NASA astronaut, 2 cosmonauts return to Earth after 241 days on space station

• Scientists have discovered the presence of a specific sugar, commonly found in raspberries and self-tanner, within outer space. • This discovery is significant because it provides critical insights into the chemical building blocks that may have contributed to the origins of life on Earth.

• A joint US-Russian space crew successfully landed in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday. • The crew returned to Earth following an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

• SpaceX successfully completed the 13th overall test flight of its newest Starship design, achieving a precise landing. • This milestone marks a critical technical victory for the company's iterative development of the massive spacecraft.

• On April 24, 2026, scientists announced a major breakthrough enabling robots to independently figure out and execute complex tasks. • This advancement shifts robotic learning from human-programmed instructions to autonomous problem-solving capabilities.

• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has discontinued dozens of active research awards after previously slowing the issuance of new grants last year. • Affected researchers, such as physician-scientist Nora Becker from the University of Michigan, have seen funding cut for critical studies, including research on the financial burdens faced by Covid-19 patients.

• NASA's Juno probe has successfully measured temperatures beneath the surface of Io, Jupiter's most volcanically active moon. • This mission provides the first-ever direct glimpse of the hidden heat sources that drive the moon's intense volcanic activity.

• India's first solar mission, Aditya-L1, is conducting specialized research to study the solar corona, solar wind particles, and near UV signatures on the solar disc. • The observatory is specifically designed to analyze solar magnetic fields, including the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF).

• Astronomers have discovered a massive object orbiting a brown dwarf every 170 days on an oval path. • The object is estimated to be 90% as massive as Jupiter, making it an exceptionally large satellite.

• SpaceX successfully launched its Starship spacecraft on a critical test flight to demonstrate key operational capabilities. • The mission focused on testing the vehicle's ability to function as a fully reusable transport system for future crewed missions.

• Oxygen levels are declining rapidly across oceans, lakes, rivers, and coastal waters, posing a severe threat to aquatic ecosystems. • This depletion weakens critical natural processes that regulate Earth's climate, potentially accelerating environmental instability.

• NASA has issued Amendment 66 regarding the B.2 Heliophysics Foundational Research (HFR) solicitation, which focuses on advancing the physical understanding of the Sun-Heliosphere-Planetary system. • The update specifically announces the due date for "Step-2" proposals and includes a necessary correction to the previous solicitation guidelines.