald Trump's cabinet members now approved by the US Senate, focus is turning to senior positions within the administration that are just below the cabinet level.
Politics, NASA, Space Exploration
6 points by voxadam 7 days ago | 0 comments
The Ethics of Spreading Life in the Cosmos (centauri-dreams.org)
We keep trying to extend our reach into the heavens, but the idea of panspermia is that the heavens are actually responsible for us. Which is to say, that at least the precursor materials that allow life to emerge came from elsewhere, and did not originate on Earth.
Space Exploration, Astrobiology, Ethics
42 points by JPLeRouzic 8 days ago | 116 comments
New NASA satellite mapped the oceans like never before (zmescience.com)
The ocean floor is a vast scope on our planet that remains largely unexplored. Although oceans cover 71% of Earth, we have clearer pictures of the Moon and Mars than we do of the landscape beneath the waves. But a newly launched satellite mission coined SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) is now giving scientists a much sharper picture of these hidden underwater worlds.
Oceanography, Space Exploration, Satellite Technology
54 points by Brajeshwar 8 days ago | 7 comments
As preps continue, it's looking more likely NASA will fly the Artemis II mission (arstechnica.com)
Late Saturday night, technicians at Kennedy Space Center in Florida moved the core stage for NASA's second Space Launch System rocket into position between the vehicle's two solid-fueled boosters.
Space Exploration, NASA, Artemis Program
9 points by kwiktrip 8 days ago | 0 comments
NASA Scraps Promise to Land 'First Woman and Person of Color' on the Moon (gizmodo.com)
After years of promoting its return to the Moon with the promise of inclusion, NASA has concealed its well-publicized intent of landing a diverse crew on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program.
Space Exploration, NASA, Diversity, Artemis Program
23 points by doener 9 days ago | 4 comments
NASA's Curiosity Rover Detects Largest Organic Molecules Found on Mars (nasa.gov)
Researchers analyzing pulverized rock onboard NASA’s Curiosity rover have found the largest organic compounds on the Red Planet to date.
Space Exploration, Mars, Science, Organic Chemistry
10 points by divbzero 9 days ago | 0 comments
NASA's Plutonium Problem (youtube.com)
Space Exploration, NASA, Science, Nuclear Energy
3 points by CHB0403085482 10 days ago | 0 comments
SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) Satellite Maps Seafloor from Space (nasa.gov)
There are better maps of the Moon’s surface than of the bottom of Earth’s ocean.
Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Oceanography, Mapping, Earth Science
8 points by Brajeshwar 11 days ago | 0 comments
NASA drops plan to land first woman and first person of color on the moon (theguardian.com)
Nasa has dropped its longstanding public commitment to land the first woman and person of color on the moon, in response to Donald Trump’s directives to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices at federal agencies.
Space Exploration, NASA, Politics, Diversity
12 points by pseudolus 11 days ago | 1 comments
Trump and Musk's Takeover of NASA (newyorker.com)
On January 20th, in his Inaugural Address, Donald Trump spoke rapturously about space exploration. “We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars,” he said. Later that day, Elon Musk, owner of the aerospace firm SpaceX and a longtime proponent of Mars settlement, addressed a post-Inauguration celebration.
Politics, Space Exploration, Elon Musk, Donald Trump
16 points by samizdis 11 days ago | 1 comments
German company set for first commercial rocket launch from Europe (msn.com)
Preparations are under way for a rocket test flight in Norway that could make history and give Europe greater independence from the market leader in orbital launches, the United States.
Space Exploration, Europe, Germany, Commercial Spaceflight
98 points by mpweiher 12 days ago | 29 comments
How the Moon Became a Place (aeon.co)
On 25 May 1961, the US president John F Kennedy announced the Apollo programme: a mission to send humans to the Moon and return them safely to Earth within the decade.
Space Exploration, History, Apollo Program
5 points by 1sembiyan 12 days ago | 0 comments