Science

Fossils reveal a new dinosaur species that was the size of dogs

Fossils found in Chile are from a strange-looking dog-sized dinosaur species that had a unique slashing tail weapon, scientists reported Wednesday.

Some dinosaurs had spiked tails they could use as stabbing weapons and others had tails with clubs. The new species, described in a study in the journal Nature, has something never seen before on any animal: seven pairs of “blades” laid out sideways like a slicing weapon used by ancient Aztec warriors, said lead author Alex Vargas.

“It’s a really unusual weapon,” said Vargas, a University of Chile paleontologist. “Books on prehistoric animals for kids need to update and put this weird tail in there. … It just looks crazy.”

This illustration, provided by Mauricio Alvarez, shows a Stegouros. Fossils found in Chile are from the bizarre dog-sized dinosaur species that had a unique slashing tail weapon, scientists reported Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (Mauricio Alvarez via AP)

NASA DELAYS SPACEWALK FOLLOWING SPACE DEBRIS ALERT

The plant-eating critter had a combination of traits from different species that initially sent paleontologists down the wrong path. The back end, including its tail weapon, seemed similar to a stegosaurus, so the researchers named it stegouros elengassen.

After Vargas and his team examined the pieces of skull and did five different DNA analyses, they concluded it was only distantly related to the stegosaurus. Instead, it was a rare southern hemisphere member of the tank-like ankylosaur family of dinosaurs. (Though the stegouros name stuck and can be easily confused with the more well-known stegosaurus.)

Vargas called it “the lost family branch of the ankylosaur.”

This photo shows a view of a model of a stegouros elengassen, a new species of non-avian dinosaur whose remains were discovered intact in the Patagonia, as its remains are displayed in Santiago on Dec. 1, 2021. (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

NASA LAUNCHES SPACECRAFT TO CRASH INTO ASTEROID

The fossil is from about 72 million to 75 million years ago and appears to be an adult based on the way bones are fused, Vargas said. It was found with its front end flat on its belly and the back end angled down to a lower level, almost as if caught in quicksand, Vargas said.

From bird-like snout to tail tip, stegouros stretched about six feet (two meters) but would only come up to the thighs of humans, Vargas said.

The tail was probably for defense against large predators, which were also likely turned off by armor-like bones jutting out that made stegouros “chewy,” Vargas said.

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This illustration provided by Luis Perez Lopez shows a stegouros. Fossils found in Chile are from the bizarre dog-sized dinosaur species that had a unique slashing tail weapon, scientists reported Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (Luis Perez Lopez via AP)

Not only is this “a really bizarre tail,” but it is from far southern Chile, “a region that hasn’t yielded these types of animals before,” said Macalester College biologist Kristi Curry Rogers, who wasn’t part of the study.

“We’re just scratching the surface when it comes to a comprehensive understanding of dinosaur diversity,” Rogers said. “Stegourus reminds us that if we look in the right places at the right times, there is so much more still to discover.”

NASA delays spacewalk following space debris alert

A scheduled spacewalk by NASA astronauts was postponed after the agency received a debris warning for the International Space Station (ISS).

In a statement, NASA wrote that the notification of debris was received on Monday evening.

NASA LAUNCHES SPACECRAFT TO CRASH INTO ASTEROID

“Due to the lack of opportunity to properly assess the risk it could pose to the astronauts, teams have decided to delay the spacewalk planned for Tuesday, Nov. 30 until more information is available,” it said on the Space Station blog.

The International Space Station photographed by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking. Image of ISS as of Oct. 4, 2018. (NASA)

“The space station schedule and operations are able to easily accommodate the delay of the spacewalk,” NASA added.

The spacewalk had been scheduled to begin at 7:10 a.m. ET.

NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron were set to replace an S-band Antenna Subassembly (SASA) antenna system with a spare that was already available on the station’s truss structure.

NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron were slated to perform a spacewalk to replace a faulty antenna system. (Credit: NASA)

The agency noted that the antenna had recently lost its ability to send signals to Earth via NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.

NEW RUSSIAN MODULE BLASTS OFF INTO SPACE

“Although its degradation has had limited impact on station operations, mission managers decided to install a new antenna to ensure communications redundancy. The space station has additional low-rate S-band systems, as well as the high-rate KU-band communications system that relays video,” NASA wrote on Monday.

The six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk would be the 245th spacewalk in support of space station assembly.

Additionally, the upcoming spacewalk will be the fifth spacewalk for Marshburn, the first spacewalk for Barron and the 13th spacewalk on the space station this year.

The astronauts arrived for a six-month science mission at the ISS on Nov. 11 with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission aboard the Crew Dragon Endurance.

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Space.com notes that a recent Russian anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon test resulted in a new cloud of more than 150 trackable pieces of debris and forced the space station crew to take temporary cover on Nov. 14.

Whether that event and the spacewalk delay were related is not clear.

NASA launches spacecraft to crash into asteroid

NASA launched a spacecraft Tuesday night on a mission to smash into an asteroid and test whether it would be possible to knock a speeding space rock off course if one were to threaten Earth.

The DART spacecraft, short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in a $330 million project with echoes of the Bruce Willis movie “Armageddon.”

If all goes well, in September 2022 it will slam head-on into Dimorphos, an asteroid 525 feet across, at 15,000 mph.

NASA TO CRASH SPACECRAFT INTO ASTEROID TO TEST PLANETARY DEFENSE: WHAT TO KNOW

The DART spacecraft, short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, from Simi Valley, California, after launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

“This isn’t going to destroy the asteroid. It’s just going to give it a small nudge,” said mission official Nancy Chabot of Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, which is managing the project.

Dimorphos orbits a much larger asteroid called Didymos. The pair are no danger to Earth but offer scientists a way to measure the effectiveness of the collision.

Dimorphos completes one orbit of Didymos every 11 hours, 55 minutes. DART’s goal is a crash that will slow Dimorphos down and cause it to fall closer toward the bigger asteroid, shaving 10 minutes off its orbit.

The change in the orbital period will be measured by telescopes on Earth. The minimum change for the mission to be considered a success is 73 seconds.

The DART technique could prove useful for altering the course of an asteroid years or decades before it bears down on Earth with the potential for catastrophe.

A small nudge “would add up to a big change in its future position, and then the asteroid and the Earth wouldn’t be on a collision course,” Chabot said.

Scientists constantly search for asteroids and plot their courses to determine whether they could hit the planet.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, spacecraft onboard, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, from Space Launch Complex 4E, at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)

“Although there isn’t a currently known asteroid that’s on an impact course with the Earth, we do know that there is a large population of near-Earth asteroids out there,” said Lindley Johnson, planetary defense officer at NASA. “The key to planetary defense is finding them well before they are an impact threat.”

DART will take 10 months to reach the asteroid pair. The collision will occur about 6.8 million miles from Earth.

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The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, spacecraft onboard, is seen ready for launch, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, at Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)

Ten days beforehand, DART will release a tiny observation spacecraft supplied by the Italian space agency that will follow it.

DART will stream video until it is destroyed on impact. Three minutes later, the trailing craft will make images of the impact site and material that is ejected.

Longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years: When to watch

A partial lunar eclipse will take place on Thursday night and into early Friday.

The eclipse – which will shadow approximately 97% of the moon – will be one for the history books due to its unusually long duration. This will be the longest partial lunar eclipse “within a stretch of 1,000 years.”

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The last time a partial lunar eclipse was this close was on Feb. 18, 1440.

The reason, FOX Weather said earlier this week, is that the moon will be almost at the farthest point from the Earth – or apogee – when the maximum point of the eclipse begins.

Map showing the visibility of the Nov. 18-19 partial lunar eclipse. Darker areas indicate greater visibility. Check local details for visibility near you. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The moon’s passing through the darkest part of Earth’s shadow will take more than 3 hours and 28 minutes, according to NASA.

Weather permitting, the event will be visible from any location where the moon appears above the horizon during the eclipse. The agency said North and South America, Eastern Asia, Australia and the Pacific region will be able to glimpse at least part of the eclipse.

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For East Coast observers, the partial eclipse begins shortly after 2 a.m., reaching its peak a couple of minutes after 4 a.m, with the moon’s face largely masked by the umbra, the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. At this point, only a sliver on the bottom left of the “beaver moon” will remain.

On the West Coast, it will begin just after 11 p.m., with a maximum covering at 1 a.m.

Although partial lunar eclipses might not be quite as spectacular, they occur more frequently. No special glasses are required for viewing a lunar eclipse, whereas viewing solar eclipses requires them.

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However, skygazers should find a spot away from city light pollution.

This is the second lunar eclipse of 2021.

Beloved 'Dolphin Tale' star, Winter, dies at Florida aquarium

A prosthetic-tailed dolphin named Winter that starred in the “Dolphin Tale” movies died Thursday evening at a Florida aquarium despite life-saving efforts to treat a gastrointestinal abnormality, aquarium officials said.

The 16-year-old female bottlenose dolphin died while being held by animal care experts who were preparing Winter for a procedure at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where the famous marine mammal has long resided.

“While we are heartbroken by Winter’s death, we are comforted knowing that our team did everything possible to give her the best chance at survival,” said veterinarian Dr. Shelly Marquardt, in a statement released by the aquarium.

Winter the dolphin plays in the water at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Sunday, June 17, 2018, in Clearwater, Fla. A prosthetic-tailed dolphin named Winter that starred in the “Dolphin Tale” movies died Thursday evening Nov. 11, 2021 at a Florida aquarium despite life-saving efforts to treat a gastrointestinal abnormality, aquarium officials said.(Jim Damaske/Tampa Bay Times via AP, File) ((Jim Damaske/Tampa Bay Times via AP, File)

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Marquardt said the aquarium worked with specialists and marine mammal experts from around the country but the dolphin, which was in critical condition and declining, died while being held by caregivers.

The statement said the aquarium would remain closed on Friday to provide staff time to grieve. It had earlier said a Friday closure would allow workers to focus on the dolphin’s medical care with plans to reopen Saturday.

James “Buddy” Powell, president of the aquarium, told reporters Thursday that the facility’s staff and outside experts were doing everything possible seeking to restore the dolphin to health.

Winter previously experienced intestinal issues — not uncommon among dolphins — but such problems have never affected her like this, Powell had said Thursday. But at the time, he said Winter was not responding to treatment as in the past, adding there was no evidence Winter had the coronavirus.

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Winter was two months old when her tail became entangled in a crab trap near Cape Canaveral, which forced its amputation. “Dolphin Tale,” which was released in 2011, chronicled Winter’s recovery and the unprecedented, lengthy effort to fit her with a prosthetic tail.

The film, starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Morgan Freeman and Nathan Gamble, was largely shot at the Clearwater aquarium and surrounding Tampa Bay locations. It put the non-profit aquarium, first opened in 1972 on the site of a former water treatment plant, on the map internationally.

“This place wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Winter,” Powell said.

Winter’s story of rehabilitation has become an inspiration for disabled people around the world and the aquarium has received thousands of messages of support since Winter’s illness became known.

“Many are inspired by her resiliency and this amazing response reminds us of how deeply she has affected millions, including so many on their own health journey,” the aquarium statement said.

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A sequel, “Dolphin Tale 2,” was released three years later starring Winter and Hope, another rescued dolphin cared for by the Clearwater aquarium.

Bottlenose dolphins can live up to 60 years and are considered one of the most intelligent of all animal species.

Winter and Hope became the most famous residents of the Clearwater aquarium, which also operates sea turtle and manatee rescue programs.

An $80 million expansion of the facility was recently completed, including a 1.5 million-gallon (5.6 million-liter) new dolphin complex, to handle the crowds that have descended on the aquarium since “Dolphin Tale” was released a decade ago.

SpaceX returns 4 astronauts to Earth, ending 200-day flight

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.– Four astronauts returned to Earth on Monday, riding home with SpaceX to end a 200-day space station mission that began last spring.

Their capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, in darkness. Recovery boats quickly moved in with spotlights.

Their homecoming — coming just eight hours after leaving the International Space Station — paved the way for SpaceX’s launch of their four replacements as early as Wednesday night.

The newcomers were scheduled to launch first, but NASA switched the order because of bad weather and an astronaut’s undisclosed medical condition. The welcoming duties will now fall to the lone American and two Russians left behind at the space station.

Before Monday afternoon’s undocking, German astronaut Matthias Maurer, who’s waiting to launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, tweeted it was a shame the two crews wouldn’t overlap at the space station but “we trust you’ll leave everything nice and tidy.” His will be SpaceX’s fourth crew flight for NASA in just 1 1/2 years.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide and France’s Thomas Pesquet should have been back Monday morning, but high wind in the recovery zone delayed their return.

“One more night with this magical view. Who could complain? I’ll miss our spaceship!” Pesquet tweeted alongside a brief video showing the space station illuminated against the blackness of space and the twinkling city lights on the nighttime side of Earth.

From the space station, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei — midway through a one-year flight — bid farewell to each of his departing friends, telling McArthur “I’ll miss hearing your laughter in adjacent modules.”

Before leaving the neighborhood, the four took a spin around the space station, taking pictures. This was a first for SpaceX; NASA’s shuttles used to do it all the time before their retirement a decade ago. The last Russian capsule fly-around was three years ago.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) facilities ahead of the Inspiration4 mission in Merritt Island, Florida, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021. Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty)

It wasn’t the most comfortable ride back. The toilet in their capsule was broken, and so the astronauts needed to rely on diapers for the eight-hour trip home. They shrugged it off late last week as just one more challenge in their mission.

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The first issue arose shortly after their April liftoff; Mission Control warned a piece of space junk was threatening to collide with their capsule. It turned out to be a false alarm. Then in July, thrusters on a newly arrived Russian lab inadvertently fired and sent the station into a spin. The four astronauts took shelter in their docked SpaceX capsule, ready to make a hasty departure if necessary.

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Among the upbeat milestones: four spacewalks to enhance the station’s solar power, a movie-making visit by a Russian film crew and the first-ever space harvest of chile peppers.

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The next crew will also spend six months up there, welcoming back-to-back groups of tourists. A Japanese tycoon and his personal assistant will get a lift from the Russian Space Agency in December, followed by three businessmen arriving via SpaceX in February. SpaceX’s first privately chartered flight, in September, bypassed the space station.

How to know if you're being stalked or are just paranoid

Every week, I help people like you on my national radio show with their technology or digital life issues. Sometimes, the answer is simple. I recommend a great way to get something done online, give a shopping recommendation or share my tech wisdom.

Other times, the issue is harder to pinpoint. Here’s a common question I get: “A friend called and said they got a strange email from me that I don’t remember sending. What happened?” It almost always means your inbox has been hacked. Tap or click for five subtle signs your inbox has been hacked and the steps you can take to lock it down.

There’s the pop-up question, of course. “I can’t do anything on my phone without pop-ups filling the screen.” That’s malware at work, and it won’t go away on its own. Tap or click here for clues your device is infected with malware.

Lately, I’ve been getting a steady stream of, “Is it me or is someone, something tracking everything I do in my device?” Here are some examples.

I see ads for things I talked about

I’m sure this has happened to you. I was talking to my husband about taking a hiking trip in Patagonia. I walked upstairs, sat down at my laptop, and travel ads for a Patagonian getaway were on my screen. Tech companies insist this is a coincidence. They claim they aren’t listening or if they are listening, it’s so you can send voice messages. They don’t use what you say to serve ads.

It’s tough to trust Big Tech companies. They’re the same ones that tell you smart speakers aren’t always listening; they’re just listening for the wake word. I don’t see the difference, but, hey, that’s just me. Tap or click for some of the 1,000 terms that accidentally trigger smart assistants.

If you don’t want to believe tech companies at face value, take your privacy into your own hands. Skip the smart speaker or disable the microphone when not in use. It’s a pain, but at least you will have control.

When it comes to your smartphone and computer, you can disable your mic for specific apps and sites or force your device to ask you each time. Tap or click here for the simple steps to follow.

(Reuters)

GOOGLE KNOWS WHAT YOU TYPE, WATCH, AND SAY–UNLESS YOU TAKE THESE STEPS

They know where I am

Dana called my show with a frightening story. Her daughter is a college student who was afraid to leave the house because unknown numbers sent her threatening text messages no matter where she went.

She deleted her social media accounts to throw the guy off, but he always found her. The person took the harassment a significant step further. He published Dana’s number on a sex-for-hire porn site. Sicko.

“They know what time we eat dinner, our workplaces, and schedule,” Dana told me.

This case was true harassment. I called a friend of the show and digital forensics expert Ricoh Danielson. He helped track down the guy — someone Dana’s daughter had talked to on a dating app. Tap or click here for Ricoh’s tips on what to do if you find yourself in a similar situation.

I didn’t install that

Sometimes I hear from people who discover apps on their phone or software on their computer they don’t remember downloading. This is serious cause for concern.

Where did it come from? In some cases, it’s spyware planted by a jealous partner or someone else. This invasive software keeps track of every keystroke, site you visit and much more. Tap or click for ways to tell if someone is spying on you.

In other cases, malware is to blame. Tap or click here steps to take if your computer has been infected. Here’s what to do if it’s your iPhone or iPad.

Is Google stalking me?

I heard from a caller who was concerned Google knew his schedule too well. A few weekends in a row, he drove to his son’s house to mow his lawn while he was out of town. The next Saturday, a pop-up from Google Maps told him how long it would take to get to his son’s home in current traffic.

He called me worried a privacy setting was enabled that shouldn’t be. That’s exactly how Maps is supposed to work. Your navigation app looks for patterns where you go, and it’s up to you to turn that off.

On Google Maps, you need to change a few settings to keep the tech giant from recording your every move.

While you’re at it, check out this map hidden in your phone that tracks everywhere you’ve been. It’s in an odd spot, so I bet you’d otherwise never see it.

Strangers know my name

What about the man who called my show concerned that complete strangers would address him by name? He was sure he was being tracked by people watching his every move on social media, texts, email, and web browsing. Well, his name was Buddy. “Hey, buddy!” isn’t all that odd a greeting.

He was right about one thing, though. Most stores use surveillance cameras, and they might know more about you than you realize. Tap or click to see if your face is part of an AI surveillance database.

There’s a huge difference between a healthy dose of skepticism and true paranoia.

When I do hear from someone I’m genuinely concerned about, I privately recommend the person call the National Alliance on Mental Health Helpline at 1-800-950-6264.

Feb 28: 2013: A man types on a keyboard. (Reuters)

BONUS TRACKING TIP: 8 hidden maps and trackers you need to switch off

You understand that your phone knows where you’re located. This is how GPS works, how Find My Friends sees your location and why you get local ads on Facebook and Google. That location data, just like other data on your phone, is a hot commodity for internet marketers in today’s digital economy.

Thankfully, you don’t have to stand for this kind of data collection if you’re not comfortable with it. These tactics are legal because the companies behind them give you a choice to opt in or out, but not everyone knows how to change the settings. We’ll show you how to stop your phone from tracking you.

Tap or click here for the full list of steps to take. Don’t wait.

What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen to or watch The Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television, or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.

Glasses on a computer screen showing the logo and search box of the Google search engine in Russian. ((Photo by Sergei KonkovTASS via Getty Images))

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Copyright 2021, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved. By clicking the shopping links, you’re supporting my research. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products I believe in.

Learn about all the latest technology on The Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters, and more, visit her website at Komando.com.

Search for life on other worlds tops astronomy to-do list

A U.S. survey of astronomers puts the search for extraterrestrial life at the top of their to-do list for the next 10 years.

In a report issued Thursday by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, astronomers stressed the need to continue the hunt for potentially habitable planets circling other stars, building on the “extraordinary progress” already made. The ultimate goal, they noted, is to capture pictures of any Earth-like worlds that might be out there.

“Life on Earth may be the result of a common process, or it may require such an unusual set of circumstances that we are the only living beings within our part of the galaxy, or even in the universe. Either answer is profound,” the report stated.

“The coming decades will set humanity down a path to determine whether we are alone.”

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station for docking on April 24, 2021. (NASA via AP)

NASA’S HUBBLE TELESCOPE IN SAFE MODE AGAIN

Also ranked high: exploring the origins and evolution of black holes, neutron stars, galaxies and the entire universe.

At the same time, the 614-page report stressed the need for greater diversity among astronomy’s ranks – still predominantly male – and suggested that NASA consider a science team’s diversity when doling out money for research or projects.

The survey is done every 10 years and draws input from scores of mostly U.S.-based scientists.

The latest report recommends that NASA create a new office to oversee space observatories and overlapping missions in the coming decades. First up should be a telescope that’s significantly bigger than the Hubble Space Telescope that would be capable of spotting planets that are 10 billion times fainter than their stars, the report stated. Once the necessary technologies are ready, this telescope could be ready to launch in the 2040s for around $11 billion, followed by other mega observatories in the billions of dollars.

The Hubble Space Telescope is deployed on April 25, 1990, from the space shuttle Discovery. (Credits: NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Lockheed Corporation)

NASA ASTRONAUNTS PICK PEPPERS IN SPACE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

But the report emphasized the need for smaller, more modest missions as well. Launching one spacecraft per decade with a cost cap of $1.5 billion, it stated, balances science with timeliness.

The report noted the threat in years past of cost overruns and delays in major projects. Due to finally blast off next month, the NASA-led James Webb Space Telescope – designed to scan the early universe and explore the atmospheres of other worlds – is a prime example of that. Yet its launch promises to be “a momentous occasion that will shape the course of astronomy and astrophysics in the coming decades,” the report noted.

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The report – sponsored by NASA, National Science Foundation, Energy Department and Air Force – noted that the survey was conducted during a health crisis. While the pandemic has underscored the importance of science, “the ultimate economic and social impacts of the pandemic remain unclear, adding to the uncertainty of the future landscape.”

The report urged NASA, the National Science Foundation and Energy Department to treat harassment and discrimination “as forms of scientific misconduct,” add more diversity to its upper levels, and consider diversity when funding a project.

NASA’s Hubble Telescope in safe mode again

National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Hubble Space Telescope is in safe mode yet again.

A release from the agency explained it was continuing to look into why the iconic space-based observatory, named in honor of the trailblazing astronomer Edwin Hubble, recently went into the configuration and suspended science operations.

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At 1:46 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23, the telescope’s science instruments issued error codes that indicated the loss of a specific synchronization message.

The message provides timing information the instruments use to accurately respond to commands and data requests.

The mission team reset the instruments and resumed operations the following morning.

However, at 2:38 a.m. EDT two days later, the science instruments again issued error codes indicating multiple losses of synchronization messages.

NASA ASTRONAUTS PICK PEPPERS IN SPACE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

“As a result, the science instruments autonomously entered safe mode states as programmed,” NASA wrote.

The instruments are healthy and will remain in safe mode as the mission team’s investigation into the matter continues. The rest of the spacecraft is operating as per usual.

“Mission team members are evaluating spacecraft data and system diagrams to better understand the synchronization issue and how to address it. They also are developing and testing procedures to collect additional data from the spacecraft. These activities are expected to take at least one week,” NASA added.

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The Hubble Space Telescope was launched and deployed by the space shuttle Discovery in 1990.

Over the course of its lifetime, it has made more than 1.4 million observations and more than 18,000 peer-reviewed science papers have been published on its discoveries.

The telescope was previously in safe mode in March.

NASA astronauts pick peppers in space for the first time on International Space Station

Humans introduced a new life form to outer space on Friday as NASA astronauts harvested the first-ever chile peppers onboard the International Space Station.

The Hatch chile pepper seeds arrived at the space station on a SpaceX resupply mission in June and were promptly planted by NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough.

“Finally, I made my best space tacos yet: fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes & artichokes, and HATCH CHILE,” astronaut Megan McArthur tweeted.

Expedition 66 crew members harvested their Hatch green chile peppers for a taste test on Friday. (NASA)

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NASA astronaut Megan McArthur next to the Advanced Plant Habitat onboard the International Space Station. (NASA)

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Astronauts have access to a wide variety of freeze-dried and prepackages meals that they are regularly re-supplied with, but learning how to grow fresh produce millions of miles from earth will be key to longer missions.

NASA SCIENTISTS CALL FOR NEW FRAMEWORK IN SEARCH FOR ALIEN LIFE

“The challenge is the ability to feed crews in low-Earth orbit, and then to sustain explorers during future missions beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations including the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and eventually to Mars,” Matt Romeyn, principal investigator for NASA’s Plant Habitat-04 experiment, explained.

“We are limited to crops that don’t need storage, or extensive processing.”

Growing crops like peppers may not only be beneficial to astronauts’ physical health, but their psychological health as well, according to Romeyn.

NASA astronauts planted the Hatch chile seeds in an Advanced Plant Habitat, a growth chamber outfitted with more than 180 sensors and LED lights that are controlled by a crew at the Kennedy Space Center.

Hatch green chiles growing inside the Advanced Plant Habitat. (NASA)

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NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough fills the Advanced Plant Habitat with water to feed the chile peppers. (NASA)

A similar chamber known as the Vegetable Production System has been growing crops for about six years, including lettuce, cabbage, kale, and zinnia flowers.

A team at Kennedy Space Center planted a control group of peppers in nearly identical conditions on earth to see if microgravity and other factors in space affected the growth of the Hatch chiles.

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“The spiciness of a pepper is determined by environmental growing conditions,” LaShelle Spencer, PH-04’s project science team lead, explained. “The combination of microgravity, light quality, temperature, and rootzone moisture will all affect flavor, so it will be interesting to find out how the fruit will grow, ripen, and taste.”

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