Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
New Method Developed To Weigh, Resolve Distant Black Holes
A new, simple method to learn about black holes up to eight billion light years away -- thousands of times farther away than black holes can be measured today --...
NASA selects MIT-led team for search satellite
A planet-searching satellite planned by scientists from MIT, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and NASA-Ames is one of six proposed spacecraft concepts that NASA has picked for further study as...
Smallest known extrasolar planet is found
SOUTH BEND, Ind., June 4 (UPI) -- U.S.-led astronomers have found an extrasolar planet only three times more massive than Earth, making it the smallest yet found orbiting...
Scientists study Crab Pulsar deceleration
GAINESVILLE, Fla., June 4 (UPI) -- U.S.-led astronomers say they've moved a step closer to understand how the spinning neutron star known as the Crab Pulsar is slowing...
Space shuttle blastoff damaged launch pad: NASA
Bricks and mortar blew off the US space shuttle's launch pad during its weekend liftoff, without damaging the orbiter but causing concern for future missions, NASA said Monday.
Simulations predicted Mars lander would hit sub-surface
University of Michigan simulations correctly predicted that the pulsed jets of the Mars Phoenix lander would strip the soil to the subsurface ice or rock as the craft touched down.
For barn swallows, feathers make the man, says study
A new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has shown the testosterone of male North American barn swallows skyrocketed early in the breeding season when their breast...
UIC Computer Scientist Named Engineering Dean
Peter Nelson, a computer science professor and expert in the field of artificial intelligence, has been appointed dean of the University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Engineering, pending approval...
NASA lunar art contest winners announced
WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency said Justin Burns, a University of Memphis sophomore, has won its annual lunar art contest with a vision of...
Warm Coronal Loops Offer Clue To Mysteriously Hot Solar Atmosphere
Scientists at NASA reveal a new understanding of the mysterious mechanism responsible for heating the outer part of the solar atmosphere, the corona, to million degree temperatures. The corona is...
Science Weekly podcast: Lisa Jardine, Mars, and mechanical monkeys
Lisa Jardine, the new head of the HFEA, tells us about battling religious dogma. Plus, NASA's return to Mars. And the secret to the perfect voice
Discovering ancient treasures from space
Satellite images from space help scientists detect clues that lead to archaeological finds on Earth.
Fat Star's True Small Nature Revealed
The mystery of a bloated but strangely cold star is solved.
Mars mission: robot leaves footprint in red planet's soil
Nasa's robot on Mars scoops out soil, leaving an impression that resembles a footprint
Modified Shuttle Fuel Tank Performs Well, NASA Says
The new fuel tank that flew with the shuttle Discovery appeared to do well.
Shuttle Astronauts to Scan Heat Shield
Discovery shuttle astronauts will make a limited scan of their heat shield.
Congresswoman Nervous as Husband Goes to Space
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to watch shuttle commander husband launch spaceward.
Hacker changes Phoenix Mars Lander Web site
(AP) -- A spokeswoman for the Phoenix Mars Lander mission says a hacker took over the mission's public Web site during the night and changed its lead news story.
Mars Lander Has Short-Circuit Problem
A short circuit is serving as a nuisance to scientists operating the Phoenix Mars Lander. Meanwhile, a mission spokeswoman said a hacker took over the mission's public Web site during...
Stretchy spider silks can be springs or rubber
It`s stronger than steel and nylon, and more extensible than Kevlar. So what is this super-tough material? Spider silk; and learning how to spin it is one of the materials...
Could US scientist's 'CO2 catcher' help to slow warming?
Physicist at Columbia University plans to build and demonstrate prototype within two years
Vaccine test marks rise of commercial research in space: NASA
An experiment to develop a salmonella vaccine aboard the US space shuttle Discovery could pave the way for a gush of commercial biotechnology research in space, NASA and biotech industry...
Technical hitch scrubs Ariane rocket launch
PARIS (Reuters) - A technical hitch scrubbed the launch of an Ariane rocket carrying a British military satellite and a Turkish telecoms satellite hours before its scheduled blastoff, the Arianespace...
Eric Barron To Head National Center for Atmospheric Research
Eric J. Barron was named director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) today, following a rigorous international search. He joins NCAR from the University of Texas, where he...
National Lab Plan for Station Moves Forward
Discovery's payload includes one of the first experiments that NASA plans to conduct on the ISS.
WEEK IN PHOTOS: Cheese Chasing, Doomed Star, More
See a star flaming out in spectacular style, candy-colored fireworks exploding over New York, dairy kings risking injury for a speeding cheese wheel, and more.
Sophisticated soil analysis for improved land use
Soil variation occurs across multiple geographic scales ranging from vast climatic regions of the Earth to a 50 acre farm field to the molecular world of soil nano-particles in a...
"Star Trek" Theme Composer Alexander Courage Dies
Alexander Courage, composer of the 'Star Trek' TV theme, has died at 88.