NASA needs volunteers to spend a year locked in a Mars simulation

• NASA has issued Amendment 60 to extend the final 2025 due date for the C.2 Solar System Science proposal solicitation. • The program seeks research, data analysis, and tool development to support investigations into the solar system, including data from missions like the Juno spacecraft.

• The Vera Rubin Observatory has officially launched an unprecedented 10-year survey designed to map the solar system and the Milky Way. • The project aims to create a comprehensive new inventory of celestial bodies and investigate the elusive nature of dark matter.

• Astronomers have discovered GJ 3378b, a potentially habitable planet located approximately 25 light-years from Earth. • The planet orbits a faint red dwarf star within the constellation Camelopardalis, positioned inside the star's habitable zone.

• Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a unique gas giant exoplanet orbiting a dead star. • The discovery provides a rare glimpse into the final stages of a planetary system's life cycle after its host star has ceased nuclear fusion.

• The rapid increase of satellites in Earth's orbit, with some companies planning to launch millions, threatens to obstruct ground-based astronomical observations. • Experts warn that if the satellite population exceeds 100,000, the resulting light pollution and interference could make traditional telescopes obsolete.

• Author Liz Else has curated a list of the most anticipated popular science book releases for July 2026, focusing on conceptual questions about life and technology. • Key titles include a new work by Alice Roberts, who served as editor-in-chief, and a study on biology and physics by natural philosopher Melanie Challenger.

• A team of six scientists and six crew members will soon launch an eight-month expedition from Kirkenes, Norway, to explore the remote Arctic Ocean. • The mission utilizes a floating laboratory that will drift in the ice to discover and document new species in one of Earth's least-studied regions.

• Marine biologists discovered four mysterious black cocoons attached to a rock approximately 20,000 feet beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean. • Upon analysis, the spheres were found to contain a previously unrecorded species of flatworm, marking a significant discovery for deep-sea exploration.

• A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket successfully launched 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites from Florida on Thursday, July 2. • The launch took place at 12:30 a.m. ET, marking a significant step in the deployment of Amazon's satellite internet constellation.

• The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially launched its 10-year mission, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). • The project aims to create the "greatest cosmic movie ever" by systematically mapping and filming the night sky over a decade.

• The Ars Technica science editor, John, is calling for readers to comment on a rule that puts politicians in charge of science. • The goal is to gather resources and opinions on the matter, which can potentially impact science-related decisions.