MARCIA DUNN Aerospace Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

A full moon is seen shining over NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher in the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Sam Lott/NASA via AP)

NASA fuels its moon rocket in a crucial test to decide when Artemis astronauts will launch

February 2, 2026

NASA is fueling its new moon rocket in one final make-or-break test before sending astronauts on a lunar fly-around. The launch team began loading the 322-foot rocket with super-cold hydrogen and oxygen on Monday. More than 700,000 gallons have to flow into the tanks and remain on board for several hours. The all-day operation will determine when four astronauts can blast off on NASA’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century. The only thing missing from the action is the crew. The three Americans and one Canadian remain in quarantine in Houston. They could launch as soon as this coming weekend.

This photo provided by NASA shows the Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft atop a mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Jim Ross/NASA via AP)

NASA begins a practice countdown for its first moonshot with astronauts in more than 50 years

January 31, 2026

NASA has begun a two-day practice countdown for its first moonshot with astronauts in 53 years. The dress rehearsal that started Saturday night will culminate with the fueling of the space agency’s new moon rocket. It is a crucial test that will determine when four astronauts blast off on their lunar flyby. If everything goes well with Monday’s fueling test, NASA could launch within a week. Teams will fill the rocket with more than 700,000 gallons of super-cold fuel, stopping half a minute short of when the engines would light. The countdown was delayed two days by a bitter cold spell. Feb. 8 is now the earliest the rocket could launch.

NASA delays the first Artemis moonshot with astronauts because of extreme cold at the launch site

January 30, 2026

NASA has delayed astronauts’ upcoming trip to the moon because of near-freezing temperatures expected at the launch site. The first Artemis moonshot with a crew is now targeted for no earlier than Feb. 8, two days later than planned. NASA was all set to conduct a fueling test of the massive moon rocket on Saturday, but called everything off late Thursday because of the expected cold. The critical dress rehearsal is now set for Monday, weather permitting. The change leaves NASA with only three days in February to send four astronauts around the moon and back, before slipping into March.

Study shows how earthquake monitors can track space junk through sonic booms

January 22, 2026

A new study shows how earthquake monitors can better track space junk by tuning into their sonic booms. Scientists reported Thursday that they collected seismic readings from the sonic booms generated when a discarded module from a Chinese crew capsule reentered in 2024. The data allowed them to place the object’s path nearly 20 miles farther south than radar had predicted from orbit. The study in the journal Science focused on one debris event. But the researchers already have used publicly available data from seismic networks to track a few dozen other reentries, including those from three failed SpaceX Starship test flights.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

Astronauts say space station’s ultrasound machine was critical during medical crisis

January 21, 2026

The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in “super handy” during the medical crisis. During their first public appearance since returning to Earth, the four astronauts refused Wednesday to say which one of them had been ailing or why. But NASA’s Mike Fincke told reporters that the crew used the onboard ultrasound machine when the medical problem arose January 7, the day before a planned spacewalk. The portable ultrasound was so useful that he says there should be one on all future spaceflights.

FILE - Astronaut Suni Williams is interviewed at Johnson Space Center on March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

NASA astronaut who was stuck at the space station for months retires within a year of returning

January 20, 2026

NASA’s Suni Williams — one of two astronauts stuck for months at the International Space Station — has retired. The space agency announced the news Tuesday, saying her retirement took effect at the end of December. Her crewmate on Boeing’s ill-fated capsule test flight, Butch Wilmore, left NASA last summer. They launched to the space station in 2024, the first people to fly on Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule. Their mission should have lasted just a week, but stretched to more than nine months because of Starliner trouble. In the end, they caught a ride home last March with SpaceX.

NASA's Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, is seen inside the Vehicle Assembly building as preparations continue for roll out to Launch Pad 39B, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Keegan Barber/NASA via AP)

NASA’s new moon rocket heads to the pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February

January 17, 2026

NASA’s giant new moon rocket is on its way to the launch pad. The 322-foot Space Launch System rocket began its 1 mph creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on Saturday morning. It will take until nightfall to reach the pad from which it will blast off for the moon with four astronauts as early as February. Scores of space center workers and their families gathered in the predawn Florida chill to witness the long-awaited event, delayed for years. Leading the cheering crowd were NASA’s new administrator and all four astronauts who will fly to the moon.

FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the U.S. during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)

The moon and sun figure big in the new year’s lineup of cosmic wonders

December 28, 2025

The moon and sun share top billing in 2026. Kicking off the year’s cosmic wonders is the moon, drawing the first astronauts to visit in more than 50 years. A caravan of robotic lunar landers also will be launched, including Jeff Bezos’ new supersized Blue Moon. The sun will generate buzz, too, with a ring-of-fire eclipse at the bottom of the world in February and a total solar eclipse at the top of the world in August. Each of those will be followed closely by lunar eclipses. The stargazing fun begins with a supermoon on Jan. 3.

FILE - This image made by the Cassini spacecraft and provided by NASA on March 12, 2006, shows two of Saturn's moons, the small Epimetheus and smog-enshrouded Titan, with Saturn's A and F rings stretching across the frame. (NASA via AP)

Saturn’s moon Titan may not have a buried ocean as long suspected, new study suggests

December 17, 2025

Saturn’s giant moon Titan may not have a vast underground ocean after all. New research suggests Titan instead may hold deep layers of ice and slush more akin to Earth’s polar seas instead of a buried ocean as long suspected. In a study published Wednesday, scientists said there may also be pockets of melted water beneath the moon’s surface where life could possibly survive and even thrive. They’re basing their findings on observations made by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft years ago, but with a fresh look. Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system.

This image, provided by NASA, shows the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas captured by the Hubble Space Telescope on Nov. 30, 2025, about 178 million miles (286 million kilometers) from Earth. (NASA, ESA, STScI, D. Jewitt (UCLA), M.-T. Hui (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory), J. DePasquale (STScI) via AP)

Interstellar comet keeps its distance as it makes its closest approach to Earth

December 15, 2025

A stray comet from another star is swinging past Earth. Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas will pass within 167 million miles of our planet on Friday. That’s as close as it will get on its grand tour of the solar system. NASA continues to aim its space telescopes at the visiting ice ball. But it’s fading as it races back toward interstellar space, never to return. It’s the third known interstellar object to pass our way. Scientists believe it may have come from a star system much older than our own, making it a tantalizing target.

This combination of ultraviolet spectrum images provided by NASA shows atmospheric features of the planet Mars in July 2022, left, during the southern hemisphere’s summer season, and the planet’s northern hemisphere in January 2023 after Mars had passed the farthest point in its orbit from the Sun, captured by the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft. (NASA/LASP/CU Boulder via AP)

NASA loses contact with its Maven spacecraft orbiting Mars for the past decade

December 10, 2025

NASA has lost contact with a spacecraft that’s been orbiting Mars for more than a decade. Maven abruptly stopped communicating to ground stations over the weekend. NASA said this week that it was working fine before it went behind the red planet. When it appeared again, there was only silence. Launched in 2013, Maven has been studying the upper Martian atmosphere and its interaction with the solar wind since 2014. It also serves as a communication relay for NASA’s two Mars rovers, Curiosity and Perseverance.

Billionaire spacewalker is back before the Senate seeking NASA’s top job

December 3, 2025

Billionaire spacewalker Jared Isaacman is back before the Senate after being yanked and then renominated by President Donald Trump for NASA’s top job. Isaacman appeared before the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday, eight months after his first nomination hearing. Isaacman told the panel that NASA needs “full-time leadership” as it prepares to send astronauts back to the moon. Isaacman was within days of being confirmed by the Senate as NASA’s 15th administrator when Trump pulled his nomination in May. The president renominated Isaacman last month. The tech entrepreneur has rocketed into orbit twice with SpaceX, buying his own flights.

This image provided by NSF NOIRLab shows NGC 6302, a billowing planetary nebula that resembles a cosmic butterfly. (NSF NOIRLab via AP)

Telescope in Chile captures stunning new picture of a cosmic butterfly

November 26, 2025

A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new picture of the Butterfly Nebula, a grand and graceful cosmic wonder. The National Science Foundation’s NoirLab released the picture Wednesday. Snapped last month by the Gemini South telescope, the aptly named Butterfly Nebula is 2,500 to 3,800 light-years away. At the heart of this bipolar nebula is a white dwarf star that cast aside its outer layers of gas long ago. The discarded gas forms the butterflylike wings billowing from the aging star. Schoolchildren in Chile chose this astronomical target to celebrate 25 years of operation by the International Gemini Observatory.

FILE - This image provided by NASA, shows a selfie of their Perseverance Mars rover, on July 23, 2024. The image is made up of 62 individual images that were stitched together. (NASA via AP, file)

Scientists capture the crackling sounds of what they believe is lightning on Mars

November 26, 2025

Scientists have detected what they believe to be lightning on Mars by eavesdropping on the whirling wind recorded by NASA’s Perseverance rover. A French-led team reported Wednesday that the crackling of electrical discharges was captured by a microphone on the rover. The researchers examined 28 hours of audio recordings, documenting 55 episodes of what they consider to be “mini lightning” over two Martian years. Almost all of them occurred during dust storms or dust devils. Lightning has already been confirmed at Jupiter and Saturn, and has long been suspected at Mars.

FILE - In this photo provided by NASA, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard approaches the International Space Station on June 6, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)

Boeing’s troubled capsule won’t carry astronauts on next space station flight

November 24, 2025

Boeing and NASA have agreed to keep astronauts off the company’s next Starliner flight. Instead, Boeing will perform a trial run with cargo to the International Space Station to prove the capsule’s safety. Monday’s announcement comes eight months after the first and only Starliner crew returned to Earth aboard SpaceX after a prolonged mission. Although the two NASA test pilots managed to dock Starliner to the space station last year, the capsule had so many problems that NASA ordered it to come back empty. Engineers have since been poring over Starliner’s thruster and other issues. The cargo run will occur no earlier than April.

NASA unveils close-up pictures of the comet popping by from another star

November 19, 2025

NASA is unveiling close-up pictures of the interstellar comet that’s making a quick one-and-done tour of our solar system. Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas is only the third confirmed object to visit from another star. It zipped harmlessly past Mars last month. Several NASA spacecraft at and near the red planet zoomed in on the comet as it passed just 18 million miles away. The closest the comet will come to Earth is 167 million miles in mid-December. Then it will hightail it back into interstellar space, never to return.

A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket stands ready on Launch Complex 36 a few minutes before the launch was scrubbed at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Solar storms delay the launch of Blue Origin’s big new rocket with Mars orbiters for NASA

November 12, 2025

Strong solar storms responsible for breathtaking auroras across the U.S. have delayed the launch of Blue Origin’s big new rocket. Already grounded by poor weather at Cape Canaveral, Florida, the New Glenn rocket was poised to blast off Wednesday afternoon with two Mars orbiters for NASA. But five hours before the targeted liftoff, it was called off because of the heightened solar activity. Worried about the possible impact of increased radiation on its Mars-bound spacecraft, NASA decided to postpone the launch until conditions improve. No new launch date has been set.

FILE - In this undated photo provided by NASA on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, astronaut Scott Kelly looks out the cupola of the International Space Station. (NASA via AP, File)

The International Space Station marks 25 years of nonstop human presence in orbit

October 30, 2025

The International Space Station is marking 25 years of nonstop human presence in orbit. Nearly 300 people have lived aboard the scientific outpost. The visitors are mostly professional astronauts, but also the occasional space tourist and movie director. With only five years left at the complex, NASA is counting on private companies to launch their own orbiting stations with an even bigger and wider clientele. NASA is paying SpaceX nearly $1 billion to boot the space station from orbit in early 2031. The station’s first full-time residents — one American and two Russians — opened the hatch in 2000.

Interstellar comet swinging past Mars as a fleet of spacecraft looks on

October 2, 2025

A comet from another star system is swinging by Mars as a fleet of spacecraft trains its sights on the interstellar visitor. The comet will hurtle within 18 million miles of the red planet on Friday. Both of the European Space Agency’s satellites around Mars are already aiming their cameras at the speeding comet. NASA’s satellite and rovers at Mars are also available to assist in the observations. It’s only the third interstellar object known to have passed our way. Discovered in July, the comet poses no threat to Earth or neighboring planets.

This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech on Aug. 23, 2025, NISAR imaged land adjacent to northeastern North Dakota’s Forest River, light-colored wetlands and forests line the river’s banks, while circular and rectangular plots throughout the image appear in shades that indicate the land may be pasture or cropland with corn or soy. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)

First radar images from new Earth-mapping satellite showcase Maine coast and North Dakota farmland

September 25, 2025

NASA has released the first radar images from a new Earth-mapping satellite showing the Maine coast and North Dakota farmland in incredible detail. The pictures are from a spacecraft that rocketed into orbit from India two months ago. The joint U.S.-Indian mission will survey virtually all of the world’s land and ice masses multiple times. By tracking even the slightest shifts in land and ice, the satellite will give forecasters and first responders a leg up in dealing with natural disasters. NASA says the pictures released Thursday are a preview of what’s to come once science operations begin in November.

NASA introduces its newest astronauts: 10 chosen from more than 8,000 applicants

September 22, 2025

NASA has 10 new astronauts chosen from more than 8,000 applicants. The space agency introduced its 2025 astronaut class Monday. The six women and four men will undergo two years of training before becoming eligible for spaceflight, including trips to the moon and possibly Mars. It’s the 24th astronaut class for NASA since the original Mercury Seven made their debut in 1959. The previous class was in 2021. Only 370 people have been selected by NASA as astronauts, making it an extraordinarily small and elite group.

This image provided by NASA shows Northrop Grumman's newly arrived cargo capsule at the International Space Station on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (NASA via AP)

Northrop Grumman cargo ship reaches the International Space Station a day late after engine issue

September 18, 2025

A supply ship has arrived at the International Space Station after a day’s delay due to a premature engine shutdown. Astronauts used the space station’s robot arm to pluck Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus capsule from orbit Thursday as they soared over Africa. The 11,000-pound shipment should have reached the space station Wednesday, three days after blasting off from Florida. But when the capsule tried to climb higher, its main engine shut down too soon. Engineers traced the problem to an overly conservative software setting.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a mission to bring supplies to the International Space Station lifts off from complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Engine trouble forces Northrop Grumman to delay supply delivery to International Space Station

September 17, 2025

A newly launched supply ship has run into engine trouble that is preventing it from reaching the International Space Station. Northrop Grumman’s capsule rocketed into orbit Sunday from Florida aboard SpaceX. But less than two days later, the capsule’s main engine shut down prematurely while trying to boost its orbit. The Cygnus capsule was supposed to dock Wednesday. But NASA says everything is on hold while flight controllers consider an alternate plan. The capsule holds 11,000 pounds of cargo for the seven space station residents.

FILE - A view of a partial solar eclipse over St. Petersburg, Russia, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, file)

Partial solar eclipse at the bottom of the world closes out the year’s sun and moon spectacles

September 16, 2025

The bottom of the world is set to be front and center for a partial solar eclipse. Antarctica, New Zealand and a sliver of Australia are in prime position as the moon slips between the sun and Earth, obscuring a good portion of our star. The action unfolds on Monday local time Down Under, two weeks after a total lunar eclipse wowed Asia. The sun will put on even better shows in 2026, hitting both polar regions. A “ring of fire” eclipse will cut across Antarctica in February, with a total solar eclipse over the Arctic in August, as well as Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

This image provided by the European Southern Observatory shows a powerful explosion, orange dot at the center of the image, that repeated several times over the course of a day, The image, taken with ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), allowed astronomers to determine that the explosion didn't take place in the Milky Way but in another galaxy. (European Southern Observatory via AP)

Scientists are baffled by a powerful and long-lasting gamma ray explosion outside our galaxy

September 9, 2025

Scientists have discovered a gamma ray explosion outside our galaxy that’s not only exceptionally powerful, but also long-lasting. Telescopes on Earth and in space — including Hubble — have teamed up to study the explosion of high-energy radiation first observed in July. Scientists said Tuesday that repeated bursts of gamma rays were detected over the course of a day. That’s highly unusual since these kinds of bursts normally last just minutes or even milliseconds as dying stars collapse or are torn apart by black holes. Scientists say such a long and recurrent gamma ray burst has never been seen before.

This image provided by NASA/European Space Agency shows an image captured by Hubble of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. (NASA/European Space Agency via AP)

Hubble Space Telescope takes best picture yet of the comet visiting from another solar system

August 7, 2025

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best picture yet of a high-speed comet visiting our solar system from another star. NASA and the European Space Agency released the latest photos Thursday. The interstellar comet was discovered last month by a telescope in Chile. Astronomers originally estimated the size of its icy core at several miles across, but Hubble’s observations have narrowed it down to no more than 3.5 miles. It’s only the third known object from another solar system to pass our way. It poses no threat to Earth.

FILE - Astronaut Butch Wilmore is interviewed at Johnson Space Center on March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, file)

Stuck astronaut Butch Wilmore retires from NASA less than 5 months after extended spaceflight

August 6, 2025

One of NASA’s two previously stuck astronauts has retired. NASA announced Butch Wilmore’s departure from the space agency on Wednesday. Wilmore and Suni Williams launched last summer as test pilots on Boeing’s first astronaut flight. What should have been a weeklong trip to the International Space Station turned into a stay of more than nine months because of Boeing’s malfunctioning Starliner. Starliner came back empty. Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth in March with SpaceX. The 62-year-old Wilmore had already retired from the Navy. Williams, also a retired Navy captain, is still with NASA.

This diagram provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through the solar system. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)

New interstellar comet will keep a safe distance from Earth, NASA says

July 3, 2025

NASA has discovered an interstellar comet that’s wandered into our backyard. The space agency spotted the object with the Atlas telescope in Chile earlier this week, and has confirmed it was a comet from another star system. It’s only the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system. This newest visitor is 416 million miles from the sun, out near Jupiter. The quick-moving comet will make its closest approach to the sun in late October, venturing no closer than Mars and posing no threat to Earth. Astronomers around the world are monitoring the comet to determine its size and shape.

FILE - The Milky Way is seen over the Haleakala Observatory and the lights of Kahului, at right, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 at the summit of Haleakala National Park near Kula, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

Astronomers track object that may have originated outside the solar system

July 2, 2025

Astronomers are monitoring an object headed our way that may have wandered over from another star system. The European Space Agency said Wednesday that scientists have discovered what might be only the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system. Telescopes around the world are observing the harmless object, currently near Jupiter and moving toward Mars and the rest of the inner solar system. Its closest approach to the sun is predicted for fall. More observations are needed to confirm the object’s origins. The first confirmed interstellar visitor was in 2017.

This image provided by NASA shows an annotation indicating the impact site for ispace's Resilience lunar lander, seen by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera on June 11, 2025. (NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University via AP)

NASA spacecraft around the moon photographs the crash site of a Japanese company’s lunar lander

June 20, 2025

A NASA spacecraft around the moon has photographed the crash site of a Japanese company’s lunar lander. NASA released the pictures Friday, two weeks after ispace’s lander slammed into the moon. The images show a dark smudge where the lander, named Resilience, crashed into a volcanic region in the moon’s far north. A faint halo around the area was created by the lunar dirt kicked up by the impact. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the aftermath of the crash — the second failure in two years for ispace.

This handout provided by the European Southern Observatory shows a detailed, thousand-colour image of the Sculptor Galaxy captured with the MUSE instrument at ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). (ESO via AP)

This photo of the nearby Sculptor galaxy spans 65,000 light years

June 18, 2025

Astronomers have revealed a nearby spiral galaxy in all its brilliant glory, shining in thousands of colors. The dazzling panoramic shot released Wednesday of the Sculptor galaxy is so detailed that it’s already serving as a star-packed map. Scientists used a telescope in Chile to observe the galaxy for more than 50 hours, stitching together multiple exposures to create the picture. The galaxy is 11 million light-years away in the Southern Hemisphere’s sky. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon capsule stands ready for launch on pad 39A for a mission to the International Space Station at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary

June 12, 2025

A chartered spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary’s first astronauts in decades has been delayed indefinitely because of leak concerns at the International Space Station. NASA said Thursday that it wants to monitor the cabin pressure on the Russian side of the orbiting lab, before accepting visitors. SpaceX was supposed to launch four private astronauts this week on a two-week space station mission. Bad weather and SpaceX rocket trouble delayed the flight. Then the space station leak issue cropped up. The Russian Space Agency has long been dealing with a cabin pressure leak at the station. Recent repairs resulted in what NASA calls “a new pressure signature.”

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

FAA demands an accident investigation into SpaceX’s latest out-of-control Starship flight

May 30, 2025

The Federal Aviation Administration is demanding an accident investigation into the out-of-control Starship flight by SpaceX. The world’s biggest and most powerful rocket blasted off from Texas on Tuesday. The test flight lasted longer than the previous two failed demos, which ended in flames over the Atlantic. This latest spacecraft made it halfway around the world to the Indian Ocean, but not before going into a spin and breaking apart. The FAA said Friday no injuries or public damage were reported. The agency will oversee SpaceX’s investigation, which is required before another Starship can launch.

This undated photo released by the European Space Agency shows the 35 meter-diameter deep-space dish antenna, DSA-2, in Cebreros, Spain, receiving the first signals from Venus Express. (ESA via AP)

Strauss’ ‘Blue Danube’ waltz is launching into space to mark his 200th birthday

May 25, 2025

Strauss’ “Blue Danube” waltz is heading into space this month to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The European Space Agency’s big dish antenna in Spain will beam the waltz into the cosmos as it’s performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The celestial send-off on May 31 will also celebrate the space agency’s founding 50 years ago. The radio signals will hurtle away at the speed of light. Within 23 hours, the signals will be as far from Earth as NASA’s Voyager 1, the world’s most distant spacecraft some 15 billion miles away.

MARCIA DUNN Aerospace Writer.