Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Freighter raises station altitude
The "Jules Verne" freighter lifts the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) by a record distance.
NASA Launches Ocean Satellite To Keep A Weather, Climate Eye Open
A new NASA-French space agency oceanography satellite launched today from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on a globe-circling voyage to continue charting sea level, a vital indicator of global climate...
Disappearing Bright Specks Show Mars Has Ice, NASA Says [News]
Bright crumbs that were visible earlier this week in one of the trenches dug by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander are no longer there, according to images released yesterday by the...
Pluto's Identity Crisis Hits Classrooms and Bookstores
Pluto went from planet to dwarf planet and the latest name, plutoid.
More low-mass exoplanets are discovered
GENEVA, Switzerland, June 19 (UPI) -- European astronomers say they have found a triple system of so-called super-Earths while using the European Southern Observatory's La Silla telescope.
Cosmic Log: Flood forecasts in flux
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: How high will the flooding go? That's been a crucial question for Midwesterners this month, and the answer requires some complex — and changeable —...
Alan Pickup: Spacewatch
Alan Pickup: Dwarf planets beyond Neptune to be classed as plutoids
Solstice Moon Illusion
Sometimes you just can't believe your eyes. This week is one of those times. On Wednesday night, June 18th, step outside at sunset and look around. You'll see a giant...
Hot flashes underreported and linked to forgetfulness
Women in midlife underreport the number of hot flashes that they experience by more than 40 percent, and these hot flashes are linked to poor verbal memory, according to a...
NASA close to nailing down launch pad repairs
(AP) -- More than two weeks after Discovery's blastoff battered the launch pad, NASA is close to nailing down its repair strategy and insists the damage can be mended...
NASA Tests Lunar Robots and Spacesuits on Earthly Moonscape
Conditions on the moon will be harsher, but prototype NASA robotic vehicles braved sand storms and unprecedented temperature swings this month on sand dunes near Moses Lake, Wash., to prepare...
Astronauts Return Home to Houston After 'Amazing, Exciting' Flight
"Exciting." "Incredible." "Phenomenal." "Amazing." Such were the words chosen by the STS-124 crew to describe their space shuttle mission.
NASA teaches teachers about space tests
WALLOPS ISLAND, Va., June 16 (UPI) -- U.S. university faculty and students will learn the basics of building experiments for flight on suborbital rockets next week during a...
NASA Plans To Visit The Sun
For more than 400 years, astronomers have studied the sun from afar. Now NASA has decided to go there. The name of the mission is Solar Probe+. It's a heat-resistant...
Kazakhstan's sole space satellite breaks down
ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's sole communications satellite, used by many of the country's television broadcasters, is out of control due to a computer glitch and is likely to be lost...
NASA finds new type of comet dust mineral
HOUSTON, June 16 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency scientists and researchers from Germany and Japan say they've found a new mineral in material that likely came from a...
When It Comes To Nitrogen, The 'Fix' Is In
The discovery in the last decade of new suites of microorganisms capable of using various forms of nitrogen -- discoveries that have involved a number of University of Washington researchers...
Opinion: Collaborations can excel without a centre
Collaborative research ventures don’t always need a centre to be excellent, according to Jeff Major.
Veil Lifts on Titan's Great Secrets
A new book sheds light on the mysteries of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
Astronomers prove Einstein right
Australian researchers have proved that Einstein's theory of relativity still explains the evolution of the Universe, even when applied to anomalies.
Jubilant Astronaut Crew Glad to be Home
The seven astronauts of NASA's shuttle Discovery are glad to be home.
Shuttle lands despite losing clip
The US space shuttle Discovery successfully lands at Florida's Kennedy space station despite the earlier loss of a rudder clip.
Microchip sets low-power record with extreme sleep mode
A low-power microchip developed at the University of Michigan uses 30,000 times less power in sleep mode and 10 times less in active mode than comparable chips now on the...
Bringing Space Down to Earth With Toilets and Toys
Astronauts can escape Earth, but not the facts of life.
Phoenix Gets Close-up Look at Mars Dirt
Phoenix uses microscope to peer at soil particles; exposes more white material.
NASA examines 'bump' on Discovery rudder
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 13 (UPI) -- Crew members on the U.S. space shuttle Discovery Friday reported seeing an object floating from the craft and a "bump" on...
Growing use of nanomaterials spurs research to investigate possible downsides
Potential risks from the use of nanomaterials will be explored by three Arizona State University engineering faculty in a project supported by a $400,000 grant from the U.S.Department of Energy...
NASA Completes Review Milestone for Ares I First Stage
NASA has completed the preliminary design review for the first stage of the Ares I rocket -- giving overall approval for the agency's technical design approach. This review brings NASA...