Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Image: Mars Express orbiter reveals overflowing craters
(Phys.org) —Large and small, hundreds of thousands of craters scar the surface of Mars, hollowed out by a multitude of asteroids and comets that impacted the Red Planet throughout its...
FAA Checking After Report on Bieber 'Pot Plane'
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it is looking into allegations that passengers aboard a Gulfstream jet last week interfered with the flight crew – an episode that NBC...
Shadowing in Sensor Images: NASA study points to 'infrared-herring' in apparent Amazon green-up
A new NASA study shows that the appearance of canopy greening is not caused by a biophysical change in Amazon forests, but instead by a combination of shadowing within the...
KNOW IT ALL: Friday's Top Stories at NBC News
Good morning, and happy Friday. Here are five of the top stories we are following this morning at NBC News:1.
Black Holes Heated Early Universe Slower Than Previously Thought
Black holes acting as companions to early stars may have taken more time to raise the temperature of the ancient universe than previously thought, a new study suggests.
Stunning NASA Photo Shows Night Rocket Launch into Space
A time-lapse photo shows an Atlas 5 rocket streaking into the heavens carrying NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-L) into Earth orbit from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral,...
Dead or Alive, The Yutu Rover Says Much About How We Relate to Robots (Op-Ed)
This weekend, the moon’s fortnightly rotation cycle turns China’s lunar rover Yutu (the Jade Rabbit) and its solar panels toward the sun once again … but whether the rover wakes...
Wobbly Alien Planet with Wild Seasons Found by NASA Telescope
Astronomers have discovered an alien planet that wobbles at such a dizzying rate that its seasons must fluctuate wildly. The faraway world, which is 2,300 light-years away, was spied by...
Too Risky: Shaun White Bows Out of Sochi Event
http://www.today.com/sochi/shaun-white-bows-out-slopestyle-event-citing-risk-2D12059938
YORP Effect, Peanuts And Itokawa: The Anatomy Of An Asteroid
In 2005,the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa revealed that the near-Earth asteroid (25143) Itokawa has a strange peanut shape, leading to questions about why. Now, using ground-based observations, a group has measured the...
David Beckham to Start Soccer Team in Miami
http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/05/david-beckham-announces-miami-will-be-major-league-soccers-22nd-franchise/related/
Matt Lauer Visits Sochi 'Lovers Bench' -- With New Friend
http://www.today.com/sochi/matt-takes-tour-lovers-bench-sochi-local-2D12059939
Space History Photo: The Ranger Spacecraft
The Ranger fleet of spacecraft enabled live transmissions of the moon from lunar orbit.
Giant Astronaut Statue Envisioned for New Apollo Visitor Center in Texas
A new Texas-size tribute to NASA's Apollo manned moon landings may give new meaning to the phrase "giant leap."
5-Second Asteroid 'Touch' Enough For Sample Return | Video
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission will rendezvous with Asteroid Bennu in 2018. It carries a Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) that will collect samples of the asteroid from the end of a...
Scientists at work: Living on a simulated Mars
According to Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, establishing a permanent presence beyond Earth is the first step humans will take towards the "divergence into a new species". Plans to visit...
CATS Earth remote sensing instrument to debut on space station
(Phys.org) —While felines in space may be what you're thinking, the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) is a much more helpful accompaniment planned for the International Space Station. CATS will study...
NASA-funded science balloons launch in Antarctica
In the bright light of Antarctica's summer sun, a NASA mission launched its first 18 science balloons between Dec. 27, 2013, and Feb. 2, 2014. BARREL, or the Balloon Array...
Baylor falls at home again, 69-52 to No. 8 Kansas
WACO, Texas (AP) -- Baylor was coming off a streak-busting victory over last week's No. 8 team, and got started Tuesday night with an alley-oop dunk...
Power Couple: Meet the Fred and Ginger of Ice Dancing
http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/meryl-davis-charlie-white-calm-under-pressure-olympic-favorites
Speedy cyclists are better looking
Top performers in the Tour de France were considered better looking in an experiment that shows the power of evolution, say scientists.
MAVEN on track to carry out its science mission
The MAVEN spacecraft and all of its science instruments have completed their initial checkout, and all of them are working as expected. This means that MAVEN is on track to...
Human Eyes in Orbit Swell & Change Shape: Space-Sightedness | Video
NASA studies of microgravity effects on vision have found that tissue at the back of the eyes swells and distorts in shape. This causes both nearsightedness and farsightedness for astronauts.
Mock Mars Mission: How to Simulate the Red Planet on Earth
While working at the Mars Desert Research Station in rural Utah for three weeks in January, Crew 133 needed to observe several rules to make the simulation as realistic as...
Why Pickle Brine Is a Secret Weapon Against Ice
The brutal winter weather has brought out tons of deicing salt ... and beet juice, pickle brine, and cheese brine.
Mars rover, slightly used, runs fine
When a car gets regular oil changes and care from a good mechanic, keeping it running for 10 years or more isn’t exactly an impressive feat of engineering. But then again, such...
Research: It's more than just the science
Researchers outline not only why it's important to pursue science collaboratively, but how to create and maintain science teams to get better research results.
Bizarre Landslide Photos: Boulders Roll Onto Farm, Narrowly Missing House
A landslide in northern Italy sent boulders careening into a vineyard.