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What if a spacecraft did not need a large engine or huge amounts of fuel to move through space? What if it could instead use the tiny push delivered by sunlight? That is the idea behind light sails —ultra-thin sails that use the momentum of photons to produce thrust. Now, students at Cornell University have taken this technology a step further by testing extremely small, free-flying light sails designed to work with tiny spacecraft called ChipSats . The student-led missions, called Alpha CubeSat and Sailing to the Stars , successfully demonstrated important technologies in low Earth orbit and aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The experiments could help make future spacecraft smaller, cheaper and potentially capable of exploring destinations far beyond Earth. A spacecraft powered by light Traditional spacecraft depend on chemical or electric propulsion systems to change their speed and direction. These systems require fuel, engines and supporting hardware, all of which add ...

New observations from NASA’s Juno spacecraft have revealed that Jupiter uses a far more complicated defense system against the solar wind than Earth does—and the discovery could help scientists understand powerful shocks around exploding stars. Space may look empty and peaceful, but planets are constantly being bombarded by energetic particles streaming from the Sun. This continuous flow, known as the solar wind , travels through the Solar System at enormous speeds. Earth has a natural defense against this particle storm: its magnetic field. When the solar wind reaches Earth, it encounters an invisible boundary called the bow shock , where the incoming particles are suddenly slowed, heated and redirected around the planet. But Earth is not the only planet with such a protective barrier. Far away, Jupiter has an enormous magnetic field and a much more powerful interaction with the solar wind. Now, observations from NASA's Juno spacecraft have given scientists their most detailed lo...

Mars is famous for one color above all others: red . Its rusty landscapes, dusty plains and rocky mountains have earned it the nickname the Red Planet . But Mars is far more colorful than that familiar image suggests. New images of the planet’s southern polar region reveal an unusual landscape filled with purple, pink, red and bluish shades . At the center of this striking scene is Thyles Rupes , a huge icy cliff system with cliffs rising more than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) high. The unusual colors are not simply an optical illusion. They reveal a complicated mixture of volcanic rock, dust, frozen carbon dioxide and seasonal frost. Together, these materials create one of the most unusual-looking landscapes on Mars. Why Is Mars Usually Red? The dominant color of Mars comes from iron-rich minerals in its rocks and dust. Over time, iron reacts with oxygen and becomes oxidized, producing compounds similar to rust on Earth. This iron oxide spreads across the Martian surface and atmosphere a...

For decades, solar power has been associated with rooftops, deserts, open fields and other places where sunlight is abundant. But researchers in China have now demonstrated something that once seemed almost impossible: a solar power system operating 33 feet (10 meters) below the sea surface. A research team led by Zhang Wen-hua at Yunnan University developed an underwater photovoltaic system based on perovskite solar cells . The technology was tested in the South China Sea and successfully generated electricity from the weak blue-green light that survives at this depth. The breakthrough could eventually provide a new way to power underwater sensors, cameras, communication equipment and other devices used for ocean exploration. Why Put Solar Panels Underwater? Modern ocean research increasingly depends on electrical equipment operating far below the surface. Sensors can monitor water conditions, cameras can observe marine life, and communication systems can help transmit information fr...

A small frog-like robot has demonstrated a surprisingly powerful way to move: storing energy in flexible elastic rods and releasing it in sudden snaps . Researchers from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the University of Michigan have developed a robotic movement system that allows a compact robot to hop, flip, swim and travel across different surfaces without relying on large, powerful motors. The study, published in Science Advances , shows how carefully designed elastic rods can act like mechanical springs, storing energy slowly and releasing it rapidly when they suddenly change shape. A Simple Rod With a Powerful Trick The key idea behind the robot is surprisingly simple. When an elastic rod is bent and its ends are rotated, the rod stores mechanical energy as it becomes deformed. As the bending and twisting continue, the rod eventually reaches a critical point. At that moment, instead of continuing to deform gradually, the rod can snap into another shape . This sudden c...

Astronomers have confirmed something remarkable: a planet that is less than one million years old . That makes it the youngest known planet ever identified by scientists. The planet, named Elias 2-24 b , is roughly as massive as Jupiter and is still surrounded by the dusty and gaseous material from which planets are born. Unlike most exoplanets discovered so far, this world is not an old, fully developed planet. Scientists are essentially seeing it during its earliest stage of formation. The discovery is important because it challenges existing ideas about how quickly giant planets can form. A Planet Still in Its Birthplace Elias 2-24 b orbits a young star called Elias 2-24 , located about 450 light-years from Earth . The star is surrounded by a large disk containing gas, dust, ice and rocky material—the raw ingredients needed to build planets. Astronomers call these structures protoplanetary disks . As planets form, they collect material from these disks. Their gravity can also push m...

Imagine a lightweight device that does not need propellers, wings, rockets or even a battery to stay airborne. Instead, it could use sunlight and the extremely thin air found high above Earth to generate a lifting force. That is the idea behind a new class of photophoretic flying structures being explored by Benjamin Schafer and his team. Their work focuses on specially engineered nanofabricated structures that could potentially float in the near-space environment using sunlight. The concept is particularly interesting because the structures are extremely lightweight. Researchers believe that, with the right design, such devices could eventually carry small sensors and other payloads at altitudes where conventional aircraft cannot operate. How Can Sunlight Make Something Fly? The basic principle is called photophoresis . It describes a force that can occur when light interacts with a small structure surrounded by a gas. At high altitudes, Earth's atmosphere becomes extremely thin....