Human spaceflight has been racking up new milestones. But we're still grappling with a fundamental question: Why go in the first place? When the four astronauts on board NASA's Artemis II swung around the moon earlier this year, they set a new record for the farthest humans have ever ventured from Earth, surpassing the distance set by Apollo 13 in 1972 by some 4,000 miles. While no space mission can live up to the historic touchdown of Apollo 11--a spectacle that 20% of the world population watched live--Artemis II still attracted massive public interest. It drew tens of millions of viewers and inspired outpourings of "moon joy," a term coined spontaneously during the mission that became a viral sensation. The expedition is only the first in a planned series of ambitious missions.

A device currently being used to help octogenarians do self-administered eye exams could be part of future space missions to monitor astronauts' ocular health. The European Space Agency is trying to understand why astronauts lose their eyesight in space, in the hope they can figure out how to treat--or even prevent--the condition as looming longer spaceflights heighten the risk of permanent vision damage. The agency has commissioned British eye-scanning startup Siloton to develop a solution ahead of the international Artemis flights to the moon and other deep space missions. The health tech uses quantum technology to shrink core components used in eye-testing equipment found at optometrists to fit on a photonic chip smaller than a coin. Founded by physicists in 2020, Siloton is currently working with the UK's National Health Service to enable patients with retinal conditions to self-scan at home. "The ESA pretty much has the same requirements," says cofounder and chief technology officer Euan Allen.

Mashable Selects Look Up Say More Versus Creator Hub Switch Off Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Trending Now Safety Net In My Bag VidCon with Mashable Back to School All Series Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to Wordle #1878. Can't get enough of Wordle? Today's answer should be easy to solve if you play Call of Duty. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Look Up Say More Versus Creator Hub Switch Off Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Trending Now Safety Net In My Bag VidCon with Mashable Back to School Furtastic All Series Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to Wordle #1874. Can't get enough of Wordle? Today's answer should be easy to solve if you're a chronic complainer. If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Radiographs of the hand were acquired (A) preflight by a crewmember, (B) in-flight on day 1 after launch (L+1) by a crewmember, and (C) postflight by a non-crew operator using the same imaging protocol. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . For more than 40 years, ultrasound has remained the sole medical imaging method in space, but not by choice.

Sotheby's Space Exploration auction features the life-saving instrument, a Snoopy pin, space-flown flags, and more. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. The broken circuit breaker switch that nearly ended Apollo 11 (below) and the pen that saved the crew and the mission. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

From Jules Verne-inspired submarines to NASA-backed underwater habitats, the dream of an undersea civilization came closer than most people realize. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Just as space exploration took off, ocean exploration faced some tragic setbacks. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

Swarms of cyborg insects controlled remotely via electrical implants can now operate underwater, thanks to tiny diving suits supplying them with oxygen - which could one day enable them to explore Mars. Hirotaka Sato at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and his colleagues first demonstrated in 2021 that Madagascar hissing cockroaches () could be remotely controlled with electrodes embedded in sensory organs known as cerci. In 2024, they demonstrated that a swarm of 20 of these cyborg insects could coordinate. The aim was to develop biological robots equipped with infrared sensors that could be released in large numbers after natural disasters to search for survivors. Cockroaches represent a ready-made platform for such applications with a working fuel source, efficient locomotion and in-built reflexes to dodge obstacles - capabilities that engineers still struggle to replicate mechanically at such a small scale.

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Nasa has named the Artemis III crew - what is their mission? Nasa has named the four astronauts for its Artemis III mission, due to launch in 2027. They will not land on the Moon, but will fly to low Earth orbit where they will dock with prototype lunar landers in a rehearsal for the landing to come. The 2028 Artemis IV mission is scheduled to put American astronauts on the Moon for the first time since 1972. What will the Artemis III mission do?