Space

In perhaps the most ambitious space mission of the last 5 decades, NASA is sending 4 astronauts around the moon and back ... the historic launch blasted off from Florida and the astronauts are now in space.

So far, everything appears to be going smoothly ... Artemis II lifted off Wednesday afternoon from Cape Canaveral and the astronauts are now in their capsule in high Earth orbit.

The lunar flyby mission -- named Artemis II -- is a test flight, acting as just one more step towards the future goal of not just visiting the moon, but staying there.

NASA is planning to focus on designing a moon base where astronauts can spend weeks or months at a time carrying out research and technology development.

That's just a little too close for comfort ...

People in Northeast Ohio were in for quite a shock on Tuesday when they heard -- and some say even felt -- a loud explosion around 9 AM.

NASA has confirmed the big boom was the sound of a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere.

Barack Obama sent the internet into a frenzy after saying aliens are real during a recent podcast appearance ... but now the former prez is walking it back, saying he's never seen any evidence of extraterrestrials while in office.

ICYMI ... 44 sat down with Bryan Tyler Cohen, who asked him point blank whether aliens are real. Obama replied, "They’re real, but I haven’t seen them," before joking they're not being kept at Area 51 -- adding there's no underground facility ... unless there was some "enormous conspiracy" being kept from him.

Obama's comments spread like wildfire ... leading to him issuing a follow-up statement softening any definitive claim. He explains, "I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention, let me clarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there."

Suni Williams won't be heading into orbit with NASA anytime soon ... because the astronaut just announced her retirement from the agency.

The news about Williams' retirement was posted on NASA's website Wednesday ... she officially retired December 27, 2025.

In a statement, Williams credited "all the wonderful love and support I’ve received from my colleagues."

Williams joined NASA in 1998, and she went on three missions to the International Space Station.

She was stuck on the ISS for an unprecedented 9 months after heading out on a planned one-week mission in 2024, owing to concerns over the safety of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore made it home in March 2025 after spending 286 days on the ISS.

Looks like Ye's fascination for the conspiratorial may have rubbed off on Kim Kardashian ... she's convinced the 1969 moon landing was faked.

In a clip from Thursday's episode of "The Kardashians," Kim is captured trying to sway her "All's Fair" costar Sarah Paulson the Apollo 11 moon landing didn't happen.

And what evidence does the aspiring lawyer bring forth to the court? A video from 10 years ago of Buzz Aldrin telling a student at The Oxford Union Society, "It didn't happen" ... in response to the question, "What was the scariest moment of the journey?" which the 95-year-old former astronaut apparently heard incorrectly.

"Scariest? It didn't happen," Aldrin replies. He then goes on to relate a story from the mission.

Buzz Aldrin's wife, Anca Faur, died Tuesday night, according to a statement shared by their families on Facebook.

The former astronaut -- the second man to walk on the moon -- was by his late wife's side when she died, as was her son Vlad Ghenciu. Her cause of death wasn't revealed in the statement.

Buzz and Anca first met at a professional event in December 2017, and they began dating the following May. They ended up tying the knot on his 93rd birthday in 2023, according to People.

Neil deGrasse Tyson may be a astrophysics genius, but he tells TMZ he ain’t boarding Elon’s SpaceX rocket ... unless Musk sends his own bloodline up first ... as proof it won’t go kaboom!

We ran into Neil outside CBS Studios in NYC Friday... and he cracked Elon’s gotta blast his mom Maye off first to prove the rocket’s safe -- making it crystal clear ... he’s down to explore the cosmos, but only if there’s a guaranteed round trip.

Catch the full clip ... 'cause Neil also laid it out ... he’s not interested in doing the basic orbital joyride. He wants the real deal -- the Moon, Mars, an actual destination in the galaxy.

Sydney Sweeney just leveled up to 28 -- and her birthday blowout was outta this world, with celebs galore and her new flame Scooter Braun in full party mode.

The actress completely took over at her 'Planet Syd' bash at L.A.’s Vibiana on Sunday night ... wearing the same sparkling mini dress Britney Spears wore for her "Circus" album shoot -- and yes, even her onscreen flame Glen Powell tried to reach her orbit in a full-on NASA suit!

The guest list was astronomical, with Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez making a stellar appearance after Sydney -- and Scooter, separately -- attended their June wedding.

NASA's latest update is not one small step for man, but one giant leap for mankind that believes in life on Mars ... as there's been a major discovery on Earth's neighbor.

Sean Duffy, the United States Secretary of Transportation and administrator for NASA, held a press conference Wednesday ... where he announced that a rover uncovered the "clearest sign of life" ever found on the 4th rock from the Sun.

As shared in the announcement, the Perseverance rover collected a sample on Mars, which is believed to be evidence of ancient microbial life.

Look up in the sky ... It's a bird, it's a plane ... No, it's a 4.56-billion-year-old meteorite that's older than planet Earth!

Yup, you read it right ... The fiery comet — nicknamed the "McDonough Meteorite" -- was captured on film streaking through the skies above Georgia and South Carolina on June 26 ... but the video was recently released.

The University of Georgia also issued a press release Friday with their findings, primarily from UGA planetary geologist Scott Harris, who says the meteor slammed into the roof of a house just outside Atlanta. Luckily, nobody was injured!

Tom Hanks is saying farewell to late Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell ... who Tom famously played on the big screen.

In 1995's "Apollo 13" Tom plays Lovell, who died Thursday at 97.

Tom is remembering Lovell in a heartfelt post on social media, saying ... "There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the places we would not go on our own. Jim Lovell, who for a long while had gone farther into space and for longer than any other person of our planet, was that kind of guy."

Jim Lovell -- the commander of the Apollo 13 mission that nearly ended in disaster and inspired a blockbuster 1995 film -- has died.

Lovell died at his home in Illinois Thursday ... and, NASA released a statement Friday adding Lovell inspired millions of people -- and his influence has echoed down the decades as NASA continues to explore space.

Lovell's family also released a statement ... writing the whole clan will "miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind.”

Bianca Censori's looking towards the future after we took a look back at how she looked before she met Kanye West ... because she's showing off the goods in a futuristic outfit.

Check out this photo Bianca posted on her Instagram Story ... her boobs are spilling out of her metallic silver bodysuit, which is accentuating her hips and legs as well.

Bianca shared the out-of-this-world snap after we unearthed some of her old photos from 2021, when she did a photo shoot for a friend's small clothing brand business in Australia, a couple of years before she was first linked to Yeezy.

A SpaceX Starship exploded into a massive fireball during a routine test launch Wednesday night ... and the stunning blast was caught on camera.

Check it out ... all appears to be normal -- until an intense explosion sends a fierce plume of orange and red blaze into the night sky ... coincided with furious bangs.

The spectacular blast occurred just after 11 PM at the Texas Starbase facility near Boca Chica Beach as SpaceX was preparing for the 10th test launch of its Starship -- which the Elon Musk-founded company says is the world's most powerful launch vehicle ever developed.

Katy Perry's "Lifetimes" tour has officially blasted off, and it’s nothing short of intergalactic -- 'cause she was straight back at it in Mexico City after her controversial all-female trip to space.

The singer was clearly orbiting the cosmic theme as she shut down Arena CDMX on Wednesday, even getting up close and personal with sky-high, ahem, *die-hard* fans who showed up in full NASA gear to back their girl.

Katy's stage was straight outta the future -- complete with space-age vibes and plenty of air time, thanks to those harnesses that had her literally floating through her set.

Joe Rogan took aim at Katy Perry and her all-women Blue Origin crew during a new episode of his podcast, calling the brief 11-minute flight "profound" -- with heavy sarcasm.

"She’s basically a guru now," Rogan joked of Katy, who flew alongside Gayle King, Jeff Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, astronaut Amanda Nguyễn, former NASA engineer Aisha Bowe, and producer Kerianne Flynn last Monday.

Rogan ridiculed KP for bringing a daisy aboard, which was a nod to her daughter Daisy. "It shows how quick the flight was -- the flower was still alive," Rogan said during his podcast.