Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
MESSENGER Spacecraft Reveals More Hidden Territory On Mercury
A NASA spacecraft gliding over the battered surface of Mercury for the second time this year has revealed more previously unseen real estate on the innermost planet. The probe also...
Tranquility transfer ceremony rescheduled
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency's transfer of the International Space Station's Tranquility node to the U.S. space agency has been rescheduled.
Carbon atmosphere discovered on neutron star
Evidence for a thin veil of carbon has been found on the neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. This discovery, made with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, resolves a...
Frost-Covered Phoenix Lander Seen in Winter Images
(PhysOrg.com) -- Winter images of NASA's Phoenix Lander showing the lander shrouded in dry-ice frost on Mars have been captured with the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE camera,...
Early universe supports dark matter theory
STANFORD, Calif., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. and Welsh researchers say they've obtained a detailed picture of the early universe using a telescope in the Antarctic.
NRL sensor provides critical space weather observations
Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle, Oct. 18, 2009, the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) developed by NRL's Space...
Space junk storm will up mission costs: experts
LONDON (Reuters) - A growing storm of debris flying around in space is dramatically increasing the risk of orbital crashes, and steps to avoid them will add greatly to the...
Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Satellite Forms Three-pointed Star In The Sky
Following the launch of ESA's SMOS satellite on Nov. 2, the French space agency CNES, which is responsible for operating the satellite, has confirmed that the instrument's three antenna arms...
GALAXY PICTURE: Cosmic Ray Mystery Solved?
Star explosions accelerate high-energy particles called cosmic rays, sending them darting across space, according to a new study of gamma ray-filled galaxies.
Rare space experiment gives clues about the structure of the universe
(PhysOrg.com) -- A physics experiment using a super-fast explosion in a galaxy 7.3 billion light-years away has given scientists rare experimental evidence about the fundamental structure of space and time.
Rocketeers Win $1 Million in Lunar Lander Contest
A small team of engineers has snagged a $1 million NASA prize in a pitched competition to fly homemade rockets on mock moon landing missions.
Video: First Hotel in Space by 2012
The Barcelona-based Galactic Suite, says it is on schedule to accept hotel guests in space by 2012. A three-night stay will cost $4.5 million and guests will enjoy 15...
Shedding Light On The Cosmic Skeleton
Astronomers have tracked down a gigantic, previously unknown assembly of galaxies located almost seven billion light-years away from us. The discovery, made possible by combining two of the most powerful...
In Memoriam: Allan Ray Putnam, Retired Managing Director of ASM International
Allan Ray Putnam, FASM, retired managing director of ASM International, the materials information society based in Cleveland, died suddenly on October 13th in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida at the age...
Emission Impossible?: Is Dark Matter Behind the Hazy Radiation at the Milky Way's Center?
A haze of radiation at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy that appears in sky maps taken by two spacecraft at two different wavelengths likely results from a population...
Deep Space Objects Guide Earth's GPS System
Quasars used as signposts to measure positioning of GPS satellites.
New way to help avoid a space shuttle disaster
Extending a bird-watching system, a team devises method for real-time spotting of potentially dangerous debris
'Ultra-primitive' particles found in comet dust
Dust samples collected by high-flying aircraft in the upper atmosphere have yielded an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution. The stratospheric...
NASA's Fermi Telescope Detects Gamma Rays From 'Star Factories' In Other Galaxies
Nearby galaxies undergoing a furious pace of star formation also emit lots of gamma rays, say astronomers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Two so-called "starburst" galaxies, plus a satellite...
Fantastic Voyage
By travelling to the outer solar system, the two Voyager spacecraft allowed us to see amazing details of far-distant planets and moons.
Feature: How a Moon got its stripes
How does a frozen moon in deep space display 'tiger stripes'? Scientists found out while exploring one of Saturn's moons.
STAR TRAK for November: Mars is prominent again
(PhysOrg.com) -- Pumpkin-colored Mars will return to prominence during November, rising shortly before midnight at the beginning of the month and more than two hours earlier by month's end. The...
Observatory: Anti-Odor Silver Exits Textiles in the Wash
The metal can help fight foot stink, but some of it goes down the drain when laundered.
SpaceX Picks Launch Date for New Rocket's Debut
SpaceX has requested a Feb. 2, 2010 launch date for the debut flight of its Falcon 9 rocket, a booster to launch cargo ships to the ISS.
South African telescope hit by broadband problems
• Astronomers forced to send findings by road• Embarrassed politicians call on telephone firm to resolve issueIt can see to the edge of the observable universe. It can peer back in time...
ESA seeks hypergravity experiments
NOORDWIJK, Netherlands, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency says it is seeking proposals from European university students interested in conducting hypergravity experiments.
Saturn's Equinox Leaves Rings in Long, Cold Night
Cassini spacecraft sees long night for Saturn's rings during planet's equinox.
Ray Comfort is Bananas
NCSE Executive Director Eugenie Scott takes aim at creationist Ray Comfort's distorted views on evolution in a debate taking place on the U.S. News & World Report site.