Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Comet Capture Capsule Goes On Display
NASA's Stardust capsule went on view at the National Air and Space Museum.
Hubble device fails; shuttle launch delayed
A repair mission set for Oct. 14 is postponed after an instrument breaks on the aging space telescope. ...
Feature: Blast furnace holds key to earth's birth
Researchers are discovering how the Earth's formation was helped by a rather unusual birthing suite - a roaring terrestrial blast furnace. Julian Cribb reports.
Jules Verne spacecraft burns on re-entry
PARIS, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency's first Automated Transfer Vehicle, the Jules Verne, ended its six-month mission Monday by burning while entering Earth's atmosphere.
NASA orbiter reveals Mars' rock fractures
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured images of hundreds of small rock fractures on Mars' surface.
Why 2 to the power of 43,112,609 - 1 = $100,000 for prime number hunters
Computer scientists utilise downtime on volunteers' PCs to search for Mersenne prime in bid to win prize
NASA allowed to continue sending astronauts on Soyuz spacecraft
U.S. allowed to keep using Soyuz seats
Africa awash in sunlight, but not solar energy
From household solar panels to thermal generators big enough to power a town, sun power has enjoyed explosive growth around the world. Everywhere, that is, except on the sun-drenched continent...
Deal keeps U.S. on International Space Station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A political stalemate that threatened to boot the United States off the International Space Station eased on Thursday after U.S. lawmakers passed an exemption allowing...
CORRECTED: "Fusion Man" makes historic Channel flight
(Corrects direction of flight to make clear Rossy flew from France to Britain)
Dark Energy Vs. The Void: What If Copernicus Was Wrong?
Dark energy is at the heart of one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics, but it may be nothing more than an illusion, according physicists at Oxford University.
NASA Images Add a Billion Years to Mars's Wet Period?
High-resolution images taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggest Mars may have stayed wet a billion years longer than previously thought.
Diffusion Caused Jupiter's Red Spot Junior To Color Up
A study has given new insights into why Oval BA, a giant anticyclone on Jupiter also known as Red Spot Junior, suddenly turned from white to red in a period...
HICO-RAIDS experiments ready for payload integration
The Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) and the Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS), both developed at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), are ready for payload integration...
STERN rocket firing completed
(PhysOrg.com) -- The performance of unpiloted, reuseable spaceplanes could be significantly improved thanks to the completion of the Static Test Expansion/Deflection Rocket Nozzle (STERN) engine test programme.
Taking A SMART Sidelong Look At Lunar Peak Of Eternal Light
Three-dimensional views of the mountainous terrain surrounding a “peak of eternal light” near the Moon’s south pole have been released by the European Space Agency.
Powerful Nearby Supernova Caught By Web
One of the nearest supernovas in the last 25 years has been identified over a decade after it exploded. This result was made possible by combining data from the vast...
PHOTOS: Best Science Images of 2008 Announced
From squid suckers fit for a horror flick to an undulating landscape of polymers, see some of the winners of this year's International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.
Ministers meet to take forward the European Space Policy
ESA PR 40-2008. Ministers in charge of space activities within ESA and European Union Member States met in Brussels today for the fifth Space Council (*).
Lava deposits in Mangala Fossae
The High Resolution Stereo Camera obtained images of the Mangala Fossae trough, a system of outflow channels on Mars that bears evidence of lava deposition and catastrophic floods.
Site of Potential Lunar Colony Detailed in 3-D
Scientists have created a 3-D picture of a luminous and mountainous site on the moon.
Mars magnetic field mystery explained
(PhysOrg.com) -- So much attention has been paid to the similarities and differences between Earth and Mars that we often look to the ancient red planet for signposts in our...
Scientists study looking versus seeing
LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. and French scientists say a brain structure important in finding the location of sights and sounds is also vital in...
NASA talks about lunar exploration
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency has revealed initial plans for the Ares V heavy-lift rocket and Altair lunar lander.
NASA Identifies Carbon-rich Molecules In Meteors As The ‘Origin Of Life’
Tons, perhaps tens of tons, of carbon molecules in dust particles and meteorites fall on Earth daily. Meteorites are especially valuable to astronomers because they provide relatively big chunks of...
Detecting human activities through barriers
University of Texas professor Hao Ling and Ph.D. candidate, Shobha Ram, are one step closer to making x-ray vision a reality. They are perfecting radar systems that can detect human...
Meteorite experiment deals blow to 'bugs from space' theory
A novel experiment has dealt a setback to a theory that life on Earth was kickstarted by bacteria that hitched a ride on space rocks.
NASA at 50: still taking science to the limit
In 50 years, NASA has earned itself an unparalleled reputation as an engineering, technological and scientific pioneer by pushing science to the limit.