Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
India's Chandrayaan-1 Spacecraft Successful: Moon Impact Probe Hits Lunar Surface
In a historic event, the Indian space programme achieved a unique feat on Friday (November 14, 2008) with the placing of Indian tricolour on the Moon's surface on Pandit Jawaharlal...
New spaceship force field makes Mars trip possible
According to the international space agencies, "Space Weather" is the single greatest obstacle to deep space travel. Radiation from the sun and cosmic rays pose a deadly threat to astronauts...
Magnetic shield could protect spacecraft
Fusion science shows feasibility of protecting astronauts from cosmic radiation
NASA says ozone layer hole 5th biggest on record
The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica this year is the fifth biggest on record, according to the latest data from NASA's atmospheric scientists.
Bremen University wins ESA competition
PARIS, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A robot rover designed by a Bremen University team has won a European Space Agency contest to retrieve soil samples from a lunar-style...
Report: Space Shuttle Retirement Date in Jeopardy
NASA's plan to retire its shuttle fleet by 2010 faces big challengs, a new report finds.
Niagara restaurant prepares to welcome diners, search for E. coli source continues
A restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. will reopen on Wednesday, health officials announced as they updated the information available about their investigations into E. coli outbreaks in southern Ontario.
First Rocket Parts Of NASA's New Launch System Arrive In Florida
(PhysOrg.com) -- The first major flight hardware of the Ares I-X rocket has arrived in Florida to begin preparation for the inaugural test flight of the agency's next-generation launch system....
Astronomy Department dedicates new telescope
A small knot of a dozen people gathered on the Science Center roof today to officially dedicate Harvard’s latest teaching telescope, a 16-inch cassegrain telescope built by DFM Engineering in...
PAMELA bares all
Satellite data do indeed hint at dark-matter annihilation, the European team claims
May the Force (Field) Be with You
If astronauts hope to ever set foot on Mars, myriad technical challenges will need to be overcome, not the least of which is shielding space travelers from bombardment by energetic...
Venezuela launches telecommunications satellite
Venezuela has launched a satellite that will contribute to telemedicine and education, and offer access to the country's rural areas.
Silanethiones reach for the stars
German researchers have identified experimentally H2Si=S, a molecule thought to exist in outer space, for the first time.
NASA announces Endeavour pre-launch events
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency has announced a series of events leading up to the Nov. 14 Kennedy Space Center launch of...
Strange Sand Ripples on Mars Explained
Images give scientists more information on unusual sand features on Mars.
Mission to Mars: Key health hurdle can be overcome, say scientists
Scientists believe they have found a way of protecting astronauts from a dangerous source of space radiation, thus lifting a major doubt clouding the dream to send humans to Mars.
Endeavour Astronauts Set for Space Station Mission
Astronauts are gearing up to deliver new gear to the International Space Station.
STAR TRAK for November
(PhysOrg.com) -- Venus and Jupiter, the brightest planets in the sky, will steadily approach each other during November as if drawn by their mutual brillliance. Finally they will have a...
Space junk falls harmlessly in South Pacific
(AP) -- A refrigerator-sized piece of space junk fell harmlessly into the South Pacific Sunday night, according to NASA.
Sea Level Monitoring Enters New Era
After four months of tests and qualification of the entire satellite and the ground segment by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, command and control operations...
New NASA capsule Orion resembles Apollo
The agency unveils the test module for structural testing at Edwards Air Force Base. The capsule, designed to carry humans to the moon, looks a lot like the one that...
Software for safe bridges
There are roughly 120,000 bridges in Germany. In order for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to cross them safely, they must be regularly inspected for damage. An image processing program automatically...
The inaudible symphony analyzed
By measuring 'inaudible' sounds, events like illegal nuclear tests can be detected. This 'infrasound' can also help us understand more about the upper atmosphere, according to Läslo Evers. Evers will...
ESA Bulletin (No. 136, November 2008)
The November 2008 issue of the Bulletin, ESA’s flagship magazine, features ESA astronaut Frank De Winne on the cover. De Winne is the next European astronaut to fly to the...
NASA Probe Shows Mercury More Dynamic Than Thought
New images from NASA’s Messenger indicate that Mercury is more interesting than some astronomers had thought, and experienced a lot of volcanic activity.
Pushing the Limit: For Ex-N.F.L. Star, a Dream of Sports in Space
Ken Harvey, who played linebacker for the Washington Redskins, is now at work on a high-concept project he has called SpaceSportilization.
Crashed and burned: The legacy of The Right Stuff
A generation on, Tom Wolfe's paean to America's space heroes seems like an elegy
Cosmic Log: The science of bloodsuckers
Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: They're coming to drink your blood ... and sometimes it's for your own good. Get the facts about vampire bats, leeches, bedbugs and other bloodsuckers.