Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Space Shuttle Astronauts Get Time Off
Discovery shuttle astronauts get a few hours off Sunday after a busy week of space station construction.
New Moonlet Found Circling Saturn
Cassini images moonlet in ring arc of tenuous outer G ring.
Mars Orbiter Needs Risky Computer Reboot
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, which has been circling the red planet for nearly eight years, needs a risky reboot to address a long-known, potential vulnerability in its memory system.
NASA Revives Sick Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
NASA has revived the sick Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter after a Feb. 23 glitch.
Space station gets the last of its wings
When Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk joins the crew of the International Space Station for an extended six-month stay in May, he'll be part of the first six-person crew in the...
Scientists see earthquake surface healing
PASADENA, Calif., March 5 (UPI) -- U.S. space agency scientists say they've used satellite data to observe, for the first time, the healing of subtle, natural surface scars...
In search of ... us?
Scientists hope a spacecraft bearing the name of German astroner Johannes Kepler will answer a fundamental question of astronomy: are we unique?
Herschel spruced up after arrival in Kourou
Following Herschel’s arrival at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, the spacecraft has been unpacked and inspected. After an initial visual inspection, the telescope mirror, the largest ever to fly...
Newfound Black Hole Duo Could Make Space-Time "Ripples"
Two supermassive black holes orbiting each other could be creating waves in the fabric of the universe, astronomers say.
Mars Life? Computer Analysis Hints At Water – And Life – Under Olympus Mons
The Martian volcano Olympus Mons is about three times the height of Mount Everest, but it's the small details that astronomers are looking at in thinking about whether the Red...
Over budget $1B, NASA gets $1B more from stimulus
(AP) -- NASA can land a spacecraft on a peanut-shaped asteroid 150 million miles away, but it doesn't come close to hitting the budget target for building its spacecraft,...
GOES-O satellite arrives at KSC for final pre-launch testing
(PhysOrg.com) -- The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) developed by NASA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), called GOES-O, arrived this morning by a C17 military cargo...
Charbonneau gets prestigious ‘young researcher’ award
David Charbonneau, the 34-year-old Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Astronomy, has been named the recipient of the National Science Foundation’s 2009 Alan T. Waterman Award, and will receive $500,000...
Japan Selects Two New Astronaut Candidates
Japan has selected two new astronaut candidates to join their corps of eight spaceflyers preparing for future trips to the International Space Station.
NASA mock-up abort system starts trek
HAMPTON, Va., March 4 (UPI) -- A mock-up of NASA's Orion launch abort system began a week-long U.S. trailer trip this week, en route to the White Sands...
NASA names launch investigation officials
WASHINGTON, March 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency has named the officials who will investigate the cause of the unsuccessful Feb 24 launch of the Orbiting Carbon...
NASA Shuffles Landing Plan for Some Station Astronauts
NASA has shuffled the landing plan for station astronauts later this year.
Mysterious Moon Flashes Signs of "Last Gasps"?
Scientists have long believed the moon to be a dead world. But observers have reported seeing intermittent bright flashes there for the past 400 years. Could these be signs of...
SPACE PICTURES THIS WEEK: Rings Gored, Blue "Eye," More
View a magnificent Hubble image, a truly ancient nebula star, and a celestial tug-of-war in this week's installment of space pictures.
Signal opportunities on the slopes -- with RFID
(PhysOrg.com) -- Whether slalom or alpine skiing, competitive skiing is all about thousandths of a second. Hence, professional athletes must constantly refine their technique. Small radio transmitters will make it...
Stars forced to relocate near the Southern Fish
About 100 million light-years away, in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus (the Southern Fish), three galaxies are playing a game of gravitational give-and-take that might ultimately lead to their merger...
NASA tests Ares rocket parachute
YUMA, Ariz., March 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says it has successfully completed the second drop test of a drogue parachute designed for use by the...
How Esa keeps tabs on orbiting garbage
After last month's collision between two satellites, Esa reveals the measures it is taking to track the swarm of disused spacecraft and debris in orbit
NASA flying wing moves to museum
WASHINGTON, March 3 (UPI) -- A model the National Aeronautics and Space Administration built to research futuristic aircraft designs is moving to the U.S. air and space museum.
Pretrial Hearing Set for Former NASA Astronaut
Orange County Circuit Court officials scheduled a pretrial hearing in the case of former astronaut Lisa Nowak.
Mothballed Satellite Sits In Warehouse, Waits For New Life
The long-grounded Deep Space Climate Observatory may be revived for a new assignment.
Q & A: Splashdown Secrets
Why did the early United States astronauts land in the ocean while Russian spacemen returned to dry land?
Hubble Has a Winner!
The public has voted on where they want to aim their favorite space observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope. And the winner is--drum roll please--a pair of close-knit galaxies that look...