Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Phoenix Lander Prepares to Taste Martian Dirt
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is gearing up to perform its first taste test of red planet's arctic dirt.
Jupiter rocket eyed by space enthusiasts
ORLANDO, Fla., June 22 (UPI) -- A rocket design so far eschewed by NASA could get the United States to the moon faster than current designs and save...
Earth's laws apply throughout Universe
A team of international researchers have discovered that the laws of nature are the same in the distant Universe as they are on Earth.
Blue sky thinking: 10 ideas that changed the course of history
Plato's Philosophy | Sun-centred (Copernican) Theory of the Universe | Cartesian Cogito
NASA Takes a Giant Leap in Space Fashion
NASA announced last week that a new company would produce spacesuits for the next phase of the American space program.
A Bounty of Midsize Planets Is Reported
The newly identified planets range in mass from slightly bigger than Earth to about twice as massive as Neptune.
White Patches Found in Mars Trench Are Ice, Scientists Say
Now, scientists will be able to tackle the main question they hope to answer: Did the ice ever melt and turn Mars into a habitable place?
NASA Astronaut Settles in Aboard Space Station
NASA astronaut Gregory Chamitoff is settling into orbital living.
Artistic Endeavours: Space Shuttle Statues to be Painted for Student Scholarships
Over 100 space shuttles will land this November at Kennedy Space Center.
Scientists: Martian chunks must be ice
TUCSON, June 20 (UPI) -- Scientists with the U.S. space program say chunks a rover scooped up from a Martian trench must be ice because of the way...
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Mars Lander Finds Ice, NASA Says
It's a first. "Perfect evidence" of water ice—a key ingredient for life—has been found on Mars, NASA says.
Space Tourism Firms Set for Big Leaps
Virgin Galactic and Space Adventures are set for private spaceflight strides.
Apollo Relic Reveals its Secrets
Imagine landing on the Moon, climbing down the ladder of your spacecraft, and looking around the harsh lunar landscape—to see another, older spacecraft standing only 200 yards away. read more
Ocean-monitoring satellite blasts off from Calif.
(AP) -- A rocket carrying a U.S.-French ocean-monitoring satellite lifted off early Friday from the central California coast.
Moon to Hide Star Cluster
On June 30, the Moon will cross in front of the Pleiades Star Cluster.
Life in outer space? Astronomers hunt aliens
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's biggest astronomical observatories are teaming up for an unprecedented quest to find out whether there is life in outer space.
Meteorite could hold solar clues
A rare meteorite that could hold clues to the Solar System's birth has been bought by the Natural History Museum.
Looking for New Light
In many ways, astronomers are in the dark about asteroids. In the dark depths of the Kuiper Asteroid Belt beyond Neptune's orbit, and even in the nearby Main Belt between...
Chemical clues point to dusty origin for Earth-like planets
Higher than expected levels of sodium found in a 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite suggest that the dust clouds from which the building blocks of the Earth and neighboring planets formed were...
New System Helps Police Match Tattoos To Suspects
An automatic image retrieval system has been created, whereby law enforcement agencies will be able to match scars, marks and tattoos to identify suspects and victims.
Summer Solstice Facts for When "The Sun Stands Still"
The longest day of the year falls on Friday's midsummer solstice—unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Get the facts on why solstice occurs and how to celebrate.
Jodrell Bank future looks better
The future of eMerlin, an upgrade to the world-famous Jodrell Bank observatory, is starting to look brighter.
Space age radar now used in mines
TORONTO, June 19 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says advanced ground penetration radar created to operate on the moon, Mars and other planets is being used in...
Saturn’s Secondary Aurora Is Much More Like Jupiter’s In Origin Than It Is The Earth’s
Researchers have discovered a secondary aurora sparkling on Saturn and also started to unravel the mechanisms that drive the process. Their results show that Saturn's secondary aurora is much more...
Mars lander loses day of work after data glitch
(AP) -- The Phoenix lander stopped digging soil near Mars' north pole Wednesday as engineers on Earth worked to fix a glitch that caused the loss of a day's...
Russian rocket fires 6 US telecom satellites into orbit: report
A Russian rocket launched six US telecoms satelites into orbit from a missile base in the south of the country on Thursday, news agencies reported.
Frigid Future for Ocean in Saturn's Moon
It may be hard to keep water from freezing on Saturn's moon Enceladus.
Both sides claim victory in Calif. stadium ruling
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) -- Supporters and foes of a proposed University of California, Berkeley sports center that ignited a rancorous tree-sitting protest claimed victory after a judge issued a complex...