Live Science Today: Artemis II readies for rollout as auroras paint skies
Today’s news
This is the second deployment of the massive Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion capsule perched atop, the first having took place on January 17. But after two wet dress rehearsals and two leaks, NASA decided to roll back the rocket to the vehicle assembly building for repair.
And this wasn’t the first time an Artemis rocket was returned to the store. The Artemis I SLS rocket I returned to the vehicle assembly building more than once in 2022, before finally take off and complete its uncrewed test flight around the moon later that year. The cumulative delays led NASA to announce a major overhaul of the Artemis program the agency is now aiming for annual launches, potentially drop SpaceX and Boeing of its mission plans, and are targeting two moon landings in 2028.
Once Artemis II reaches the launch pad, NASA will conduct another wet dress rehearsal and flight readiness review before announcing a launch window.
The trend
The Northern Lights could be visible in the skies over 20 U.S. states near the Canadian border this week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). issued a warning that two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are expected to hit Earth.
CMEs are bursts of plasma ejected by the sun. If they collide with Earth’s magnetic field, they can trigger geomagnetic storms, disrupt satellites and communications systems, and cause auroras.
Thermospheric light shows have been incredibly common this month, thanks to an overactive sun and Earth’s sideways position relative to the sun during the spring equinox. These two phenomena made March 2026 the best month for the Northern Lights in almost a decade.
Three to read
- The 5 “letters” of DNA found on an asteroid speeding through our solar system. What do they tell us about the origins of life? [Live Science]
- More than 150,000 unrecorded COVID-19 deaths occurred early in pandemic, study finds [The Associated Press]
- Iran war could push global food insecurity to record levels, leaving 363 million people hungry [Live Science]
Photo of the day
Emperor cichlids, which live in East Africa’s Lake Tanganyika, do not like to be looked at and are more likely to attack human divers who stare at them.
Interestingly, the fish also reacted with the same aggression when the divers looked at their eggs or fry. This suggests that they share the ability to infer intention from a glance with primates and some birds.
Say it, I said it
Word of the day
Dogger Country — Named after a medieval Dutch fishing boat called a dogger, this now-sunken forest kingdom once linked Britain to continental Europe during the last ice age.
Quote of the day
“We give them tuna; like royalty, they feed on the ocean’s top predators. In return, what do we get in return?”
Rob Dunnprofessor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University, our relationship with cats.
Fun and games
NASA is preparing to return to the Moon. But how quickly can you name the 12 Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon?
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