Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Freak weather could have been predicted
UK Met Office is being held back by a lack of computing power, says its chief scientist Julia Slingo.
NASA: More Earth science missions coming
GREENBELT, Md., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- NASA says strong support from the White House and Congress will allow it to plan extensive Earth science programs with 16 major missions...
NASA mulls merging operational divisions
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- NASA says it is considering merging its space operations and human spaceflight mission directorates to better reach its manned spaceflight goals.
Cassini celebrates 10 years since Jupiter encounter
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ten years ago, on Dec. 30, 2000, NASA's Cassini spacecraft made its closest approach to Jupiter on its way to orbiting Saturn. The main purpose was to use...
Mars Rover to Celebrate New Year's Eve at Big Crater
NASA's Mars rover Opportunity has its plans for New Year's Eve all sorted out — poking around a football-field-size crater called Santa Maria.
Stunning New Shots from Mars
Gallery: Mars Orbiter Finds Potential Future Landing Site, Ancient Lakebed
Video: Jack Black Super-Sized for "Gulliver's Travels"
In the latest adaptation of Jonathan Swift's 18th-century classic, "Gulliver's Travels," Jack Black portrays an inexperienced travel writer on the adventure of a lifetime. Kendis Gibson reports.
A Mighty Tech Arsenal on Display
Gallery: The USS Hornet Spanned World War II, the Cold War and the Space Race to Put a Man on the Moon
Delayed Ariane rocket launches and deploys satellites
CAYENNE, French Guiana (Reuters) - A European Ariane rocket successfully launched on Wednesday from French Guiana after an earlier attempt to get into orbit was postponed for 24 hours because...
Europe launcher puts Spanish, S.Korean satellites into orbit
An Ariane 5 heavy rocket lifted off from Europe's space base on French Guiana Wednesday and put into orbit the South Korean Koreasat 6 and Spanish Hispasat 1E telecommunications satellites.
Birthplace of giant stars discovered
SYDNEY, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- An Australian astronomer says a cosmic string of cold gas and dust 260 light years across the Milky Way has been identified as the...
'Zombie satellite' finally reboots itself
LUXEMBOURG, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A "zombie satellite" adrift in orbit has come back to life, resetting itself after an unexplained breakdown in space this year, its European controllers...
Extension of space station support fails
PARIS, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says it was unable to win approval of NASA's proposed five-year extension of operations of the International Space Station.
Russian Space Officials Punished for Botched Satellite Launch
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has fired two top space officials and reprimanded the country's space agency chief in the fallout from an embarrassing Dec. 5 rocket launch failure.
Orbiting junk seen as major space threat
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Thousands of pieces of space junk in Earth orbit now rival weapons as a threat to the future peaceful use of space, a U.S....
Forecasters keep eye on looming 'Solar Max'
The coming year will be an important one for space weather as the Sun pulls out of a trough of low activity and heads into a long-awaited and possibly destructive...
SOHO spots 2,000th comet
As people on Earth celebrate the holidays and prepare to ring in the New Year, an ESA/NASA spacecraft has quietly reached its own milestone: on December 26, the Solar and...
Cosmic Log: How to pour that drink, scientifically
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: What's the best way to pour a glass of New Year's Eve champagne or winter stout? Once again, science has the answer.
EPA issues compact fluorescent guidelines
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it has updated its guidance on how properly to clean up and dispose of a broken compact fluorescent...
Past voyages could yield climate clues
SUNDERLAND, England, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Researchers in Britain say an examination of records of 18th and 19th century voyages to the Arctic Circle could shed light on world...
Sun Pictures: A Full Year in a Single Frame
Can a single picture sum up all of 2010? In a way, yes. Follow the sun's path over the course of a year in analemmas past and present.
Night Sky: Uranus to Align With Jupiter This Week
This week, for the third time in eight months, Jupiter has a close encounter with Uranus.
Dust Shatters Like Breaking Glass, Study Finds
The discovery that dust particles shatter like broken glass could mean more accurate predictions for climate and weather.
Michigan could eye new shale gas rules
LANSING, Mich., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Michigan officials could consider new regulations on shale gas extraction after new deposits were uncovered in the state, an environmental official said.
Galileo pathfinder GIOVE-A achieves five years in orbit
ESA’s GIOVE-A satellite – the first prototype of Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system – is still working well after five years in space.
Top science videos from around the Web
Cosmic Log: The year's top-rated science videos include reports on 3-D water displays, a towel-folding robot and an underwater confrontation between a sea lion and an octopus.
Snowstorm from Space: Satellite Image of the Blizzard
The great blizzard of December 2010 is visible in a new satellite image.
Scientist at Work: Life in the Deep Field
Scientists working in field camps are on their own, relying on tents and layers of clothing to fend off Antarctica's katabatic winds.