NASA’s 5,000°F “Plasma Spear” clears path for 2030s Mars missions — May 7, 2026
JPL successfully tests a 120-kilowatt lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster…
The engine uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate plasma, reaching internal temperatures exceeding 5,000°F…
This “Nuclear Electric Propulsion” (NEP) is designed to move massive payloads to Mars far more efficiently than chemical rockets…
Experts state that while 120kW is a milestone, a crewed Mars mission will require a “megawatt-class” version (2-4 MW)…
The lithium fuel acts as a “coolant” for engine parts, drastically increasing the lifespan for long-duration deep space travel…
The breakthrough essentially turns a nuclear reactor into a “cosmic engine” that can run for years without refilling…
[May 7] The JPL test established a new domestic power record for electromagnetic thrusters.
[May 5] JWST data confirmed that the “Hell Planet” LHS 3844 b is a barren, basalt-covered volcanic rock.
We’re building a sun in a bottle to push us to the Red Planet.
Webb space telescope reveals a scorching “super-Earth” that looks like Mercury
JWST uncovers a scorched, lifeless “super-Earth” that looks more like a giant Mercury than anything resembling our home planet.
Date:
May 5, 2026
Source:
Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
Summary:
A scorching, airless world just 48 light-years away is offering scientists a rare glimpse into the geology of distant planets. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers studied LHS 3844 b—a tidally locked “super-Earth” with a permanent dayside hot enough to melt metal—and discovered it’s a dark, barren rock with no atmosphere.Using MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an international team led by former MPIA (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany) PhD student Sebastian Zieba (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, USA) and Laura Kreidberg, MPIA Director and study PI (principal investigator), investigated the surface composition of the rocky exoplanet LHS 3844 b. Moving beyond studies of atmospheres, this work focuses on the geology of planets orbiting other stars, offering deeper insight into their nature. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
LHS 3844 b is a rocky world about 30% larger than Earth that circles a cool red dwarf star in just under 11 hours. It orbits extremely close to its star, only about three stellar diameters above the surface. The planet is tidally locked, meaning one side permanently faces the star while the other remains in darkness. The dayside reaches an average temperature of about 1000 Kelvin (approximately 725 Degrees Celsius or 1340 Degrees Fahrenheit). The system lies relatively close to Earth at a distance of 48.5 light-years (14.9 parsecs).
“Thanks to the amazing sensitivity of JWST, we can detect light coming directly from the surface of this distant rocky planet. We see a dark, hot, barren rock, devoid of any atmosphere,” said Laura Kreidberg, MPIA.
Its dark appearance suggests it may resemble an enlarged version of the Moon or Mercury. This conclusion comes from analyzing infrared radiation emitted by the planet’s hot dayside. Scientists cannot directly image the planet. Instead, they measure subtle changes in brightness from the combined light of the star and the orbiting planet as it moves.
MIRI examined infrared emission between 5 and 12 micrometers by splitting the light into smaller wavelength intervals and measuring the intensity in each. This process creates a spectrum, which is similar to a rainbow that reveals how light is distributed across different wavelengths. Earlier observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope provided additional data that strengthened the analysis.