Universe Today
• Carolyn Collins Petersen
Chandra data from AT 2016blu’s March 2026 outburst support a neutron star or black hole companion; astronomers have recorded 27 optical outbursts since 2012. Separately, ALMA observations reveal cool gas being ejected in a jet from a microquasar in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
NASA
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Chandra data from AT 2016blu’s March 2026 outburst support a neutron star or black hole companion; astronomers have recorded 27 optical outbursts since 2012. Separately, ALMA observations reveal cool gas being ejected in a jet from a microquasar in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, who survived the “Blue Wave,” says bipartisan support for NASA’s Artemis program gives him confidence it can withstand political upheaval on Capitol Hill. The article offers no details on the scope of that support or any program funding and schedule implications.
NASA’s Curiosity rover is examining the surface composition of a site called Nazca to characterize it as thoroughly as possible before drilling. The work marks the next step in the rover’s investigation of the Martian surface, though the article provides no details on the planned sample or drilling schedule.
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Archer’s third-quarter update highlighted FAA issuance of a Special Airworthiness Certificate for its Midnight eVTOL and a planned first transition flight before year-end. The company also outlined progress toward completing its planned acquisitions of Wisk and Insitu, alongside new defense and Formula 1 partnerships.
Four volunteers completed NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission on Oct. 31, concluding a 378-day simulated Mars mission. The effort was led by US Air Force test pilot Ross Elder and focused on crew health and performance in an exploration-mission analog.
On Nov. 9, 1967, NASA launched a Saturn V rocket for the first time, sending the uncrewed Apollo 4 mission into space. The flight marked the debut of the launch vehicle that would carry astronauts on later Apollo missions.
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Studies using James Webb Space Telescope observations offer two possible clues to how black holes became massive in the early universe. Five ancient star clusters could have formed black holes up to 2,700 times the Sun’s mass, while another proposal suggests mysterious Little Red Dots may host primordial black holes dating to the Big Bang.
Researchers at Washington University studied how Martian dust interacts with spacesuit-material swatches carried by NASA’s Perseverance rover. The work highlights a planning challenge for future crewed missions: accounting for dust exposure and its effects on both astronauts and the materials they rely on.
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