The European Space Agency wants to send a massive claw into orbit to clean up space junk and steer any debris back into the Earth's atmosphere, where it would be burned up. The agency has officially signed a contract with Swiss start-up company ClearSpace SA to launch the first active debris removal mission, known as ClearSpace-1, which will aim to dispatch a claw into space by 2025 to "rendezvous, capture and bring down for reentry" a VESPA payload adapter that was left in orbit after the second flight of Vega back in 2013. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/12/19/nasa-successfully-grows-lettuce-in-space-ign-news"] The VESPA has a mass of 112 kg and, according to the ESA, is close in size to a small satellite. "In almost 60 years of space activities, more than 5,550 launches have resulted in some 42,000 tracked objects in orbit, of which about 23,000 remain in space and are regularly tracked," the ESA said in its announcement of the mission. "With today's annual launch rates averaging nearly 100, and with break-ups continuing to occur at average historical rates of four to five per year, the number of debris objects in space will steadily increase. ClearSpace-1 will demonstrate the technical ability and commercial capacity to significantly enhance the long-term sustainability of spaceflight." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] The ESA signed an €86 million contract to purchase the service, which could be used to remove further debris in the future. For more scientific studies and real-world developments, check out this study about how brains process visual communication in films, read about the scientists that detected a strange radio signal coming from outer space, and find out about the 139 new planets that astronomers discovered at the edge of our solar system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The European Space Agency wants to send a massive claw into orbit to clean up space junk and steer any debris back into the Earth's atmosphere, where it would be burned up. The agency has officially signed a contract with Swiss start-up company ClearSpace SA to launch the first active debris removal mission, known as ClearSpace-1, which will aim to dispatch a claw into space by 2025 to "rendezvous, capture and bring down for reentry" a VESPA payload adapter that was left in orbit after the second flight of Vega back in 2013. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/12/19/nasa-successfully-grows-lettuce-in-space-ign-news"] The VESPA has a mass of 112 kg and, according to the ESA, is close in size to a small satellite. "In almost 60 years of space activities, more than 5,550 launches have resulted in some 42,000 tracked objects in orbit, of which about 23,000 remain in space and are regularly tracked," the ESA said in its announcement of the mission. "With today's annual launch rates averaging nearly 100, and with break-ups continuing to occur at average historical rates of four to five per year, the number of debris objects in space will steadily increase. ClearSpace-1 will demonstrate the technical ability and commercial capacity to significantly enhance the long-term sustainability of spaceflight." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] The ESA signed an €86 million contract to purchase the service, which could be used to remove further debris in the future. For more scientific studies and real-world developments, check out this study about how brains process visual communication in films, read about the scientists that detected a strange radio signal coming from outer space, and find out about the 139 new planets that astronomers discovered at the edge of our solar system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A mysterious, hazy, circular object has appeared in space, and astronomers have been trying to figure out what it is for over a year. According to an article in The Conversation by Ray Norris, a science professor at Western Sydney Universe, via Space.com, astronomer Anna Kapinska presented an image to Norris and the rest of her colleagues in September 2019 labeled "WTF?" The image showed a smoky ball chilling in space. None of the scientists knew what it was. Another was found a few days later. Now, scientists estimate there are about 1,000 of them. An image of the phenomena can be seen in The Conversation. Scientists have named them ORCs, which stands for "odd radio circles." They don't know how big or far away these rings are. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-space-opera-movies-that-arent-star-wars-or-star-trek&captions=true"] Is it a ghost? A smoke ring? A (cool) ghost blowing a smoke ring? The researchers haven't ruled those out yet but they have ruled out "debris left behind when a star in our galaxy explodes" and radio emission, according to The Conversation. Astronomers around the world are trying to figure it out. The post on The Conversation says two scientists in Russia feel it could be connected to wormholes. "It’s an exciting time for us," Norris wrote. "Most astronomical research is aimed at refining our knowledge of the Universe, or testing theories. Very rarely do we get the challenge of stumbling across a new type of object which nobody has seen before, and trying to figure out what it is." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/13/scientists-call-for-more-evidence-of-possible-ufouap-sightings"] Researchers have submitted a full paper about the unidentified objects, but it's not known when the paper will be published. Maybe the circles are a message from the Galactic Federation, which may or may not be an actual thing. Maybe it's an alien race looking for their missing monolith since a monolith was recently found in Utah. At the very least, these spooky circles further the calls from scientists to keep exploring unidentified objects from space with new technology. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

A mysterious, hazy, circular object has appeared in space, and astronomers have been trying to figure out what it is for over a year. According to an article in The Conversation by Ray Norris, a science professor at Western Sydney Universe, via Space.com, astronomer Anna Kapinska presented an image to Norris and the rest of her colleagues in September 2019 labeled "WTF?" The image showed a smoky ball chilling in space. None of the scientists knew what it was. Another was found a few days later. Now, scientists estimate there are about 1,000 of them. An image of the phenomena can be seen in The Conversation. Scientists have named them ORCs, which stands for "odd radio circles." They don't know how big or far away these rings are. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-space-opera-movies-that-arent-star-wars-or-star-trek&captions=true"] Is it a ghost? A smoke ring? A (cool) ghost blowing a smoke ring? The researchers haven't ruled those out yet but they have ruled out "debris left behind when a star in our galaxy explodes" and radio emission, according to The Conversation. Astronomers around the world are trying to figure it out. The post on The Conversation says two scientists in Russia feel it could be connected to wormholes. "It’s an exciting time for us," Norris wrote. "Most astronomical research is aimed at refining our knowledge of the Universe, or testing theories. Very rarely do we get the challenge of stumbling across a new type of object which nobody has seen before, and trying to figure out what it is." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/13/scientists-call-for-more-evidence-of-possible-ufouap-sightings"] Researchers have submitted a full paper about the unidentified objects, but it's not known when the paper will be published. Maybe the circles are a message from the Galactic Federation, which may or may not be an actual thing. Maybe it's an alien race looking for their missing monolith since a monolith was recently found in Utah. At the very least, these spooky circles further the calls from scientists to keep exploring unidentified objects from space with new technology. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

Netflix is bringing some holiday cheer with the announcement that Season 3 of Cobra Kai will premiere globally on January 1, 2021, which is one week earlier than originally reported. Here's how Netflix describes the upcoming season of Cobra Kai: "Season 3 finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. The soul of the Valley is at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hangs in the balance." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/cobra-kai-the-karate-kid-saga-continues-launch-trailer"] The streamer also released a clip of Johnny (William Zabka) personally changing Cobra Kai's Season 3 release date to January 1. You can check out the video right here. In case you missed the first two seasons of Cobra Kai, which aired on YouTube Premium before Netflix acquired the series, you can binge Seasons 1 and 2 right now on Netflix before Season 3 debuts. For more on the series, be sure to check out our reviews of Cobra Kai Season 1 and Cobra Kai Season 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cobra-kai-season-3-gallery&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Netflix is bringing some holiday cheer with the announcement that Season 3 of Cobra Kai will premiere globally on January 1, 2021, which is one week earlier than originally reported. Here's how Netflix describes the upcoming season of Cobra Kai: "Season 3 finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. The soul of the Valley is at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hangs in the balance." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/27/cobra-kai-the-karate-kid-saga-continues-launch-trailer"] The streamer also released a clip of Johnny (William Zabka) personally changing Cobra Kai's Season 3 release date to January 1. You can check out the video right here. In case you missed the first two seasons of Cobra Kai, which aired on YouTube Premium before Netflix acquired the series, you can binge Seasons 1 and 2 right now on Netflix before Season 3 debuts. For more on the series, be sure to check out our reviews of Cobra Kai Season 1 and Cobra Kai Season 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=cobra-kai-season-3-gallery&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Patty Jenkins, the director of both Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984, has revealed that Warner Bros. made her change the ending of the original film. IGN's Joshua Yehl spoke to Jenkins during Wonder Woman 1984's press tour and asked her if the decision to make this new film's finale more "personal and intimate" as opposed to the original's "epic battle with lots of visual effects" was a conscious choice. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/director-wonder-woman-1984-wont-make-the-same-mistake-twice"] “The original end of the first movie was also smaller but the studio made me change it at the last minute,” Jenkins explained. “And so, that’s always been a little bit of a bummer that that’s the one thing people talk about because I agreed, and I told the studio we didn’t have time to do it, but it was what it was and I ended up loving it, but that was not the original ending of the movie. “This time around, you know what I loved about it? I love that it has both at the end. We had visual effects… a big battle, which I just dug into and had such a blast executing, which I felt so satisfied with. But ultimately the end of the movie is much more pared down. That was really, really fun. No spoilers, there’s all kinds of stuff going on, but, yeah, it was really fun to shape it differently.” Wonder Woman 1984 will be released on December 25 in theaters and on HBO Max and is the first of Warner Bros. films for the next year that will release day-and-date in theaters and on the streaming service. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/wonder-woman-1984-review"] In our Wonder Woman 1984 review, we said it "is a film with a heart full of hope and love; a nostalgic look back to a beloved time that provides escapism from an exceptionally difficult year." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Patty Jenkins, the director of both Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984, has revealed that Warner Bros. made her change the ending of the original film. IGN's Joshua Yehl spoke to Jenkins during Wonder Woman 1984's press tour and asked her if the decision to make this new film's finale more "personal and intimate" as opposed to the original's "epic battle with lots of visual effects" was a conscious choice. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/director-wonder-woman-1984-wont-make-the-same-mistake-twice"] “The original end of the first movie was also smaller but the studio made me change it at the last minute,” Jenkins explained. “And so, that’s always been a little bit of a bummer that that’s the one thing people talk about because I agreed, and I told the studio we didn’t have time to do it, but it was what it was and I ended up loving it, but that was not the original ending of the movie. “This time around, you know what I loved about it? I love that it has both at the end. We had visual effects… a big battle, which I just dug into and had such a blast executing, which I felt so satisfied with. But ultimately the end of the movie is much more pared down. That was really, really fun. No spoilers, there’s all kinds of stuff going on, but, yeah, it was really fun to shape it differently.” Wonder Woman 1984 will be released on December 25 in theaters and on HBO Max and is the first of Warner Bros. films for the next year that will release day-and-date in theaters and on the streaming service. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/15/wonder-woman-1984-review"] In our Wonder Woman 1984 review, we said it "is a film with a heart full of hope and love; a nostalgic look back to a beloved time that provides escapism from an exceptionally difficult year." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Both China and France are allegedly developing biologically enhanced super soldiers that can be "bred to kill." As reported by New York Post, France made the decision just a week ago to begin the process of creating augmented soldiers that would improve "physical, cognitive, perceptive, and psychological capacities" of those chosen for this project. Furthermore, it would allow for "location tracking or connectivity with weapons systems and other soldiers." The ministry's research also discusses drugs to keep soldiers awake for longer and the potential for surgery to improve the soldier's hearing. These augmented soldiers, dubbed "homo robocopus," may also have "altered DNA to give them enhanced speed and strength as well as robotics." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] Michael Clarke, visiting professor in war studies at Kings College London, spoke to The Sun about how this process is similar to "using DNA as a farmer would in a herd of cattle." “We’ve reached the point now where we could potentially manipulate people’s DNA to breed into them extra strength, endurance and other things just as we do with animals,” Clarke said. “Just as we’ve done with standard cattle to give them more back, we can do that now very precisely with humans.” As for China, members of China's People's Liberation Army are being "subjected to science fiction-style human testing to create 'biologically enhanced' super soldiers." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/02/04/10-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-robocop"] John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, discussed this in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, saying this is part of China's scheme to take over "the planet economically, militarily, and technologically." According to the Sun, some of the specific tech being worked on are brain microchips, bionic eyes, super hearing, health implants, enhanced limbs, exoskeleton legs, synthetic blood, and pain immunity. Let's hope this push towards super soldiers doesn't put us on the path to destruction like it may have done for alien civilizations who destroyed themselves through progress. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Both China and France are allegedly developing biologically enhanced super soldiers that can be "bred to kill." As reported by New York Post, France made the decision just a week ago to begin the process of creating augmented soldiers that would improve "physical, cognitive, perceptive, and psychological capacities" of those chosen for this project. Furthermore, it would allow for "location tracking or connectivity with weapons systems and other soldiers." The ministry's research also discusses drugs to keep soldiers awake for longer and the potential for surgery to improve the soldier's hearing. These augmented soldiers, dubbed "homo robocopus," may also have "altered DNA to give them enhanced speed and strength as well as robotics." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-sci-fi-movies&captions=true"] Michael Clarke, visiting professor in war studies at Kings College London, spoke to The Sun about how this process is similar to "using DNA as a farmer would in a herd of cattle." “We’ve reached the point now where we could potentially manipulate people’s DNA to breed into them extra strength, endurance and other things just as we do with animals,” Clarke said. “Just as we’ve done with standard cattle to give them more back, we can do that now very precisely with humans.” As for China, members of China's People's Liberation Army are being "subjected to science fiction-style human testing to create 'biologically enhanced' super soldiers." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/02/04/10-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-robocop"] John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, discussed this in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, saying this is part of China's scheme to take over "the planet economically, militarily, and technologically." According to the Sun, some of the specific tech being worked on are brain microchips, bionic eyes, super hearing, health implants, enhanced limbs, exoskeleton legs, synthetic blood, and pain immunity. Let's hope this push towards super soldiers doesn't put us on the path to destruction like it may have done for alien civilizations who destroyed themselves through progress. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.