Space Exploration
Scientists searching for alien life are starting to consider some weird biological possibilities
From blob-like jellyfish to rock-like lichens, our planet teems with such diversity of life that it is difficult to recognize some organisms as even being alive. That complexity hints at the challenge of searching for life as we <i>don’t</i> know it – the alien biology that might have taken hold on other …
Big IdeasNew Space Telescope, 40 Times The Power Of Hubble, To Unlock Astronomy's Future
Since humanity first turned our gaze skyward, we’ve realized that the cosmic story of our existence — our origins, all that exists today, and what our ultimate fate is — is literally written across the Universe. Our understanding of what our Universe truly is, what it’s made up of, and how it came …
UniverseJaw-Dropping Jupiter: Juno Probe Snaps Dramatic Up-Close Views of Planet
New photos by NASA's Juno spacecraft capture the solar system's largest planet in all its complex glory.<p>The four photos — which Juno took over an …
AstronomyA NASA spacecraft is about to slingshot around Earth to meet up with an asteroid
OSIRIS-REx is getting an assist<p>On Friday, a spacecraft the size of an SUV will slingshot around Earth’s South Pole, altering its trajectory through space. The probe is NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, and its upcoming maneuver around our planet is known as a gravity assist — a way to harness Earth’s gravity to …
ExplorationWhat do we need to know to mine an asteroid?
Further studies are needed to understand the link between meteorites and asteroids, and to share data more widely about the composition of meteorites …
ExplorationAfter Cassini's End at Saturn, Outer Planets Exploration Shifts to Jupiter
With NASA's Cassini spacecraft now just a blur of molecules in Saturn's cloud tops, another gas giant is rotating into the crosshairs of the …
ExplorationVenus Express Probe Reveals the Planet's Mysterious Night Side
Venus’ atmosphere is as mysterious as it is dense and scorching. For generations, scientists have sought to study it using ground-based telescopes, …
AstronomyCassini crashes: It’s time for a new mission to explore the possibility of life on Saturn’s moons
As Cassini’s titanic mission comes to an end, we need to start thinking ahead.<p>NASA’s Cassini mission has made its “death plunge” into the swirling …
PlanetsJuno Jupiter Images: NASA Captures Gas Giant in Incredible Detail During Close Approach
They're out of this world.
Astronomy4 Things You Should Know About The Cassini Space Probe
<i>Every Wednesday at 9:30 PM, a talented crew roleplays their way to fulfill their mission and boldly go where no one has gone before. Join the</i> …
ExplorationNASA is about to send a spacecraft to steal rocks from an asteroid
When it comes to studying samples of otherworldly material, scientists on Earth are in a bit of a bind. We’ve brought rocks back from the moon, and …
ScienceHopeful Martians Emerge From 8-Month Experiment To Find Earth Horrific As Ever
Before Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other space enthusiasts can ship humans to Mars as easily as an Amazon Prime delivery, we need to figure out they’ll …
ExplorationA day in the life of NASA's Voyagers
Throughout their 40 years in space, the pioneering Voyagers have redefined what scientists consider the final frontier. "Decades ago, the joke among …
ExplorationLatvia has invested EUR 3.2 million in space exploration projects
RIGA - Latvia has so far supported 27 space exploration projects as a result of three tenders, investing more than EUR 3.2 million in total in these …
European NewsThe Last Photo Cassini Took Was Its Forever Home on Saturn
For those who’ve followed NASA’s Cassini mission these past 20 years, it’s still a bit hard to believe it’s gone. On Friday, September 15th, the …
SpaceFarewell, Cassini: Gorgeous Final Photos Are a Fitting Send-Off for Saturn Probe
The Cassini spacecraft's farewell images are jaw-dropping, just like countless other photos the probe snapped during its 13 years in the Saturn …
PlanetsFinnish Scientists Push for 50 Nano-Spacecraft to Explore 300 Asteroids
A fleet of small spacecraft propelled by electric solar wind sails (E-sails) could catalogue nearby asteroids like never before.<p>Between Mars and Jupiter, orbiting in the asteroid belt, there are an estimated 1.1 to 1.9 million space rocks with a diameter of 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) or more. Millions …
ExplorationNorthrop Grumman’s $7.8B deal to acquire Orbital ATK fuels aerospace consolidation
Northrop Grumman’s purchase of Orbital ATK for $7.8 billion will create a company involved in projects ranging from America’s next stealth bomber and …
ScienceAttention, goths! Hubble just spotted a ‘pitch black’ planet
‘I see a black, black planet,’ droned Andrew Eldritch on the Sisters of Mercy’s relentlessly miserable 1985 goth hit Black Planet.<p>Cyclist gets 18 …
Hubble Space Telescope09/18/2017: Asteroid mining and the economics of outer space
When we think space, we often think about observation — watching the skies and figuring out what’s out there. But some people are already thinking about how to put the assets up in space to good use. One way to do that? Asteroid mining. It may sound like science fiction, but established companies …
BusinessIf An Asteroid Ever Threatened Earth, How Would We Stop It?
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)<p><i>If there is a huge asteroid capable of destroying Earth that is going to hit us, how would we attempt to stop it (2017)? originally appeared on Quora:</i> <i>the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the</b> …
AsteroidsNew operating chief at Voyager Therapeutics; shares up 5%
Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR +4.7%) appoints Matthew Ottmer as Chief Operating Officer. He joins the firm from Momenta Pharmaceuticals were he was also …
BusinessThe Asteroid Belt May Be a 'Treasure Trove' of Planetary Building Blocks
The asteroid belt may have started out empty, later becoming a "cosmic refugee camp" taking on leftovers of planetary formation from across the solar …
ExplorationYoung immigrants shout down Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi
AP National News VideoMore>><p>The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South …
HawaiiWhat we're hoping to learn from the magnetic readings of Cassini's final orbits
It was a proud but sad moment when NASA announced that mission control had lost the signal from the Cassini spacecraft on September 15. As it takes …
MagnetismSpace exploration: Cassini bows out in a blaze of glory
Grand finale: Veteran spacecraft, was launched back in 1997 to study Saturn and its moons. The mission came to an abrupt end on Friday. Nasa<p>We …
Business (South Africa)Animal Collective Sampled the Now-Incinerated Cassini Probe on "My Girls"
Space music is cool.<p><i>This article originally appeared on Noisey US</i><p>The Cassini probe was ordered to destroy itself on the surface of Saturn yesterday and it duly obliged, plunging towards the sixth planet from the sun at 75,000 miles per hour, incinerating as it travelled through her atmosphere. It …
ExplorationFarewell to Iapetus
Photojournal: PIA21347<p>September 18, 2017<p>Cassini bids farewell to Saturn’s yin-and-yang moon, Iapetus. This image is from the last set of observations …
AstronomyCassini is gone. What comes next?
Europa, the outer solar system, and a lot of questions.<p>It sent back data until the last possible moment, struggling against the atmospheric forces that would soon vaporize the spacecraft into dust. Then, it was gone. Cassini’s perfectly executed dive last week shuttered one of our few windows to …
SpaceWorld's Smallest Spacecraft Is Prelude to Enormous Voyage
Breakthrough Starshot's 'Sprite' is about the size of a matchbook.<p>Subscribe<p>Let our news meet your inbox.<p>SIGN UP<p>In pursuit of one of space exploration’s biggest dreams — sending a spacecraft to a nearby star system to look for evidence of alien life — Breakthrough Starshot is putting its faith in …
Exploration