ISRO to launch NISAR mission on July 30
🚀 On July 30, 2025 at 17:40 IST, ISRO's GSLV-F16 will launch #NISAR, the first joint Earth observation satellite by ISRO & NASA, from Sriharikota.
🛰️ NISAR will scan the entire globe every 12… pic.twitter.com/4Mry076XSZ
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Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Did scientists just grow the first-ever space flower 'Zinnia' aboard ISS?
The idea of growing plants in space always looked like a distant dream until scientists almost made it possible. It's not just about the excitement of seeing greenery in zero gravity; it's also about the plant's survival, psychology, and the future of space missions. Humans dream of traveling beyond Earth, even to Mars one day, so the ability to grow food in space will be an important factor as fresh vegetables could reduce the dependency on packaged meals, provide mental comfort to astronauts on long missions, and play a key role in recycling air and water. Over the years, scientists and astronauts have tried to grow plants in orbit with mixed results. These efforts aren't just science experiments; they're a part of preparing for a future where long-duration missions will require sustainable life-support systems. Growing flowers, especially, has a psychological benefit as it brings beauty and a sense of home into the cold, metallic confines of a spacecraft. Did scientists grow the first-ever space flower ? One such memorable moment happened in 2016 when NASA astronaut Scott Kelly posted a photo of a blooming flower aboard the International Space Station (ISS), calling it the 'first ever flower grown in space.' He also added, 'Yes, there are other life forms in space!' along with the hashtag #spaceflower. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Rent Luxury Vacation Homes peoplediscovery Learn More Undo However, Zinnias had faced a mold outbreak and was close to dying. But by using new care instructions from NASA botanists and by using Kelly's close attention, known as "green thumb", the plants recovered and eventually bloomed. The flowers were part of NASA's Veggie experiment, which aims to test food production in space. Kelly's zinnias weren't actually the first flowers to bloom in space According to astronaut Don Pettit successfully grew a sunflower aboard the ISS in 2012 using plastic bags as makeshift pots. He described its progress in a blog post titled Diary of a Space Zucchini, writing, 'Sunflower is going to seed! His blossom is wilted-brown and has a few lopsided packed seeds.' Apart from that, cosmonauts on Russia's Mir space station in the 1990s grew dwarf wheat that flowered. And even earlier, in 1982, the Soviet crew aboard Salyut 7 grew Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant, which according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was the first to flower and produce seeds in space. But perhaps the earliest attempt dates to 1966, during the uncrewed Soviet Cosmos 110 mission. As described by authors Brian Harvey and Olga Zakutnyaya in Russian Space Probes (Springer, 2011), some beans on board germinated and even flowered, and that too, twice as fast as their Earth-based counterparts. What is the Veggie experiment? Even though Kelly's zinnia wasn't the first flower in space, its bloom still marked a milestone. The Veggie experiment was developed to grow edible crops like lettuce, which Kelly and his crew tasted. NASA's goal is to eventually grow tomatoes and other produce for long missions.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Is Earth In Danger? Mystery Object May Be ‘Hostile' Alien Spacecraft Approaching Our Planet
The mystery object is on a stealth path through the inner Solar System, and Earth's fastest rockets aren't nearly quick enough to intercept it A strange object the size of a small city is hurtling through our Solar System, and a team of scientists think it might not be just a comet. In fact, they're toying with a far more dramatic possibility: that it could be alien technology, potentially even 'hostile", hiding behind the Sun. The object, officially named 3I/ATLAS (and earlier known as A11pl3Z), was first spotted on July 1 by a telescope in Chile. Within 24 hours, scientists confirmed it had come from outside our Solar System, making it just the third known interstellar visitor ever recorded, according to Live Science. It's not small either. Estimates say it measures 10 to 20 kilometres wide, making it potentially larger in area than Manhattan, and it's tearing through space at over 130,000 mph (60 km per second). Over the next few months, it's expected to swing past Jupiter, Mars and Venus, before disappearing behind the Sun in late November, out of sight from Earth. Is It Just A Rock Or Something More? A new, non-peer-reviewed scientific paper published on July 16 has turned heads for suggesting that this might not be a comet at all, but an extraterrestrial spacecraft on a stealth mission. The study was written by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, known for his bold claims about alien life, along with researchers Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl from the Initiative for Interstellar Studies in London. They're not claiming this is definitely alien, but they are proposing a testable theory. In their words, it's 'an interesting exercise in its own right," worth exploring 'irrespective of its likely validity." Still, they warn that if the theory does hold true, the consequences could be serious, even requiring 'defensive measures," though they admit those might not be effective. A Suspicious Flight Path? So why the suspicion? Loeb and his co-authors point to the object's trajectory, which is oddly precise. It's moving faster than the last interstellar visitor, ʻOumuamua', and it entered the Solar System from a different angle, which, they suggest, could offer 'various benefits to an extraterrestrial intelligence." Even more puzzling, the object's orbital path is aligned with Earth's within just 5 degrees. Loeb told Newsweek that the odds of this happening randomly are only 0.2 per cent. In his view, this could mean the object is deliberately targeting the inner Solar System, something one might expect from alien tech. Then there's the route itself. 3I/ATLAS is set to make close passes by three major planets — Venus, Mars and Jupiter — which scientists say is highly improbable without calculated guidance. According to the Mirror UK, the chances of such a path occurring by chance are less than 0.005 per cent. The timing also raises eyebrows. In late November, the object will pass behind the Sun, making it invisible to Earth-based telescopes. Loeb speculates this might not be a coincidence. 'This could be intentional to avoid detailed observations from Earth-based telescopes when the object is brightest or when gadgets are sent to Earth from that hidden vantage point," he wrote in a blog post. They even suggest the planetary flybys could allow for 'gadgets" to be planted, spy tech dropped off on Mars, Venus or Jupiter en route. Unfortunately, even if Earth wanted to investigate, we simply can't catch up. Loeb notes that our fastest rockets can only reach a third of 3I/ATLAS's speed, making a rendezvous impossible with current technology. The theory has sparked curiosity online, but not everyone is convinced. Samantha Lawler, an astronomer at Canada's University of Regina, says the evidence points clearly to a natural comet, one that was simply ejected from another solar system, as billions of others likely have been. Others were more critical. Chris Lintott from the University of Oxford, who helped trace the object's galactic origin, dismissed the alien theory outright, calling it 'nonsense on stilts" and saying it undermines the real science being done by teams worldwide. Even Loeb concedes the most probable explanation is that 3I/ATLAS is just another icy interstellar wanderer. 'By far, the most likely outcome will be that 3I/ATLAS is a completely natural interstellar object, probably a comet," he said. This Isn't Loeb's First Rodeo This isn't the first time Loeb has floated the idea of alien probes in our cosmic neighbourhood. Back in 2022, he revived global buzz around ʻOumuamua', the cigar-shaped interstellar object spotted in 2017. He suggested it could be a 'lightsail" — a spacecraft powered by light particles — or even a deliberately sent probe from an alien civilisation. 'Oumuamua may be a fully operational probe sent intentionally to Earth vicinity by an alien civilisation," he wrote at the time. So What Now? For now, astronomers across the world are closely tracking 3I/ATLAS as it continues its journey toward the Sun. Whether it turns out to be a piece of cosmic spyware or just an unusually fast space rock, it has already reignited one of humanity's oldest questions — are we really alone out here? About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk More Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : alien invasion comet spacecraft view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 28, 2025, 14:01 IST News world Is Earth In Danger? Mystery Object May Be 'Hostile' Alien Spacecraft Approaching Our Planet Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Indian scientists decode mysterious signal pattern coming from deep space
India's space observatory AstroSat has uncovered new clues about the mysterious behaviour of a distant black hole, GRS 1915+105, revealing how it flickers in X-rays with remarkable 28,000 light-years away in our Milky Way galaxy, this black hole system is helping scientists decode the extreme environment near one of the universe's most powerful its launch in 2015, AstroSat — India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space telescope — has been continuously monitoring GRS 1915+105. A team of Indian scientists from ISRO, IIT Guwahati, and the University of Haifa used two of its onboard instruments, the Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) and the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT), to study the black hole's mysterious signal They found a repeating pattern: a few hundred seconds of dim X-ray light, followed by a similar period of bright light. During the brighter phases, they discovered something remarkable — fast X-ray flickers occurring 70 times per second, known as Quasi-periodic Oscillations (QPOs). These flickers vanished during the dimmer team traced this rapid flickering to the corona, a superheated cloud of plasma surrounding the black hole. During the bright phases, the corona becomes smaller and hotter, generating strong the dim phases, it cools and expands, causing the flickers to black hole is part of a binary system, pulling matter from a companion star into a hot spinning disc. As this matter heats up, it emits X-rays — the signals that AstroSat study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, provides scientists with a deeper insight into black hole findings showcase India's growing capabilities in space-based astronomy and the powerful role of AstroSat as a cosmic observatory.- EndsTrending Reel
