Space

The Vegas odds paid off this time, because debris from the Chinese Long March rocket conformed to the probability it would crash down on water.

Parts from the wayward booster landed in the Indian Ocean, pretty close to the Maldives.

It's good news because no one had any idea where the space junk would hit. It was out of control in space and the re-entry was, to say the least, dicey.

There's unconfirmed video that seems to show debris falling from the sky over the Dead Sea in Jordan.

The biggest piece of debris was about as big as a Mack truck, so it could have done serious damage if it landed in a populated area.

China's Manned Space Engineering Office claims most of the debris burned up during re-entry, but clearly not all of it did.

This is one of the biggest, uncontrolled objects from space ever to hit the Earth, and that includes meteors, folks!

China has been criticized for allowing a booster to just float around in space. There was no plan to safely bring it back to Earth.

It's another small step for man and giant leap for mankind -- this on Mars, where NASA just pulled off the first-ever powered flight on another planet ... courtesy of a mini helicopter.

NASA flew the aircraft, dubbed Ingenuity, and beamed in the live stream first thing Monday morning. Sending it instructions all the way here (some 180 million miles away) ... this little chopper got up off the ground at about 10 feet!

It's a historic feat ... marking the first time we've ever flown something that wasn't a rocket on another celestial body in our solar system. Think of it as the Wright Brothers flying the first plane on Earth -- this is like that, only it happened on Mars, with no one aboard ... and slightly better video!

As for the specs of how NASA was able to make it happen ... it sounds like they just had to tweak a few things for Ingenuity to achieve liftoff on the Red Planet.

For starters, Mars' atmosphere is quite thin compared to ours -- only about 1% as dense -- and it also has less gravity than what we're working with here. So, to account for that, NASA built this thing with much bigger blades that rotate incredibly rapidly ... around 2,537 RPM.

Now that they know Ingenuity can indeed get some air ... the plan is to test its capabilities and see if it can help us navigate and explore the mysterious red planet some more.

NASA sent a massive goody bag of supplies and treats up into space this week to help their astronauts out for the holidays -- and we found out what they're noshing on!!!

A rep for NASA tells TMZ ... part of the resupply load, aboard a SpaceX capsule, that docked at the International Space Station Monday were thousands of pounds of cargo for scientific research -- and also some fresh grub.

We're told among some of the fresh food items -- which is a rare treat in space, since most everything is either freeze-dried or thermostabilized -- was a bunch of fruit. Sounds basic, but in space ... even a first bite at the apple is something to savor for these expeditions.

Some of that produce included Gala apples, navel and blood oranges, mandarin oranges, and ... lemons!!! Hey, when life gives 'em to you, gotta make the most of it right???

We're told there were also some holiday-themed hot foods sent up as well -- which are all probably arriving in some type of airtight packaging, a la Tang.

Among that lot, NASA says it shipped stuff like cherry blueberry cobbler, cornbread dressing, cranapple dessert, jellied cranberry sauce, macaroni & cheese, potatoes au gratin, roasted turkey, shortbread cookies, southwestern corn, sparkle gel, spicy green beans, french vanilla cappuccino and wheat flatbread. Mmmm -- space munchies 😁.

BTW, these are the same astronauts that were shot up into the sky a few short weeks ago in another SpaceX Dragon capsule. So, they're probably due to a fresh shot of fuel.

There's a mysterious object hurtling toward Earth right now that will whiz past us early Tuesday morning, and in perfect 2020 fashion ... nobody's sure what the heck it is.

The unknown space mass has been dubbed "2020 SO," and is set to fly by our planet at an extremely close, but safe, distance of 31,605 miles at 3:50 AM ET December 1.

The object was discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey in Hawaii back in September, and initially, it was believed to be an asteroid measuring an estimated 15-33 feet across.

However, scientists at NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) soon began to postulate it wasn't an asteroid or even a "natural body" at all.

Instead, CNEOS director Paul Chodas is on record saying he believes the object is the Centaur rocket booster from NASA's failed Surveyor 2 lunar mission ... which launched way back on September 20, 1966.

Chodas used a bunch of computer science and math to track 2020 SO's orbit backward to come to the conclusion ... that it likely launched from Earth.

Of course, scientists will be able to more closely observe the object as it approaches to determine exactly what it is ... and here's to hoping it's more exciting than a hunk of space junk.

Not likely, though.

SpaceX and NASA are about to once again send astronauts into space -- laying even more groundwork for what might become a regular thing ... and we'll be streaming the event live, with lift-off slated for 7:27 PM ET.

Elon Musk's shuttle program is embarking on yet another launch Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida -- where the SpaceX team is firing its famed Dragon capsule into orbit ... only this time, it's carrying a few more helmeted cadets on the mission.

Three American astronauts are signed up for this job -- NASA's Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker and Victor Glover -- and so is a Japanese astronaut named Soichi Noguchi. Check out their suits, BTW ... super sleek compared to what they used to rock back in the day.

That's technology, baby!!! Also ... fashion.

The 4-person crew is heading to the International Space Station, where they'll conduct scientific research for NASA. This is the second time this year that SpaceX has sent up humans in partnership with NASA -- in May, they sent up astronauts Doug Hurly and Bob Behnken to the ISS for a couple months ... now, they're upping the manpower. It's the first SpaceX commercial crew trip to the ISS.

This latest mission is a huge milestone -- it marks a huge pivot away from our reliance on Russian space travel -- something the U.S. has been heavily reliant on in recent years.

The fact SpaceX is helping with these types of trips more regularly proves it's a leading company for a lot more travel in the near future -- which could open the door for space tourism. The possibilities are endless, really.

The launch is scheduled for 7:27 PM ET. Houston, we have lift-off ... hopefully.

Humans are going back to the moon for the fist time in a long time ... and this time a woman will be leaving her footprint on that giant rock in the sky.

NASA just announced a new space mission they're set to embark on over the next few years with the intent of getting boots on the lunar ground by 2024 to study water they discovered recently, and see if it's usable.

The thinking is the H20 -- now found could be a sign of life, 'cause that's technically what an organism on Earth would need to thrive. Then again, it could just be mutant space water, so that's what they're gonna check out.

NASA hasn't announced the crew members' names yet.

There's more to this trip than just agua ... NASA says not only is it going to study the water, but the new U.S. moon missions -- dubbed Artemis -- will also try to establish a long-term presence there by the end of the decade, and use it as a springboard to our neighbor ... MARS, baby!!!

BTW, if you're wondering why we haven't been back to the moon more regularly -- the last time we set foot there was in '72, during the Apollo missions -- the space agency has chalked it up to politics, support and funding, or a lack thereof. It wasn't because they couldn't do it.

In total, humans have been to the moon 6 times. Get ready to put another notch in our space belts.

Kate Rubins just cast the mother of all mail-in ballots -- she's not even on Earth and she still cast her vote!!! What's your excuse?

The NASA astronaut voted Thursday from her post aboard the International Space Station, which is about 250 miles or so above our planet ... so you could call this the definition of going above and beyond.

Like most Houston area based astronauts, Kate votes in Texas ... and there's a super cool process for getting her absentee ballot from lower Earth orbit all the way down to the Lone Star State.

As you can see, there's a secure voting booth on the ISS ... and Kate voted using a secure electronic ballot generated by the Harris County Clerk's office and uplinked by Mission Control. Kate's completed ballot is then downlinked and delivered back to the County Clerk’s Office by e-mail to be officially recorded.

Astronauts have been legally allowed to vote from space since 1997, and Kate also cast her ballot from the ISS in the 2016 election. She says if she can vote from space, folks should be getting done on the ground.

Astronauts will very soon be taking a crap in a toilet that costs a whopping $23 million. Science, baby.

NASA's set to launch nearly 8,000 pounds of supplies Tuesday from its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to the International Space Station ... and the cargo will include the Universal Waste Management System.

The toilet -- around 28 inches tall -- will be 65% smaller and 40% lighter than the current John on the ISS, but it'll have the capability to support larger crews. It will be installed next to the current toilet, and astronauts will test how the new crapper performs in a microgravity environment.

Some of the toilet's features -- a urine funnel and seat made to be more accommodating for female crew members. It'll also feature a 3D-printed titanium dual-fan separator ... which creates a strong airflow that'll help pull the astronauts' urine and waste into the toilet.

Remember, no gravity up there so they'll take all the help they can get.

The new toilet also improves the pretreat system that's used to collect and treat urine before it's processed and recycled for reclaimed water. If the new toilet's a hit ... it could one day be used on missions to the moon and even Mars.

The re-supply mission will also include food, science experiments and even skincare from Estée Lauder.

Most Hollywood types say, "Let's do lunch" ... but for Tom Cruise, it's "Let's do LAUNCH" -- and now he knows when he'll make his virgin voyage to space to film a movie.

Tom's hitching a ride on a SpaceX Crew Dragon rocket and capsule to the International Space Station in October 2021 to start filming in orbit ... according to the 2020-2023 ISS official manifest.

Mr. "Mission Impossible" will be joined by "Edge of Tomorrow" director Doug Liman as the pioneering film project gets underway.

As we reported ... Tom is working hand in hand with SpaceX honcho Elon Musk and NASA to film an action-adventure flick aboard the ISS. The film, which will become the first shot in outer space, is reportedly NOT a "Mission Impossible" flick.

Hopefully, Tom takes some sage advice from retired astronauts Scott Kelly and Roy Bridges Jr. ahead of his big adventure ... remember, the famous astronauts say boning up on toilet science is extremely important!!!

OK ... we're in the grip of a pandemic, there are tropical storms swirling around the country, police shootings seem like an everyday occurrence, Trump is making rumblings he won't leave office even if he loses ... and now, an asteroid may hit the U.S. hours before the election.

NASA broke the news ... an asteroid is on a trajectory to hit the United States of America on November 2, 2020.

The good news ... it's 6.5 feet in diameter and there's only a 1% chance it will hit somewhere in the country. With our luck in 2020, who's betting that it will miss?

The space agency is saying there are 3 possible points of impact, but they weren't specific.

Country music star Travis Tritt is not rotating around the Earth, but his music is getting some serious space spins ... because NASA astronauts made their own fun video to his hit song!!!

NASA commander Chris Cassidy is the astronaut in the center of this awesome homage to Travis' hit, "It's a Great Day To Be Alive."

Chris and the other folks onboard the International Space Station are doing alright 250 miles above Earth ... they got rice cooking in the microwave and some homemade soup ... so Chris says they're feeling pretty good and that's the truth.

As for the musical choice, Chris says NASA's Expedition 63 crew "is very much aware of the hard times which exist in the neighborhoods of the world rotating below," and he wants folks to remember ... "Cherish the people you love."

Chris ends with some words to live by, whether you're firmly planted on terra firma ... "Even amid the uncertainty and difficulties of battling through these challenging times, we encourage everyone to be the best 'crewmates' and take care of each other."

Thank you ,Chris ... and Travis.

SpaceX and NASA's #LaunchAmerica journey is on the verge of completing a successful mission -- they're coming back to Earth, and we're streaming it live.

American astronauts Robert Behnken and Doug Hurley -- who were shot into orbit back in May aboard SpaceX's Dragon Endeavor -- are set to touch down Sunday. Their spacecraft is scheduled to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, FL at 11:45 AM PT

They've been in orbit aboard the ISS for the past 62 days and made 1,024 revolutions around our planet ... this after Elon Musk and co. sent them up in an effort to get more American space missions kickstarted ... not to mention potential space tourism in the near future.

The initial launch went off without a hitch -- after the Falcon 9 rocket took Bob and Doug to a certain point ... it landed safely aboard a ship waiting out at sea. The boys then took control from there, and once they were close enough ... they docked with the ISS.

The #LaunchAmerica mission marks the first time in nearly a decade since Americans have been up among the stars.

SpaceX's latest mission's off to a good start, thanks to the same rocket booster that launched NASA astronauts on their journey to the International Space Station in May ... and here's the incredible footage.

The Falcon 9 launched the ANASIS-II Mission rocket on Monday around 5:30 PM ET from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, this time to set a communications satellite into orbit.

Videographer Ryan Chylinski utilized a slo-mo camera and zoom lens to capture the stunning moment ... and the telescope-tracking vid shows the rocket in great detail.

As we reported ... Falcon 9 launched 2 American astronauts -- Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken -- into orbit on May 30, then returned to the ground on a remote droneship.

It was awesome and picture-perfect, as the 2 U.S. astronauts hitched their space capsule onto the International Space Station.

It went down Sunday AM Earth time ... 19 hours after the Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

It's the first time in the history of U.S. space exploration that astronauts were hurled into parts unknown by a rocket manufactured by a private company -- in this case, Elon Musk's SpaceX.

A cam from the Space Station captured the docking procedure ... check out the red, white and green lights that signify the progress as the Dragon capsule bellies up to its host.

The 2 astronauts -- Robert Behnken and Doug Hurley -- took over the controls during part of the maneuver. The actual docking was computer-driven.

The docking follows a picture-perfect launch Saturday afternoon. The docking indicated that the first portion of the test flight with crew aboard was successful.

The trip will be considered a complete success once the astronauts return to Earth in the near future, opening the way for more travel to the space station and orbit by astronauts and perhaps space tourists in the years to come.

Elon Musk and co. are officially ready for round 2 of takeoff, just days after calling off their monumental space mission ... and TMZ is streaming the event live.

A couple of NASA astronauts are set to be launched into orbit Saturday via SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and accompanying the Crew Dragon capsule, which will be blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission has been dubbed, Demo-2.

Of course, Saturday's mission was supposed to go down Wednesday -- but it got pushed back due to bad weather ... something the space team there didn't wanna toy with and risk. Now, they're running it back with a predicted 50/50 chance of acceptable conditions.

The team is sending these astronauts to the International Space Station -- 250 miles or so above the Earth. This would mark the first spaceflight launched from U.S. soil in just under a decade. The point of the mission is to see if we're able to taxi astronauts to and from the ISS and Earth -- something Elon's rocketship proved to be capable of a few years ago when SpaceX first secured a multi-billion dollar contract with NASA and passed some tests.

Looks like the two American astronauts being sent up there -- Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken -- are already suited up and aboard the spacecraft. SpaceX says all systems are a go (for now) ... and everything seems primed for an actual launch -- barring any unforeseen mishaps (like an explosion at the launchpad or a lightning storm or something).

Originally Published -- 11:53 AM PT