16 articles from SUNDAY 25.9.2022

Target Venus not Mars for first crewed mission to another planet, experts say

Despite its ‘hellish’ environment, scientists argue there are good reasons to focus on ‘Earth’s sister’With a surface hot enough to melt lead, crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of sulphuric acid, Venus might not sound like the most enticing destination for human exploration.But a group of experts are advocating that our other nearest neighbour, rather than Mars, should be the...

Asian coastal cities sinking fast: study

Sprawling coastal cities in South and Southeast Asia are sinking faster than elsewhere in the world, leaving tens of millions of people more vulnerable to rising sea levels, a new study says.

Super Typhoon Noru barrels towards Philippines

A super typhoon charged towards the Philippines Sunday and was on track to slam into the heavily populated main island of Luzon, forcing the evacuations of vulnerable communities on the coast and in Manila, authorities said.

Nasa’s Dart probe to smash into asteroid in first Earth defence test

Aim is to see whether space rocks can be deflected should one threaten humans with same fate as dinosaursMost mission scientists would wince at the thought of their spacecraft being smashed to smithereens. But for those behind Nasa’s Dart probe, anything short of total destruction will be chalked up as a failure.The $330m (£300m) spacecraft is due to slam head-on into an asteroid about 11m...

Nasa delays Artemis 1 moon rocket launch again as tropical storm Ian looms

Third delay in the past month for test flight as technical issues and weather hamper US effort to return to the moon after five decadesNasa is skipping Tuesday’s launch attempt of its new moon rocket over concerns about a tropical storm headed to Florida that could become a major hurricane.It’s the third delay in the past month for the lunar-orbiting test flight featuring mannequins but no...