Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Saturn moon may explain life's start
PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Chemical reactions in the atmosphere of Titan, a moon of Saturn, suggest life may spring out of thin air -- and may have...
Russian-U.S. crew heads for space station
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut to the international space station lifted off early on Friday from Russia's launch site in Kazakhstan.
Cassini catches Saturn moons in paintball fight
Scientists using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have learned that distinctive, colorful bands and splotches embellish the surfaces of Saturn's inner, mid-size moons. The reddish and bluish hues on the...
Scientists Demand Retraction From Gov't Attorney In NASA Privacy Case
A group of NASA scientists has demanded that the U.S. Attorney General's office immediately retract remarks made by a government attorney arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Nobel Prize In Physics
Awards: Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov land prize for discovering graphene.
Probe to eye Martian atmosphere 'theft'
BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A NASA mission to Mars will study how the sun has stolen the planet's atmosphere, condemning it to a cold and sterile existence,...
Europa's Frigid Surface Could Be a Hot Spot of Chemistry
Chemistry experiments in the lab have mimicked the situation on Jupiter's icy moon Europa, revealing new details about how molecules may react on the alien world, scientists announced.
WISE captures key image of comet mission's destination
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, caught a glimpse of the comet that the agency's EPOXI mission will visit in November. The WISE observation will help the EPOXI team...
Huge Asteroid Wrapped in Thick Dust Blanket
If astronauts ever visit the asteroid Lutetia, they may have to strap on some snowshoes to avoid sinking beneath its nearly half-mile-thick layer of dust.
XPP instrument blasts past key milestones
(PhysOrg.com) -- The X-ray Pump Probe instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source is installed and ready for its first user experiments several weeks ahead of schedule, thanks in part...
NASA to Seek Bids for New Round of Commercial Space Work
NASA is planning to award multiple year-long space act agreements for companies developing commercial spaceships.
NASA technology chief: We'll decide what rocket we want to build
NASA engineers -- not Congress -- must determine the design of America's next big spaceship to take humans beyond the moon, according to the agency's top technology official.
‘Masters with Masters’ event at IAC
On 28 September, ESA and NASA held a special ‘Masters with Masters’ knowledge-sharing session at the International Astronautical Congress in Prague. The event featured ESA’s Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and...
Video: Argonne Scientists Simulate Collision of Galaxies, In 3-D
Bullet Cluster The Bullet Cluster consists of two colliding galaxy clusters. Dark matter, though it cannot be seen, is influencing the merger of these galaxies. NASAWatch "violent relaxation" in action This is the...
Cluster helps disentangle turbulence in the solar wind
From Earth, the Sun looks like a calm, placid body that does little more than shine brightly while marching across the sky. Images from a bit closer, of course, show...
Japan tech fair offers glimpse of future lifestyles
Hundreds of technology firms came together in Japan Tuesday to showcase the latest in high-end gadgetry, including wafer-thin speakers and a ring that can monitor your heart rate.
Leave Iran, group tells energy companies
NEW YORK, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Royal Dutch Shell needs to "come clean" on its energy dealings in sanction-strapped Iran, the president of advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran...
Kepler mission team completes quarterly contact with the spacecraft
The Kepler Project Team completed another quarterly roll of the spacecraft Sept. 22-23, 2010. The roll will keep Kepler spacecraft power generation nominal for the fall season with proper alignment...
Powerful supercomputer peers into the origin of life
Supercomputer simulations at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are helping scientists unravel how nucleic acids could have contributed to the origins of life...
NASA Study Sees Earth's Water Cycle Pulse Quickening
The circulation of water drives our planet's pulse. A new NASA/university study of river water flowing into oceans offers an early warning that the pulse may be speeding up.
Space Traffic Jam Delays Final Shuttle Endeavour Launch a Day
A looming traffic jam in space has caused NASA to push back its planned launch date for the last scheduled space shuttle flight by one day.
European Gravity Probe Returned to Normal Orbit
A European gravity-measuring spacecraft has returned to its planned orbit after a computer glitch this summer.
Plans for New Italian Particle Smasher Gather Steam
Italy is increasing its investment in a planned €500 million particle collider outside Rome....
Claims to arctic 'not easy,' says Moscow
MOSCOW, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Moscow faces an uphill battle in staking its claims to the oil- and natural gas-rich arctic, a Russian polar explorer said. ...
Researchers examine why some aurora displays flicker in the night sky
Look up into the night sky in Alaska, Northern Canada, or Russia just before dawn, and you may able to make out a faint whitish glow of the northern lights....
Green campaigners axe gory film
Environmental group 10:10 axe their campaign movie starring Gillian Anderson and David Ginola after complaints.
Video: The Secrets of Scientology | GrrlScientist
This is a very disturbing video documentary for the BBC programme Panorama, by reporter John Sweeney, that was broadcast on 28 September 2010BBC reporter John Sweeney's last investigation into the...
Historic 'Mars antenna' in Mojave Desert undergoing repairs
Deep Space Station 14 has spent 44 years tracking spacecraft and helping to image planets, comets and asteroids. It 'is one of the main contributors to our understanding of the...