Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Iran Launches First Homegrown Satellite
Iran has successfully sent its first domestically made satellite into orbit, the country's president announced, claiming a significant step in an ambitious space program that has worried many international observers.
Cassini Thruster Swap Planned
The Cassini spacecraft will swap to a backup set of propulsion thrusters in mid-March due to degradation in the performance of the current set of thrusters.
Mystery Of Twin Quasar Brightness Revealed
Variations in the brightness of the Q0957+561 quasar, also known as the "twin quasar" due to its duplicated image on Earth, are intrinsic to the entity itself and not caused...
Mars Technology Helps Create Inauguration Mega-picture
When a new president is inaugurated, it's a big event, and it calls for a big picture. To be precise, 1,474 megapixels.
NASA and Google launch virtual exploration of Mars
NASA and Google announced Monday the release of a new Mars mode in Google Earth that brings to everyone's desktop a high-resolution, three-dimensional view of the Red Planet...
Plans for UK satellite launcher
Nearly 40 years after the UK abandoned its satellite launcher capability, two British firms plan a new rocket system.
Cosmic Log: How 3-D TV works
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: This week's experiments in 21st-century 3-D television viewing are just the start for a technology that some filmmakers hope will soon be right up there...
Successful test of NASA crew rocket
The development of NASA's next-generation crew launch vehicle, the Ares I rocket, took another step forward Thursday as Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, successfully tested a critical piece. read more
Firm Seeks $8 Million For Experiment Lost on Shuttle Columbia
A Pennsylvania firm seeks $8 million for an experiment lost in NASA's Columbia tragedy.
Lunar impact observation teams selected
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says it has selected four teams to observe the impact of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite.
Arianespace seals four-billion-euro rocket deal
The European space rocket company Arianespace has struck a four-billion-euro deal to buy launchers from the French aerospace and defence giant EADS, the companies said in a statement on Monday.
NASA Mission to Help Unravel Key Carbon, Climate Mysteries
NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide is in final preparations for a Feb. 23 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
JPL to Host High-Tech Conference for Small Business
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will host the 21st Annual High-Tech Conference for Small Business on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 3 and 4, at the Westin Los Angeles...
Precise orbit determination for Jason-1 satellite using on-board GPS data with centimeter-level accuracy
The Jason-1 satellite obits have been computed using the on-board GPS data and the SHORDE-III procedure. Various orbit validations, including comparison with the Precise Orbit Ephemeris produced by JPL, orbit...
NASA seeks gravity flight test proposals
HOUSTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency is seeking new technologies that could benefit from testing during flights on an airplane that simulates the weightless of...
Mexican Satellite Firm's Future Might Hinge on New Spacecraft
Satmex of Mexico risks losing customers if it cannot replace a satellite.
Japanese government plans powerful information-gathering satellite
Aiming to drastically beef up the performance of the nation's intelligence satellites, the government of Japan will embark on a research and development program in fiscal year 2009 to develop...
Jodrell Bank: Science facts and science fiction
The Lovell Telescope: Facts & FiguresMass of the telescope: 3,200 tonnesMass of bowl: 1,500 tonnesDiameter of bowl: 76.2 metresSurface area of bowl: 5,270 square metresAmount of paint for three coats:...
Novelties: ‘Fantastic Voyage,’ Revisited: The Pill That Navigates
Philips Research has developed a prototype for a pill that can navigate toward a specific spot in the body and deposit its medicine there, radioing dispatches to the doctor as...
Titan's Methane Mystery
Scientists suspect liquid hydrocarbon reservoirs lurk beneath moon's surface
Russia puts research satellite in orbit
MOSCOW, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Russia has launched its first rocket of the year, carrying a research satellite as its payload, a space agency spokesman said Friday.
France Pushes to Downsize European Mars Mission
France's space agency is calling to downsize Europe's next Mars lander.
Cassini Finds Hydrocarbon Rains May Fill Titan Lakes
(PhysOrg.com) -- A region on Saturn's moon Titan's southern latitudes appears to have been flooded by a summer cloudburst of hydrocarbon rain, as seen in images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft...
Methane Rain Formed New Lake on Saturn Moon
A large, lakelike body suddenly appeared on Titan around the same time that a heavy rainstorm was hovering over the area, newly released images reveal.
Florida Group Launches Bid to Reserve Retired Space Shuttle
A grassroots effort hopes to reserve a NASA shuttle in Florida after the fleet's 2010 retirement.
Video: David Attenborough on Charles Darwin's legacy
Sir David Attenborough discusses how Charles Darwin helped shape his career
Space agency's astronaut search enters next stage
The Canadian Space Agency is entering a new phase in its search for two new astronauts.
Two rockets fly through auroral arc
After days of waiting for precise aurora conditions, a team from the University of Iowa finally saw the launch of its two scientific sounding rockets from Poker Flat Research Range....