Unity 22 test flight and more: Understand the world through 8 images

NASA received new images from Ingenuity’s ninth flight on Mars. The images will help NASA plan the Perseverance rover’s route and study parts of Mars that the rover can’t reach.

A study of a fossilized ostrich eggshell suggests the interior of South Africa was grassland that supported grazing animals until around 200,000 years ago. The study also showed that fossilized ostrich eggshells can reveal information on the climate when they were laid.

For 40 years, scientists didn’t know why Jupiter emitted massive x-ray bursts every few minutes. Researchers discovered this week that plasma waves created by Jupiter’s magnetic field vibrating are the cause.

The all-civilian Inspiration4 astronaut crew took their first zero-g flight during training. The SpaceX mission is expected to launch in mid-September 2021 at the earliest.

A new study suggests the phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere may stem from active volcanoes, rather than biological life, as was previously suggested. NASA currently has two missions to Venus planned, to study its atmosphere and geological history.

Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 test flight carried founder Richard Branson, three employees, and two pilots to the edge of space — 53 miles above sea level. It was the first fully crewed flight for the Unity spaceplane.

Researchers identified a species of algae with three sexes that can all breed in pairs with each other in a river outside Tokyo. It’s the first time a species of algae has been found with three sexes.

Astronomers observed a binary star system heading toward a rare Type 1A supernova. Binary system HD265435 is expected to be consumed in a supernova when its white dwarf’s core reignites.