Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Mercury-bound instruments aboard MESSENGER arrive at target
As the MESSENGER spacecraft begins its science operations above the surface of Mercury, NASA instruments are gearing up to help unveil the planet's mysteries.
NASA skeptical of meteorite alien life claim
Space agency keeps distance from NASA researcher claim of alien fossil find on meteorite
The robotic lander: Space history in the making
Gallery: A new generation of sophisticated robotic landers will lead a new chapter in space exploration
After 13 Years, International Space Station Has All Its NASA Rooms
After 13 years of construction, the International Space Station finally has all its big NASA rooms.
James Webb Space Telescope's 'chassis' gets taken out for a spin at NASA
The Integrated Science Instrument Module, or ISIM, is the structural heart of the James Webb Space Telescope, what engineers call the main payload. It will house the four main scientific...
Senate Bill Would Provide $3 Billion for Big NASA Rocket, Spaceships
The Senate bill could also provide a $350 million boost in space science spending over 2010 levels.
How to keep LISA's laser on target five million km away
(PhysOrg.com) -- A key technical challenge of the joint ESANASA LISA mission has been solved: how to maintain precise pointing of a laser beam across five million km of space.
Jupiter to disappear from sky - for a while
Movement of the planets means Jupiter won't be visible until late spring
Ground-based observations capture spacewalking astronaut in action
More impressive ground based images of the STS-133 mission, this time, Amateur astronomer Ralf Vandebergh of the Netherlands took images during one of the spacewalks for the mission, and likely...
TNK-BP moves closer to Russian arctic
MOSCOW, March 7 (UPI) -- Anglo-Russian energy venture TNK-BP could join Rosneft and Gazprom in developing the Russian arctic shelf if terms are good, the Russian prime minister said.
'Elephant trunks' in space
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, captured this image of a star-forming cloud of dust and gas, called Sh2-284, located in the constellation of Monoceros. Lining up...
Science Weekly podcast: Colin Pillinger's mission to Mars; plus Lester Brown on climate change
Colin Pillinger - the man who led Britain's Beagle 2 mission to Mars in 2003 - tells us what he thinks happened to the lander, which fell silent after it separated from...
U.S. military's mini space shuttle lifts off
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A prototype miniature space shuttle blasted off aboard an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Saturday for a demonstration run...
Newbold helps Utah State beat Louisiana Tech
RUSTON, La. (AP) -- Tyler Newbold scored 14 points and No. 25 Utah State used its stifling defense to rout Louisiana Tech 72-30 on Saturday night....
Space Music for the Final Frontier: Astronaut Wakeup Tunes and Other Space-Inspired Songs
NASA has been waking astronauts in space with music for years. But singers and songwriters have been thinking about space too.
NASA reels from climate science setbacks
A pair of costly satellite crashes have dealt a major blow to NASA's earth science efforts just as the US space agency faces scrutiny from Congress over whether climate science...
VIDEO: Giant solar calendar measures time
Professor Brian Cox visits a giant solar calendar built in a desert in Peru in his quest to understand the nature of time in creating the universe.
'Two suns' spotted in China defy explanation
Weeks after a story shot across the Web claiming that the imminent explosion of a nearby star would result in the appearance of a second sun in the sky —...
Green: Energy Geeks Converge on M.I.T.
Iindustry insiders, eager start-ups and freelance energy enthusiasts survey ideas for solving the planet's seemingly intractable energy problems at the sixth annual M.I.T. Energy Conference.
Food Science Challenges for NASA Missions to Mars
Space food for astronauts tastes better and is now healthier than ever before due to significant food science developments. However, a new study highlights the challenges that need to be...
The scars of impacts on Mars
ESA's Mars Express has returned new images of an elongated impact crater in the southern hemisphere of Mars. Located just south of the Huygens basin, it could have been carved...
Wormholes linking stars theorized
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, March 4 (UPI) -- European physicists say some stars could contain wormholes, tunnel-like passages connecting distant points in space-time, a concept sparking much debate.
Satellite completes gravity 'map' of Earth
PARIS, March 4 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says a satellite has completed the ambitious goal of a complete mapping of Earth's gravity with unprecedented precision.
Robonaut 2 aspires to fill in for astronauts
The space shuttle Discovery has delivered Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot, to the International Space Station. R2 is still in its box but has big ambitions..
An Exoplanet with a Potassium-Rich Atmosphere
(PhysOrg.com) -- A hot Jupiter - a type of celestial object unknown only fifteen years ago - is a Jupiter-sized exoplanet orbiting so close to its host star that its...
NASA's Glory mission fails after take-off
Disaster strikes for $424m craft six minutes after launch
Assumptions about exo-oceans
Some estimates indicate that 25% of Sun-like stars have Earth-like planets. A new study now shows that these planets are almost certain to have oceans if they are located in...
Exploring the magnetic personalities of stars
(PhysOrg.com) -- Massive stars are inherently violent creatures-they burn, they churn, they turn, all the while creating and held hostage by constantly changing magnetic fields of almost unfathomable strength.