Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Sticky fingers: Moon rocks missing at NASA
Report says that NASA has lost more than 500 moon rocks brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts
2012 Apocalypse Fears Unfounded, NASA Says
No secret planet called Nibiru exists, and the Mayan calendar does not end.
NASA doomsday? Paleoclimate record points toward potential rapid climate changes
New research into the Earth's paleoclimate history by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies director James E. Hansen suggests the potential for rapid climate changes this century, including...
Alien Planet Warps Its Solar System
Even as the planet orbiting Beta Pictoris twists and kinks the debris disk around the star, the disk drags and distorts the orbit of the planet.
Scientist: Russia's Failed Mars' Moon Probe Worth a Second Try
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
New Mars rover to move 'unaided'
Scientists in Oxfordshire unveil a space project enabling vehicles to roam Mars unaided for the first time.
In glowing, swirling dust, new stars are born
(PhysOrg.com) -- An image taken by UA astrophotographer Adam Block, chosen by NASA as Astronomy Picture of the Day, brings us the best yet glimpse into a stellar nursery about...
NASA presents software of the year award
(PhysOrg.com) -- Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science (AEGIS), novel autonomy software that has been operating on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity since December 2009, is NASA's 2011 Software of...
Ten successful years of mapping the middle atmosphere
(PhysOrg.com) -- On December 7, 2001, a Delta II rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying a spacecraft designed to observe a little known area of the atmosphere that...
Tidal locking could render habitable planets inhospitable
Tidally-locked planets - planets with one side perpetually facing their star while the other remains shrouded in darkness - tend to be warmer on one side than the other. The...
Explorer's daughter reaches pole
The daughter of explorer David Hempleman-Adams becomes the youngest person to ski to the South Pole.
Watch the replay: ‘Bumpy borders’ on the Earth from Space programme
Discover more about our planet with the Earth from Space video programme. Join us every Friday at 10:00 CET for an 800 km-high tour with spectacular images from Earth-observing satellites. Watch...
'Faster-than-light' particles spark science drama
Oh Albert. Did you get it wrong? In 2011, physics was shaken by an experiment which said the Universe's speed limit, enshrined by Einstein in his 1905 theory of special...
US director makes first smartphone movie
An independent US filmmaker has made what is believed to be the first feature-length movie shot with a smartphone, to be released next week -- with actress Gena Rowlands in...
Global warming will boost solar power in Europe but cause losses elsewhere
Scientists have predicted how changes to temperature and the distribution of sunlight will effect solar technologiesAmid all the discussion about how energy sources may impact on climate change, we often overlook the fact...
Satellites show changing vegetation norms
GREENBELT, Md., Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Scientists say satellite data show 20 years of warming temperatures in Quebec have resulted in an increase in the amount of shrubs and...
Latest Fermi studies find no trace of dark matter
Measurements do not necessarily contradict past evidence, physicists say
Backpacks, not the bombs inside, key to finding DNA
Catching terrorists who detonate bombs may be easier by testing the containers that hide the bombs rather than the actual explosives, according to pioneering research led by Michigan State University.
Colorado Wants a Commercial Spaceport, Gov. Says
Colorado officials are seeking spaceport designation from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Russia to add GPS satellites
MOSCOW, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Russia will launch two more navigation satellites by year's end as part of Glonass, the Russian equivalent of the U.S. global positioning system, officials...
China honors its 'father' of space efforts
BEIJING, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- China says it is commemorating the centennial birth anniversary of Qian Xuesen, considered the country's father of space technology.
Nobel Winners Keep Eyes on the Real Prize: Solving Dark Energy Riddle
Three astrophysicists hope that breakthroughs in dark energy studies will come within the next decade.
Revolutionary navigation system for future Mars rovers
(PhysOrg.com) -- An autonomous navigation system that will enable a future planetary rover vehicle to be in complete control of its own actions as it explores the surface of Mars...
Meteor Crater Helps Unlock Planetary History
The Barringer meteorite crater can teach us not just about Earth, but other planets as well.
Europe's Vega rocket launch set for early 2012
Europe's new Vega rocket, which can place a 1.5-ton satellite into low-Earth orbit, is expected to see its first launch early next year, Arianespace chief Jean-Yves Le Gall said Thursday.
The birth of a telescope 30 times larger than Earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- On 15 November 2011, the Effelsberg 100-meter radio telescope, together with three Russian and one Ukrainian telescope, took part in the first interferometric observations with the orbiting 10-meter...
VIDEO: Self-Lubrication Speeds Avalanches
Colliding ice particles melt at the surface, allowing faster flow
Study: Supplemental reading programs work better when aligned with core curricula
Students who struggle with reading get an extra benefit from a supplemental reading program when its content is aligned with the students' core reading curriculum, according to a study published...