The Columbian

Science & Technology

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023. The rocket was carrying the U.S. military’s X-37B secret space plane.

US military space plane blasts off on another secretive mission expected to last years

December 29, 2023, 8:00am Life

The U.S. military’s X-37B space plane blasted off Thursday on another secretive mission that’s expected to last at least a couple of years. Read story

Jon Blue spins a backside-360 underneath Chair 8, which was not running yet Dec. 13, during opening day at Mt. Baker Ski Area.

Skiing into sustainability: Mt. Baker Ski Area spends millions to veer to renewable energy

December 26, 2023, 6:00am Latest News

Skiers and snowboarders returned to a more sustainable Mt. Baker Ski Area, with millions spent to upgrade power sources to reach a future goal of using renewables. Read story

Winter solstice 2023: Welcome to the shortest day of the year, Washington

December 21, 2023, 8:07am Latest News

Eight hours, 25 minutes, 25 seconds — that’s how much daylight Mother Nature will grace us with today (how generous of her). Read story

Artemis II crew members from left, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and Jeremy Hansen speak to members of the media outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, after meeting with President Joe Biden.

International astronaut to be invited on NASA moon landing

December 20, 2023, 4:03pm Nation & World

An international astronaut will join U.S. astronauts on the moon by decade’s end under an agreement announced Wednesday by NASA and the White House. Read story

Less launch pad damage by SpaceX’s Starship bodes well for Space Coast facility

December 20, 2023, 8:07am Nation & World

Although SpaceX’s massive Starship and Super Heavy is still exploding mid-air during test flights, the fixes made to the launch pad have both company founder Elon Musk and NASA happy and could bode well for a pad planned for Florida’s Space Coast. Read story

This image shows a frame from a 15-second ultra-high-definition video featuring a cat named Taters which was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA on Dec. 11, 2023. It was part of the technology demonstration known as Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), which is attached to the Psyche spacecraft traveling to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The video was loaded into Psyche’s laser experiment long before the spacecraft blasted off to a metal-rich asteroid in October.

Orange tabby cat named Taters steals the show in first video sent by laser from deep space

December 19, 2023, 4:11pm Life

An orange tabby cat named Taters stars in the first video transmitted by laser from deep space, stealing the show as he chases a red laser light. Read story

Jeff Bezos’ rocket company launches experiments in first flight since 2022 crash

December 19, 2023, 9:53am Business

Jeff Bezos’ space company successfully launched a rocket carrying experiments on Tuesday, its first flight since engine trouble caused a crash more than a year ago. Read story

In a report released Wednesday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Dr. Sandro Galea and 10 other researchers lay out a plan for what society might do instead to improve adolescents’ interactions with social media.

Teens, social media focus of report; It says science doesn’t yet support broad restrictions

December 19, 2023, 6:01am Life

To understand the path forward in regulating social media, it’s helpful to look to a transformative technology from the previous century: the car. Read story

‘Living skin’ helps Great Wall of China stand

December 19, 2023, 6:01am Life

Snaking hundreds of miles across mountains and plains, the Great Wall of China is an iconic and unparalleled historic site. Construction on the vast network of walls, fortresses and other fortifications began in the seventh century B.C. and continued until the 17th century A.D. Read story

Amanita muscaria mushroom grows at the base of a Christmas tree in Puyallup.

Washington State University’s ‘Dr. Christmas Tree’ leads research into trees resistant to climate change

December 15, 2023, 3:08pm Life

Washington State University’s Gary Chastagner, a plant pathologist known as “Dr. Christmas Tree,” has spent over four decades dispensing the gift of science to Christmas tree growers in Washington and Oregon, using carefully designed experiments to ward off various attacks from Mother Nature. However, in recent years, Chastagner’s research has… Read story