Year-ender: Top 8 science news from 2024 — from the eclipse, to NASA mission and Sunita Williams stuck in space

Year-ender 2024: The year 2024 was choc full of incredible development in the space and science sectors wordwide.

Livemint looks at the top eight such stories through the year, including the once-in-a-lifetime North American coast-to-coast eclipse, NASA's decision to delay its Artemis manned and unmanned Moon missions (and subsequent Mars Missions), contact with the far-in-space Voyager 1, and Sunita Williams' space odessey.

NASA delays Artemis II to April 2026, Artemis III to mid-2027

The United States' national space agency, NASA, on December 5 said that it is officially delaying its Artemis Moon mission programmes. NASA said the Artemis programme has faced a setback, pushing the Artemis II crewed test flight to April 2026 (from September 2025) and the Artemis III mission to mid-2027.

According to the space agency, engineers will continue to prepare the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II crewed test flight. The new date reflects the time required to address gaps in the Orion capsule's environmental control and life support systems.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called the Artemis campaign “the most daring, technically challenging, collaborative, international endeavour humanity has ever set out to do,” adding that significant progress has been made over the past four years and he is “proud” in this next step forward in space exploration. Read details about the Artemis II (crewed mission) and Artemis III (landing mission) here.

Sunita Williams' ‘lettuce' leap into space farming

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is leading groundbreaking research with leafy green lettuce. According to reports, as the station's commander, Williams is focusing on “Outredgeous” romaine lettuce growth in microgravity.

This research is important for understanding how different amounts of water impact plant growth, which has significant implications for future space missions and agricultural advancements on Earth. Moreover, the study aims to provide insights into sustainable farming practices that could be applied in space and on Earth. Information gleaned from the project could be crucial for designing agricultural systems supporting astronauts on Moon, Mars, and space missions beyond that.

Chandrayaan-3 Sends Data: Did Moon’s surface once have magma ocean?

The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 moon mission, which soft landed on Moon's south pole last year, send back data in August 2024 supporting the theory that Earth's satellite was once covered in an ocean of magma, an analysis published in the journal Nature revealed.

The analysis looked at lunar soil measurements and samples, recorded and collected by the Chandrayaan-3's Pragyan rover at multiple points along a 100-metre track on the Moon's surface. The rover was deployed by the mission's Vikram lander, which made a soft landing near the south pole of the Moon on August 23, 2023.

From 8 days to 8 months — Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore stuck in space till 2025

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore took off for the ISS on June 5 — a mission that was supposed to last eight days, before returning back to earth. They are now on an extended eight month long stay in space, with possible return in 2025 — having missed summer, and missing Christmas and New Year celebrations with family and friends, as per reports.

The astronuats, 58-year-old Williams and 61-year-old Wilmore, left aboard a Boeing Starliner spacecraft, that detected problems before the return journey and has kept the duo in limbo aboard the ISS till NASA finds a solution.

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: North America's coast-to-coast spectacle

With the next coast-to-coast eclipse not due for another 21 years, millions in North America were treated to the rare phenomenon of a total solar eclipse in April this year. A vast audience, comprising a couple hundred million residents living in or near the eclipse's path, alongside numerous visitors from afar, witnessed the event, marking it as the largest eclipse audience ever on the continent.

As the total solar eclipse commenced its diagonal journey across land, Texas found itself predominantly under clouds. The eclipse's trajectory began along Mexico’s predominantly clear Pacific coast, traversing through Texas and 14 other US states in 1 hour and 40 minutes, before dissipating into the North Atlantic near Newfoundland in Canada. The moon's shadow raced over 4,000 miles (6,500 km) across the continent, leaving a trail of awe and wonder in its wake.

Gaganyaan’s unmanned mission likely in March next year

ISRO's Gaganyaan unmanned mission is likely to begin as early as March next year to prepare for India’s most ambitious space project, its manned mission in 2026. The Indian Space Research Organisation will reportedly send ships carrying scientists to be stationed at observation points in the Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans to monitor the unmanned mission.

The success of this unmanned mission would mark a milestone in India’s history and could determine the launch of Gaganyaan’s manned mission in 2026. Four astronauts are currently in training for a three-day mission during which they will travel to space, orbit at an altitude of 400 km, and then return to Earth, culminating with a landing in Indian territorial waters.

Voyager-1’s cosmic comeback! NASA receives faint signal, thanks to 1981’s backup transmitter

Travelling billions of kilometres from Earth into interstellar space, the 15 billion-mile-away Voyager-1 spacecraft has once again established communication with Earth, albeit with a faint signal. NASA successfully reestablished contact with Voyager-1 on October 24 after a brief interruption caused by an activation of its fault protection system.

Voyagers 1 and 2 have operated for over 47 years and are the only two spacecraft currently functioning in interstellar space. Their advanced age has increased the frequency and complexity of technical issues, presenting new challenges for the mission engineering team.

Japan’s Mount Fuji snow-less in October — first time in 130 years

In another example of climate change, Japan's Mount Fuji has was snow-less in October this year, marking the latest date for a snowcap absence in its 130 years of records. According to a CNN report, the country's highest peak is usually covered with snow by October, but as of October 30, there are still no signs of snow.

The volcano's snowcap begins forming on October 2 on average. In 2023, snow was first detected on October 5. While speaking to AFP, Yutaka Katsuta, a forecaster at Kofu Local Meteorological Office said, "Temperatures were high this summer, and these high temperatures continued into September, deterring cold air" which brings snow." He also acknowledged that climate change might be influencing the delay in the formation of the snowcap.