Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Iran Launches First Homegrown Satellite
Iran has successfully sent its first domestically made satellite into orbit, the country's president announced, claiming a significant step in an ambitious space program that has worried many international observers.
European team finds smallest transiting extrasolar planet ever
The CoRoT satellite has discovered a planet only twice as large as the Earth orbiting a star slightly smaller than the Sun. It is the smallest extrasolar planet (planet outside...
Rover Spirit resumes driving
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit resumed driving Saturday after engineers gained confidence from diagnostic activities earlier in the week evaluating how well the rover senses its orientation...
Mystery Of Twin Quasar Brightness Revealed
Variations in the brightness of the Q0957+561 quasar, also known as the "twin quasar" due to its duplicated image on Earth, are intrinsic to the entity itself and not caused...
NASA and Google launch virtual exploration of Mars
NASA and Google announced Monday the release of a new Mars mode in Google Earth that brings to everyone's desktop a high-resolution, three-dimensional view of the Red Planet...
Successful test of NASA crew rocket
The development of NASA's next-generation crew launch vehicle, the Ares I rocket, took another step forward Thursday as Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, successfully tested a critical piece. read more
NASA Mission to Help Unravel Key Carbon, Climate Mysteries
NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide is in final preparations for a Feb. 23 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
JPL to Host High-Tech Conference for Small Business
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will host the 21st Annual High-Tech Conference for Small Business on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 3 and 4, at the Westin Los Angeles...
Precise orbit determination for Jason-1 satellite using on-board GPS data with centimeter-level accuracy
The Jason-1 satellite obits have been computed using the on-board GPS data and the SHORDE-III procedure. Various orbit validations, including comparison with the Precise Orbit Ephemeris produced by JPL, orbit...
NASA seeks gravity flight test proposals
HOUSTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency is seeking new technologies that could benefit from testing during flights on an airplane that simulates the weightless of...
Mexican Satellite Firm's Future Might Hinge on New Spacecraft
Satmex of Mexico risks losing customers if it cannot replace a satellite.
Japanese government plans powerful information-gathering satellite
Aiming to drastically beef up the performance of the nation's intelligence satellites, the government of Japan will embark on a research and development program in fiscal year 2009 to develop...
Jodrell Bank: Science facts and science fiction
The Lovell Telescope: Facts & FiguresMass of the telescope: 3,200 tonnesMass of bowl: 1,500 tonnesDiameter of bowl: 76.2 metresSurface area of bowl: 5,270 square metresAmount of paint for three coats:...
Novelties: ‘Fantastic Voyage,’ Revisited: The Pill That Navigates
Philips Research has developed a prototype for a pill that can navigate toward a specific spot in the body and deposit its medicine there, radioing dispatches to the doctor as...
Titan's Methane Mystery
Scientists suspect liquid hydrocarbon reservoirs lurk beneath moon's surface
Russia puts research satellite in orbit
MOSCOW, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Russia has launched its first rocket of the year, carrying a research satellite as its payload, a space agency spokesman said Friday.
France Pushes to Downsize European Mars Mission
France's space agency is calling to downsize Europe's next Mars lander.
Cassini Finds Hydrocarbon Rains May Fill Titan Lakes
(PhysOrg.com) -- A region on Saturn's moon Titan's southern latitudes appears to have been flooded by a summer cloudburst of hydrocarbon rain, as seen in images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft...
Methane Rain Formed New Lake on Saturn Moon
A large, lakelike body suddenly appeared on Titan around the same time that a heavy rainstorm was hovering over the area, newly released images reveal.
Florida Group Launches Bid to Reserve Retired Space Shuttle
A grassroots effort hopes to reserve a NASA shuttle in Florida after the fleet's 2010 retirement.
Video: David Attenborough on Charles Darwin's legacy
Sir David Attenborough discusses how Charles Darwin helped shape his career
Space agency's astronaut search enters next stage
The Canadian Space Agency is entering a new phase in its search for two new astronauts.
Two rockets fly through auroral arc
After days of waiting for precise aurora conditions, a team from the University of Iowa finally saw the launch of its two scientific sounding rockets from Poker Flat Research Range....
Testbeds To Breed Next-generation Systems
The systems that let you zap a photo to a friend, or an astronomer to control a telescope continents away, require intensive simulation and testing. European research has now made...
What happens when a stone impacts on water
Researchers at the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), the University of Twente in the Netherlands and the University of Seville in Spain have explained the formation and behaviour...
NASA seeks moon lander concepts
HOUSTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says it has issued a request for proposals for concept definition and requirements analysis for the Altair lunar lander.
Senior NASA Researcher Named UAHuntsville Vice President
Dr. John M. Horack, a senior NASA research executive who has been a key scientist in many of the space agency's high-profile programs, has been chosen as the Vice President...
Eccentric Exoplanet Gets Hot Flashes
A Jupiter-like world 190 light-years away passes so close to its host star during its odd orbit that its temperature spikes dramatically, according to a new study.