Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Moon Mill: Saturn May Still Be Producing New Satellites
Saturn is perhaps best known for its intricate ring system, but the giant planet also boasts a collection of moons, numbering in the dozens, that is nothing to sniff at....
NASA rover finds clue to Mars' past and environment for life
Rocks examined by NASA's Spirit Mars Rover hold evidence of a wet, non-acidic ancient environment that may have been favorable for life. Confirming this mineral clue took four years of...
Early Earth haze likely provided ultraviolet shield for planet
A new study shows a thick organic haze that enshrouded early Earth several billion years ago may have been similar to the haze now hovering above Saturn's largest moon, Titan,...
Jupiter probably hit by asteroid
An object that hit Jupiter last year and left a scar the size of Pacific Ocean was probably an asteroid, say astronomers.
ASU instrument on NASA rover helps identify outcrop of long-sought rare rock on Mars
It's amazing what cleaning your glasses can reveal. A mineral-scouting instrument developed at Arizona State University has found an outcrop of rock rich in carbonates in the Columbia Hills of...
Video: Mars capsule: I guess it's gonna be a long, long time
Six astronauts from Russia, Europe and China have begun a 520-day experiment simulating a trip to Mars
Alamosa Journal: Colorado Valley Finds Going Solar Is Harder Than It Looks
A bitter fight over solar power in Colorado shows that the path to a new energy future will not be without its own entanglements of politics, power and place.
Planet detection by natural laser emission
These last years, the search for extrasolar planets has been successful. To date, the astronomers have detected more than 400 extrasolar planets. Among these 300 planets, only ten have been...
10 Fantasy Spaceships Turning Into Reality
NASA's space shuttle fleet may be retiring but here are 10 new spaceships ready to fill the void.
Water Spirit: Rover Findings Hint of a Warmer, Wetter Era on Mars
For NASA's Spirit rover, the days of roaming the Red Planet may now be in the past, but the observations the wheeled bot made in its travels are still paying scientific dividends....
China Sends Beidou Navigation Satellite to Orbit
China launched another satellite into orbit Wednesday, marking another step in building the country's own space navigation system.
Large Meteor Tracked over Northeast Alabama
On the evening of May 18, NASA all-sky meteor cameras located at NASA`s Marshall Space Flight Center and at the Walker County Science Center near Chickamauga, Ga. tracked the entry...
Arctic Ice June 2010
Arctic Ice June 2010 This article describes the current state of the Arctic sea ice and makes some predictions for the month ahead. The predictions are based on my visual analysis...
Old Moon Rover Beams Surprising Laser Flashes to Earth
A Soviet robot lost on the dusty plains of the Moon for the past 40 years has been found again, and it is returning surprisingly strong laser pulses to Earth.
Fresh insight into the origins of Planet Earth
For the first time, an international team of researchers has incorporated extensive geochemical data on the formation of Earth into a model - with surprising results: more models can be...
Alien Climates Play Key Role in Possibility of Life
A new study of how climate conditions have affected the origin and evolution of life on Earth could provide clues to understanding how climates on alien planets might affect their...
Simulated 520-day mission to Mars begins
MOSCOW, June 3 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says the first full-duration, 520-day simulated mission to Mars started Thursday at Moscow's Institute of Biomedical Problems.
ScienceShot: Stars in Cluster Buzzing Past Their Youth
Twin measurements show surprising speeds long after starbirth
8 scientists share lucrative Kavli Prizes
(AP) -- Eight scientists from the U.S., Britain and Germany shared three awards worth $1 million each on Thursday for work that has helped humans explore distant corners of...
The knee at cosmic ray spectra is explained due to interactions at the sources
In the paper the authors from the Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing proposed a new model trying to explain...
Six men "take off" for 520-day simulated Mars trip
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Clad in a blue jumpsuit and waving, crew member Sukhrob Kamolov quipped "See you in 520 days!" before hopping into sealed-off chambers Thursday with five other men...
Ice, Ice (Chromatography) Baby
It was a hot sultry afternoon when, I was assigned a work to deliver a presentation on groundbreaking science in chromatographic field. Being in the field for five years, I have yet to...
Walt Whitman Meteor Mystery Solved by Astronomer Sleuths
A unique case of forensic astronomy uncovers the historic reality of a celestial event forgotten in time yet referenced in a poem by Walt Whitman.
Image: X-51A Makes Longest Scramjet Flight
(PhysOrg.com) -- The X-51A successfully made the longest supersonic combustion ramjet-powered hypersonic flight to date off the southern California coast on May 26. It was powered by a SJX61-2 that...
Did Galaxies Form Faster? Adjusting the Details of the Big Bang Theory
In a paper published in the June 3 issue of Nature, researchers from the Technion and Princeton give evidence that the Big Bang theory is in need of some adjustments,...
Roaming Oil Blob: You're the Host
Imagine if the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in your hometown. A Michigan software developer has created a map that plops the spill on top of any location on the globe.
Operating in orbit
As an orthopedic oncologist who studies bone that has been damaged by cancer, Robert “Bobby” Satcher ’86, PhD ’93, HST MD ’94 is also interested in the effects of microgravity on the...
What a View! 45 Years of American Spacewalks
45 years ago this week, NASA astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space. Now, nearly five decades later, NASA has performed more than 200 spacewalks most...