Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Start of Cassini's new mission
The Cassini mission is new two-year mission that will address new questions and bring it closer to two of its most intriguing targets: Titan and Enceladus. On June 30, Cassini...
Astronaut Barbara Morgan to leave NASA
WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- U.S. astronaut Barbara Morgan says she's leaving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to become an educator at Idaho's Boise State University.
SOHO discovers its 1,500th comet
GREENBELT, Md., June 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. and European space agencies say the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, known as SOHO, has discovered its 1,500th comet.
New Video: Back to the Moon with NASA's Constellation
NASA's Orion shuttle successor is at the heart of the Constellation plan to return to the moon. Credit: NASA.
A Quark Star? Super-luminous Stellar Explosion Observed
Astronomers recently announced that they have found a novel explanation for a rare type of super-luminous stellar explosion that may have produced a new type of object known as a...
Scientists: Don't Worry About Atom-Smasher
Doomsday fears about the most powerful atom-smasher ever built, such as inadvertently creating a black hole, are unfounded and ridiculous, say scientist.
NASA Goddard mission approved to probe matter in extreme environments
An instrument to study the extreme environments of the universe has been given the "green light" from NASA Headquarters. The High-Resolution Soft X-Ray Spectrometer (SXS) was one of the two...
This summer may see first ice-free North Pole
(AP) -- There's a 50-50 chance that the North Pole will be ice-free this summer, which would be a first in recorded history, a leading ice scientist says.
Mineral nutrients found on Mars
MEDFORD, Mass., June 27 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists said soil on Mars appears to be alkaline enough to support plant life.
Fermilab Bailed Out by Congress [News]
The nation's premier particle physics laboratory--Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Ill.--just got a new lease on life. [More]
Will NASA Ever Find Life on Mars?
Step by step, Mars missions uncover possibilities for extraterrestrial life.
Students Prep $400,000 Solar Car for Cross-continental Race
Sol Invictus, Iowa State University's latest student-designed and student-built solar race car, will compete in the North American Solar Challenge July 13-22. The challenge will take 24 university and college...
Asteroid-hunting Satellite A World First
Canada is building the world's first space telescope designed to detect and track asteroids as well as satellites. Called NEOSSat, this spacecraft will provide a significant improvement in surveillance of...
Global Melt: Sea Ice Seen From Orbit
Environmental monitoring satellites track warming by watching polar ice. Credit: ESA
WEEK IN PHOTOS: Fire Leaper, Sleeping Cops, More
Flames licked at leaping Spaniards, twin galaxies came to light, riot police slept in the streets, a typhoon whipped up a stunning tableau, and more.
Senate Committee Approves Bill for Extra Shuttle Mission
The Senate has approved a bill calling for at least one extra space shuttle flight.
Scientists Hunt for Astrobiology at Carl Sagan Center
The Carl Sagan Center is home to more almost 90 scientists.
Minerals Needed for Life Found on Mars
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander found evidence of minerals essential to life.
Shuttle Launch Pad Repairs to Begin
Launch pad repairs pose no threat to shuttle launch schedule.
Mars lander finds salty environment in taste test
(AP) -- The Phoenix lander's first taste test of soil near Mars' north pole reveals a briny environment similar to what can be found in backyards on Earth, scientists...
NASA to Attempt Historic Solar Sail Deployment
This summer, NASA engineers will try to realize a dream older than the Space Age itself: the deployment of a working solar sail in Earth orbit. The name of...
Cosmic Log: X Prize extends its reach
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The X Prize Foundation and BT (a.k.a. British Telecom) strike a deal that will give the foundation $7 million for operating expenses, plus access to...
Mars OK for Life, So Far
"You could grow asparagus," says scientist, but signs of past inhabitants are still lacking
NASA Spacecraft Reveal Largest Crater in Solar System
New analysis of Mars' terrain using NASA spacecraft observations reveals what appears to be by far the largest impact crater ever found in the solar system
Astronomers Explain Mars’s Lopsided Shape
The lopsided shape of Mars may well be the result of a cataclysmic impact of a Pluto-size meteor billions of years ago, three teams of scientists are reporting.
NASA beefs up next-generation moon rocket
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- NASA unveiled a beefed-up redesign of a proposed moon rocket Wednesday, saying the Ares V spacecraft that is to carry astronauts to the lunar surface in...
Grad Students Set to Meet Nobel Laureates
Two Michigan State University nuclear science graduate students, Jill Pinter and David Miller, are among the U.S. delegation to the 58th meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students, to be held...
Planetary science: Tunguska at 100
The most dramatic cosmic impact in recent history has gathered up almost as many weird explanations as it knocked down trees, writes Duncan Steel.