These are some of my cosmology posts
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Future of the International Space Station: Funding & Challenges
From 2011 to 2020, astronauts relied solely on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for ISS access. Following a Soyuz failure in 2018, concerns arose about ISS crew rotation. NASA’s funding for the ISS was threatened in 2018, leading to discussions on privatization. The ISS’s future options include continued government funding or controlled deorbiting.… Continue reading Future of…
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Soyuz – What next?
Many of my readers will be aware the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft failed to get into orbit on Thursday 11 October. It was on a mission to take fresh crew to the International Space Station (ISS). Mission patch for Soyuz MS-10 A major fault occurred at an altitude of about 50 km when the booster rocket…
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Salyut to the ISS: A Journey Through Space Stations
Updated June 2026 In this post I’ll talk about the history of the International Space Station (ISS) and some of the other space stations which have been constucted over the years. I’ll also touch on some of the politics involved. The International Space Station Image from NASA The First Space Stations Although America was the…
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Recognizing Jocelyn Bell’s Contributions to Astronomy
Jocelyn Bell discovered pulsars in 1967, but her contributions were overshadowed when her PhD supervisor, Anthony Hewish, received the Nobel Prize in 1974. Despite initial lack of recognition, Bell became an advocate for women in science. In 2018, she received the Breakthrough Prize and donated her winnings to support underrepresented students in physics.… Continue reading…
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The shortest days
Originally posted on Explaining Science: Revised 10 September 2018 Most people are probably unaware of this but the length of a solar day, which is the natural day measured by the rising and setting of the Sun isn’t always 24 hours. It varies slightly throughout the course of the year and that September 18 is in fact the shortest solar day…
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20 Years of the International Space Station: A Milestone for humans in space
The International Space Station (ISS), initiated in 1998 with the launch of the Zarya module, symbolizes global cooperation, mainly between the US and Russia. Manned since November 2000, its construction relied heavily on the Space Shuttle program. Research on the ISS focuses on microgravity effects, including impacts on human health and material sciences. Transport is…
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The International Space Station
Update May 2026 This post has been replaced by the post: Twenty Years of the International Space Station
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Lunar eclipse 27 July 2018
On 27 July 2018 there will be a total eclipse of the Moon, which will be viewable from many areas of the world. This will be the first total lunar eclipse able to be observed in the UK for nearly three years and it will be worth making the effort to see, especially since, for…
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The Martian Methane Mystery
In 2014, NASA’s Curiosity rover detected methane on Mars, suggesting an unknown replenishing process due to its short atmospheric lifespan. While Earth’s methane largely originates from biological sources, the Martian findings remain ambiguous. Subsequent missions, including ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter, reported no detectable methane, deepening the mystery.… Continue reading The Martian Methane Mystery →
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June 21 2018 – the solstice
This year, the June solstice will fall on 21 June. In the northern hemisphere, it is the day when there is the most daylight and when the Sun is at its highest in the midday sky. Sunrise at the solstice at Stonehenge, England – image from Wikimedia commons The origin of the word solstice is…
Explaining Science 