theSIGNAL SCIENCE
9 June 2026
"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you."
NEWSBUSINESSTECHNOLOGYWORLDSCIENCECULTUREENVIRONMENTSPORT
Science

NASA's Moon Dress Rehearsal Has a Prada Costume

Four astronauts will dock with prototype lunar landers in low Earth orbit in 2027, because the actual Moon landing is not quite ready yet.

Here is a number worth sitting with: 55 years. That is how long it will have been since humans last walked on the Moon when NASA finally tries again in 2028. You might expect the 2027 Artemis III mission to be the dramatic moment — four astronauts, a rocket, the lunar surface. But the story is stranger and, in its own way, more interesting than that.

Artemis III will not reach the Moon at all. Instead, it will park roughly 290 miles above Earth — about 40 miles higher than the International Space Station, and approximately the distance between Manchester and Edinburgh if you flipped it skyward. There, the crew inside their Orion capsule will meet prototype lunar landers called pathfinders and practise docking. At least one astronaut is expected to crawl inside a lander to test hatches, life-support connections, and something genuinely unexpected: a spacesuit co-designed by Prada.

The Italian fashion house worked with Houston-based Axiom Space on the suit's inner garment, which circulates chilled water around the body during the eight-hour moonwalks planned for Artemis IV.

Photo: Muhammad Nishfu / Unsplash
Earth curves below the Orion capsule during the Artemis II mission in April 2026.
Discuss
  • Why did NASA decide to rehearse the mission rather than delay it further?
  • What risks might astronauts face if a spacesuit's cooling system fails on the Moon?
  • Should a fashion brand like Prada be involved in designing NASA spacesuits? Why or why not?
  • How does the Artemis programme compare to the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s?
  • Is 55 years too long a gap in human lunar exploration, or does the wait make it more meaningful?
Science

A Rogue Protein's Secret Role in Alzheimer's

Twenty years ago, brain tissue arrived at ETH Zurich from a Cairo hospital — and it quietly launched one of neuroscience's most intriguing hunts. Researcher Ursula Quitterer had been tracking a protein called GRK2, which normally helps nerve cells handle stress. But in brains affected by dementia, a broken, inactive version of GRK2 piles up and smothers mitochondria, starving cells of energy. …
  • Could targeting GRK2 finally break the cycle that defeats current Alzheimer's treatments?
∞
The SpaceX Starship lander contracted to carry astronauts to the surface is not ready, and the in-orbit refuelling it depends on has never been demonstrated.
NASA, official mission statement, February 2026
Science

Climate Report: Disaster and Hope Collide

Twenty-five billion-dollar weather disasters struck the United States in 2023 alone. The Fifth National Climate Assessment makes one thing clear: climate change is not arriving — it is already here, and it is hitting the most vulnerable communities hardest. Yet the same report carries a genuinely surprising message. U.S. greenhouse gas emissions dropped 12% between 2005 and 2019. …
  • Should wealthy cities bear more responsibility for global climate action?
AMERICAS · Science
Removing ‘invisibility cloaks’ and safely skipping chemo: new weapons in war on cancer shared at US conference
WORLD · Science
Triple-action diabetes jab shown to reduce blood sugar and body weight
GLOBAL · Science
Tiny X-ray telescope could unlock the Moon's hidden chemistry
EUROPE · Science
New warning system forecasts wildlife heat risk up to nine months ahead
theSIGNAL IN THE LAB
1VOCABULARY
dress rehearsalvicious loop
pathfindersrepurposedsmothers
sweeping legislationferocious
2GRAMMAR FOCUS
Wish and if only — expressing regret
Use 'wish' or 'if only' + past perfect (had + past participle) to express regret about past situations, or + past simple/would to express regret about present situations.
had demonstrated · were · had landed · would break · had targeted · had not delayed · wished · had dropped
  1. Many space fans wish NASA astronauts on the Moon before 2028 — 55 years is a very long wait.
  2. If only SpaceX in-orbit refuelling before the Artemis III deadline, the mission could have gone ahead as planned.
  3. NASA scientists wish the Starship lander ready in time for the original crewed lunar landing.
  4. Ursula Quitterer wishes an effective drug the vicious loop of rogue GRK2 and amyloid beta in human patients already.
  5. If only existing Alzheimer's drugs the GRK2 pathway — millions of patients might have benefited sooner.
  6. Climate researchers wish greenhouse gas emissions even further than 12% between 2005 and 2019.
  7. If only governments more willing to act — the tools to fight climate change already exist.
3PHRASAL VERBS
Match the phrasal verb (1–6) to its definition (a–f). All six appear in today's articles.
  1. 1. sit with
  2. 2. pile up
  3. 3. crawl inside
  4. 4. push back
  5. 5. break that loop
  6. 6. cut back
4CRITICAL THINKING
The Alzheimer's research and the climate report both describe 'vicious loops' — cycles that make a problem feed itself and grow worse. What do these two very different fields have in common in terms of why these loops are so difficult to break, and what does each article suggest about the conditions needed to finally interrupt them?
5CREATIVE · HEADLINES
Write a headline for the top story in each of the following styles. One line each, no explanation:
  • TABLOID NEWSPAPER
  • LUXURY MAGAZINE
  • ACTIVIST BLOG
6WRITING
NASA chose a practical rehearsal over a historic landing, and climate scientists say the tools to act already exist — yet action stalls. Using evidence from at least two of today's articles, argue whether preparation and caution are virtues or whether they have become excuses for delay.
7DEGREES OF EXTREMITY
Complete each ladder from mild to strong.
  • warm→→
  • difficulty→→
  • odd→→
  • reduce→→
  • tired→→
  • concerned→→
  • change→→
8SPEAKING
  1. What should governments prioritise: space exploration or climate action?
  2. Could Compound 10 ever reach patients, and how soon?
  3. Which disaster type concerns you most: health, climate, or technical failure?
  4. Does rehearsing dangerous missions reflect wisdom or lost ambition?
  5. Who ultimately bears responsibility when a contracted rocket isn't ready?