Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Photos: NASA Discovers Real-Life 'Tatooine' Planet With 2 Suns
See images and concepts from NASA's Kepler mission, which found an alien planet like the famed "Star Wars" world.
NASA announces heavy-lift rocket program
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- NASA says it is ready to proceed with development of its Space Launch System, a vehicle to provide the capability for human exploration beyond...
Full Harvest Moon Shines Bright in Photos by Amateur Astronomers
The Harvest Moon of 2011 delighted skywatchers with its brightness on September nights.
Did Happy Feet meet unhappy fate?
Did the adorable emperor penguin become lunch for a shark? We may never know. But, according to a post on Sirtrack’s web site , no signal from Happy Feet’s monitor...
Cassini Captures Ice Queen Helene
NASA's Cassini spacecraft obtained this unprocessed image of Saturn's moon Helene on June 18, 2011.
Scientists to Congress: Keep NASA's Missions to Other Planets Flowing
Planetary science is worth the investment despite the tough economic times, scientists urged Congress.
Exercise Endeavor in Outer Space: One Year Into NASA Project, Kansas State University Research Leads to New Discoveries
Using an obstacle course of lunar tasks, a Kansas State University research team is trying to develop a way to measure astronauts' physical capacities and keep them safe in space....
Airplanes: New tool analyzes black-box data for flight anomalies
Scientists have created a new tool that analyzes black-box data for flight anomalies. An airplane's digital flight-data recorder, or "black box," holds massive amounts of data, documenting the performance of...
'European GPS' ready for launch
The first two spacecraft for Europe's Galileo satellite-navigation system pass a key flight review, clearing them for launch.
ERS satellite missions complete after 20 years
After a final thruster firing last week to deplete its remaining fuel, ESA's venerable ERS-2 observation satellite has been safely taken out of service. Ground controllers also ensured the space...
China's Space Dreams Ride on Robotic Docking Test
China is set to launch its first space station test module — but when?
Hong Kong scientists make great strides in lunar mapping
Surveying experts of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have successfully developed methodologies for precise mapping of the Moon, after intensive analysis of the data captured by the Chinese lunar...
Alok Jha meets Dava Sobel to discuss her new book on Copernicus
This week Alok Jha meets the historian Dava Sobel, author of the worldwide best seller Longtitude to discuss her latest adventure into science history A More perfect Heaven, how Copernicus...
Starwatch: The truth about the supernova and the comet
Astronomers can be their own worst enemies. Just a few days ago we were encouraged to take our binoculars outside and point them above the end stars of handle of the Plough...
Vote Now! Top Space Stories of the Week - Sept. 11, 2011
Was it the 45th anniversary of the movie Star Trek, events in space to remember 9/11 or something else?
NASA's smaller programs could be at risk
Soaring costs of a new space telescope and the next rocket might doom many other worthy projects, analysts say.The cost of NASA's two flagship programs — a new space telescope...
NASA Outsources U.S. Science on Space Station
The deal will pay management organization CASIS up to $15 million per year.
Dazzling Northern Lights Display Possible This Weekend
A series of solar storms could charge up the northern lights displays in the high north.
Fermi's latest gamma-ray census highlights cosmic mysteries
Every three hours, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope scans the entire sky and deepens its portrait of the high-energy universe. Every year, the satellite's scientists reanalyze all of the data...
Russia pinpoints rocket malfunction
MOSCOW, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Russia says it has identified a malfunction that caused a rocket to fail while carrying cargo to the International Space Station as a production...
NASA satellite rainmap shows extent of Tropical Storm Lee's heavy rainfall
NASA has a rain gauge flying in space called TRMM, and data from that satellite has been used to create a map of the massive rainfall generated by landfalling Tropical...
Gamma Ray Scope Reveal "Blazars" A-Plenty
The Fermi Space Telescope detectors often spots supermassive black holes whose polar jets are pointed in our direction. These active galactic nuclei appear as bright gamma ray emissions. About a...
Defunct 6-ton satellite crashing back to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A defunct NASA science satellite dispatched by a space shuttle crew in 1991 will come crashing back to Earth this month, with debris most likely...
Plenty of Targets for Robots Exploring the Final Frontier
As "Star Trek" marks its 45th anniversary, space exploration is less about the voyages of the starship Enterprise and more about robots that boldly go where no man...
Media Invited: AVS 58th International Symposium & Exhibition
AVS International Symposium to feature frontier science from the world of materials, manufacturing, medicine, and more.
Dextre Dance - Robot's First Space Station Repair
The Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) or Dextre for short, replaced a faulty circuit breaker on the ISS in August 2011. The robot was delived by Space Shuttle Endeavour to...
Earth's Crest Over the Lunar Horizon
This view of the Earth's crest over the lunar horizon was taken during the Apollo 15 lunar landing mission.
Russian Proton Rocket Cleared to Resume Busy Launch Schedule
Russia is resuming a busy launch schedule for the Proton-M heavy-lift rocket after it suffered a programming error last month.