Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Canada orbiter gauges CO2 like failed OCO
OTTAWA, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A $278 million NASA satellite that crashed into the Antarctic waters in a failed launch was a larger version of a $300,000 Canadian...
Cosmic Log: The race to save our languages
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Who would have thought that saving endangered languages could as exotic as Indiana Jones’ job? A film called "The Linguists" proves it.
Researchers show small robots can prepare lunar surface for NASA outpost
Small robots the size of riding mowers could prepare a safe landing site for NASA's Moon outpost, according to a NASA-sponsored study prepared by Astrobotic Technology Inc. with technical assistance...
Into the eye of the Helix
The Helix Nebula, NGC 7293, lies about 700 light-years away in the constellation of Aquarius (the Water Bearer). It is one of the closest and most spectacular examples of a...
NASA aims for March 12 space shuttle launch
(AP) -- NASA is aiming to launch the space shuttle Discovery next month after repeated delays caused by critical valves. Shuttle managers said Wednesday they hope to launch on...
Climate researchers in a spin after satellite loss
Orbiting Carbon Observatory crash sets back post-Kyoto emissions monitoring.
International Polar Year: Notes from the poles
The International Polar Year (IPY) has covered two full annual cycles at both poles. Consisting of 170 projects, it has involved more than 60 countries and cost about US$1.2 billion.
NASA Announces 2009 Astronomy and Astrophysics Fellows
NASA has selected fellows in three areas of astronomy and astrophysics for its Einstein, Hubble, and Sagan Fellowships. The recipients of this year's post-doctoral fellowships will conduct independent research at...
Astronomers urge N.B. to stay in dark
Astronomers are hoping to preserve the famously dark places of New Brunswick.
Watching Venus glow in the dark
ESA's Venus Express spacecraft has observed an eerie glow in the night-time atmosphere of Venus. This infrared light comes from nitric oxide and is showing scientists that the atmosphere of...
Space Solar Power Crowd Bets on Obama
Space solar power advocates are hoping the Obama administration will revive their experiment.
The sun is a star when it comes to sustainable energy
At a national scientific meeting last week where biofuels - principally ethanol - were uniformly trashed as an environmental train wreck, one bright, carbon-free light gleamed in our energy future:...
Jupiter pips Saturn for new space mission
US and Europe agree joint Jovian probes for launch in 2020
40-year Mystery Revisited: Newtonian System Mimics 'Baldness' Of Rotating Black Holes
In 1968, theoretical physicist and cosmologist Brandon Carter showed that a particle's wild gyrations while orbiting a rotating black hole nevertheless hold another variable fixed, which was named the "Carter...
Laser imaging helps make 3-D dinosaur models
Paleontologists used laser imaging technology called LiDAR for the first time to create 3-D computer models of five dinosaurs.
A dust factory around a dead star
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of astronomers, led by Loretta Dunne from the University of Nottingham, have found some very unusual stardust. In a paper to be published in Monthly Notices...
VIDEO: Horse Always Has 3 Legs Down
The Peruvian Paso horse has three unique gaits and three feet on the ground at all times, resulting in an unusual ride.
New rocket aims for cheaper nudges in space
Satellites orbiting the Earth must occasionally be nudged to stay on the correct path. MIT scientists are developing a new rocket that could make this and other spacecraft maneuvers much...
Dome Big Dome: Giant Observatories Augur New Era of Cosmology
Four centuries ago Galileo pointed his spyglass toward the heavens and astronomy changed forever. As the world celebrates the 400th anniversary of the telescope, another cosmological revolution is coming: The...
New Search for Cosmic Inflation Mounted
A telescope is being fine tuned to search for gravity waves. If confirmed to exist, they would reveal convincing evidence for a big cosmology theory.
Turbulence may promote the birth of massive stars
On long, dark winter nights, the constellation of Orion the Hunter dominates the sky. Within the Hunter's sword, the Orion Nebula swaddles a cluster of newborn stars called the Trapezium....
KAGUYA successfully captures moving images of the Earth
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) successfully took moving images of the precise Earth rise moment when the Earth looked like a diamond ring...
India to launch its first astronauts into space by 2015
India has endorsed an ambitious £1.7
North Korea says it is preparing satellite launch
(AP) -- North Korea said Tuesday it is preparing to shoot a satellite into orbit, its clearest reference yet to an impending launch that neighbors and the U.S. suspect...
Did space dust start life on Earth?
Amino acids could have found their way from deep space to start life on Earth, say scientists in Italy
2008 was Earth's coolest year since 2000
Climatologists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City have found that 2008 was the coolest year since 2000. The GISS analysis also showed that...
Readying for Mars: Live 'Clean Room Cam' and Chat
Join us for a rare opportunity to go behind-the-scenes to see engineers and technicians as they work on the Mars Science Laboratory, which is scheduled to launch in 2011.
Northern Star recalls some potato products
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Some cut-and-bagged potato products from Northern Star Co. are being recalled from the U.S market because they may be contaminated with bacteria.