Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Singer Katy Perry will join Blue Origin's historic NS-31 mission in spring 2025, marking the first all-female astronaut crew since 1963. The mission will be led by Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos's fiancee and former news correspondent, who played a pivotal role in assembling the esteemed crew. Joining Perry and Sanchez are prominent figures including CBS anchor Gayle King, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and former Nasa rocket scientist Aisha Bowe. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket is designed for suborbital flights, allowing passengers to experience approximately four minutes of weightlessness while enjoying breathtaking views of the Earth from above the Karman line, recognised as the boundary of space.
In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers from Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence have developed sustainable, self-healing, water-repellent films using waste rice husk and recycled silicone. By processing rice husk into nano-sized silica particles with a porous structure, researchers created films that can repel water, absorb oil, and self-heal at room temperature. They also show high durability under extreme conditions, including strong acids, high temperatures, and mechanical abrasion. These innovative materials could have significant applications in oil spill cleanup, drag reduction, and environmental protection. Meanwhile, India generates approximately 120 million tonnes of rice husk waste annually, which is often burned, releasing harmful pollutants.
That feeling you get when you look out the window and realize you’re almost home! T-4 days until we land in the Moon. Blue Ghost will reach her final destination no earlier than 2:34 am CST on March 2. We’ll start the joint livestream with @NASA at 1:20 am CST, approximately 75… pic.twitter.com/t5TN85zpmM
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) February 26, 2025
(Credit: X/@Firefly_Space)
As Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander prepares for its historic landing on March 2, it has captured breathtaking visuals of the Moon from approximately 100 km above its surface. The stunning footage, taken during the spacecraft's orbit around the Moon, provides a detailed view of the lunar terrain, showcasing its rugged and cratered landscape. The spacecraft is set to land in Mare Crisium, a large, flat basin on the near side of the Moon. This mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, aiming to deliver 10 scientific payloads to the lunar surface.
An international research team, led by the University of Vienna, has made a new discovery about the Solar System's past journey through the Orion star-forming complex. Approximately 14 million years ago, the Sun traversed this dense region, which is part of the Radcliffe Wave galactic structure. This passage could have compressed the heliosphere, the protective bubble surrounding our Solar System, and increased the influx of interstellar dust into Earth's atmosphere, potentially impacting the planet's climate. The timeframe of this event aligns with the Middle Miocene Climate Transition, a significant shift from a warm to a cooler climate, leading to the formation of a large-scale Antarctic ice sheet.
