NASA has officially lost contact with a spacecraft that has been orbiting Mars since 2014.

The MAVEN spacecraft – Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution – abruptly lost contact with Earth on 6 December 2025 while passing behind the red planet in the normal course of its orbit. When MAVEN re-emerged from behind Mars, however, NASA ground control was unable to reestablish a connection.

On December 9, the space agency announced it is investigating the issue and attempting to locate a signal.

All systems had been working normally before MAVEN passed behind Mars.

MAVEN is one of a fleet of seven orbiters currently actively observing Mars. It launched from Earth in 2013 and reached Mars orbit in September 2014, tasked with studying the red planet's upper atmosphere and ionosphere, and how they interact with the solar wind.

By observing ongoing rates and mechanisms of atmospheric loss, MAVEN has given scientists the tools to understand how Mars may have changed from a once-wet planet to the cold, dry dustball it is today.

Scientists are hard at work trying to assess the scale of our microplastic pollution problem and the likely health impacts. A new study now identifies several downstream health risks these tiny plastic fragments may pose as they traverse the environment.

Research suggests microplastics by themselves can be harmful to our biology, and they're also known to absorb other toxic pollutants.

Now, on top of this, new findings from researchers at the University of Exeter and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the UK suggest microbes also develop biofilms on top of microplastics.

These biofilms (or 'plastispheres') can harbor dangerous bacteria and aid their growth and survival – meaning microplastics might potentially be spreading pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as well.

That poses several serious health risks, from disease-causing bacteria finding their way into the food chain, to an increased spread of drug-resistant bacteria that make infections harder to treat and medical procedures more risky.

"Our research shows that microplastics can act as carriers for harmful pathogens and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, enhancing their survival and spread," says marine scientist Pennie Lindeque, from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

"This interaction poses a growing risk to environmental and public health and demands urgent attention."

Rarely seen by humans, a humpback whale birth is a truly special moment 💙 Now that it has entered the world, this humpback calf will spend the next 10 years of its life growing to its full adult size.

And you thought it was hard to scroll through all the photos on your phone...

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has snapped its 100,000th image of the surface with its HiRISE camera. More on this milestone image: go.nasa.gov/4oXJQpu

I created a little web game which I'm going to use for a future video explaining how aircraft used to navigate by radio before VORs. No special equipment needed, just listen to morse code tones, if you're on one of the 4 beams then you'll hear a continuous tone, so find a beam, stay on it and get to the destination, then it gets harder, removing the map, and eventually just relying on the audio alone:
illectro.github.io
(Not mobile friendly currently)

Another trip around the Sun ☀️

NASAHubble turned 35 this year. Even after more than three decades in orbit, the telescope continues to revolutionize our view of the universe.

🔭 Until now, observing the inner regions of the Sun’s enigmatic atmosphere – the corona – was close to impossible.

🛰️🛰️☀️ The satellite duo making up our Proba-3 mission fills this observation gap by creating artificial solar eclipses in orbit.

Read more: esa.int/Enabling_Suppo…