Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
NASA ready to test the waters
Satellite mission to monitor ocean salinity may help solve climate questions.
Dwarf Planet Veiled in Water-Ice
The oddly-squashed Haumea – and at least one of its two satellites – are covered in crystalline water-ice. At 1,960 km (1,218 miles) across, the oval-shaped world was the 5th...
JPL facility has built famed spacecraft for 50 years
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Spacecraft Assembly Facility of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., was constructed in 1961 to support NASA's Ranger and Mariner missions to the moon, Venus and...
How to Clean Up Space Junk: DARPA's Orbital Catcher's Mitt
The hazard of space debris is very real, so much so that DARPA has a report on how to deal with it.
Japanese satellite declared dead in orbit
TOKYO, May 12 (UPI) -- Japan's space agency says its Earth-observing satellite Daichi is dead in orbit, three weeks after a mysterious anomaly crippled the spacecraft.
LimeWire, record labels reach settlement
File-sharing software company LimeWire has reached a $105-million US out-of-court settlement with major record labels.
Cosmic rays mapped across the southern sky
Hotspots could uncover astrophysical sources including pulsars
How jets survive direct strikes by lightning
When an Airbus 380 from Dubai came in for landing at Heathrow Airport on a recent stormy night in London, it was struck by a giant bolt of lightning. The...
Meteor likely rattled windows in Virginia
On Tuesday evening, residents in Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Suffolk, Va., dialed 911 to report what sounded like a large explosion. Today, a NASA scientist explained that it might have...
Engineering Professor Named Innovator of the Year
Jamie Hestekin and his team of undergraduate engineering students will be featured on Planet Forward's website and television special for the next 12 months, as they work on a method...
NASA's Galileo reveals magma 'ocean' beneath surface of Jupiter's moon
A new analysis of data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft reveals a subsurface "ocean" of magma beneath the surface of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. The finding is the first direct confirmation...
Study: It's not teacher, but method that matters
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Nobel Prize winner's experiment suggests that how you teach is more important than who does the teaching - especially when it involves...
How Lightning Sparks High-Energy Bursts in the Atmosphere
Radio wave bursts tied to strange high-energy bursts.
Comet Hopper moves to 'final round' in NASA selection process
(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Maryland-led mission proposal know as Comet Hopper has been chosen to compete for final selection as a new planetary mission in NASA's Discovery Program. The...
Finding a New Way to Look at the Universe
Nergis Mavalava studies gravitational waves using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory. Although gravitational waves are predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, they are very difficult to observe.
Space Pictures This Week: Hubble Starburst, Sun Magnetism
Hubble spies star birth, hot gas hovers over the sun, satellites see fires burn in Georgia, and more in the week's best space pictures.
Galaxy NGC 4214: A star formation laboratory
(PhysOrg.com) -- Hubbles newest camera has taken an image of galaxy NGC 4214. This galaxy glows brightly with young stars and gas clouds, and is an ideal laboratory to research...
Canadarm's home up in the air: space agency
The Canadian Space Agency says it is in negotiations to bring the space shuttle Endeavour's Canadarm back to Canada - but, contrary to reports, the robotic arm's final home...
What's 96 Percent of the Universe Made Of? Astronomers Don't Know
A new book tells the story of the missing 96 percent of the universe composed of dark matter and dark energy.
France optimistic flight recorder is readable
France's chief air accident investigator said Thursday he's hopeful that data contained on the two flight recorders of an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic almost two years...
The night sky in 37,440 exposures
Nick Risinger has always gazed up at the sky. But last year the amateur astronomer and photographer quit his day job as a Seattle marketing director and lugged six synchronized...
News in Brief: American Physical Society meeting
Gas sheds light on dark matter, plus cosmic ray clusters and blue-light imaging in the news
NASA's post-shuttle plan draws criticism
NASA's plan to use recycled shuttle parts for a rocket to test a crew capsule, an interim step toward a 'heavy-lift' rocket, would provide work for current space shuttle workers...
N.S. woman over the moon to join NASA
A Nova Scotia woman has been chosen by NASA to help evaluate future landing sites on the moon.
Researchers define a missing link in how clouds are formed
Scientists have known for two decades that sulfur compounds that are produced by bacterioplankton as they consume decaying algae in the ocean cycle through two paths. In one, a sulfur...
Pioneer shows off its 52-inch WWS-DT101 multitouch table
(PhysOrg.com) -- Pioneer has announced the creation of its new WWS-DT101, it is a touch screen table PC that has an area of 52". The screen, which gratefully can support...
NASA craft snaps pic of distant asteroid target
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- A NASA spacecraft hurtling toward a massive asteroid has snapped a picture of its target, the first of many before it slips...
Japanese Sci-Fi Movie to Film Scenes at NASA Space Center
The upcoming Japanese science fiction film "Space Brothers" will film scenes at NASA's real-life Florida spaceport.