A space telescope is falling to Earth. NASA is racing to rescue it | Science

• In 2018, researcher Guillermo de Anda discovered a previously unknown, sealed cave located within the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico. • Inside the cave, de Anda found a collection of Maya offerings that had remained untouched for centuries, hidden away from the site's well-known plazas and the El Castillo pyramid.

• Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have identified HD 80606 b as one of the most extreme "Hot Jupiters" ever discovered. • The exoplanet is characterized by extreme temperatures caused by its proximity to its home star, which effectively "roasts" the planet.

• Relativity Space has announced plans to develop and launch a private Mars orbiter mission scheduled for 2028. • This initiative marks a strategic shift for the company as it moves toward privately developing complex planetary missions.

• Physicists have resolved a long-standing scientific problem regarding systems that seem to violate Newton’s third law, specifically in the movement of bacterial colonies and bird flocks. • Researchers discovered that hydrogen radicals produced by intense UV light can break down PFAS "forever chemicals" without the need for additional chemical additives.

• Astronauts on the International Space Station have activated upgrades to NASA’s Cold Atom Lab (CAL), a specialized facility used to study quantum physics. • On May 8, 2026, astronaut Jessica Meir installed hardware updates, including optical fibers, to the minifridge-sized laboratory.

• NASA's James Webb Space Telescope observed HD 80606 b, an exoplanet four times the mass of Jupiter with a highly elliptical orbit. • The planet experiences extreme heating as its orbit brings it exceptionally close to its Sun-like host star.

• NASA astronaut Anil Menon will be available for limited virtual media interviews starting at 9 a.m. EDT on Monday, June 22. • A native of Minneapolis, Menon is a colonel in the U.S. Space Force, a mechanical engineer, and an emergency medicine physician.

• U.S. scientists are increasingly leaving the United States for opportunities abroad, signaling a potential "brain drain" that could impact scientific progress for a generation. • The trend is driven by a desire for better research environments and professional growth, as illustrated by researchers like Long, who sought to move beyond small institutions like Tennessee Tech University.

• NASA's Chandra X-ray spacecraft has discovered the wreckage of a dead star located at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. • The supernova event occurred approximately 1,700 years ago, ejecting stellar debris at speeds of roughly 2 million mph.

• The traditional compact between American science and politics is fracturing, exemplified by budget hawks in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) pressuring NASA to implement broad buyouts and early retirement packages. • This political interference extends to research constraints, where scientists like Christopher Reynolds face potential project cancellations and funding instability.

• A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station on June 16 at 12:25 p.m. EDT (1625 GMT). • The robotic freighter is now beginning a 20-hour journey to return to Earth.