Latest science news in Astronomy & Space
Artificial Intelligence Boosts Science From Mars
Artificial intelligence being used at the European Space Operations Center is giving a powerful boost to ESA's Mars Express as it searches for signs of past or present life on...
Vega main engine test in Kourou
A prototype of the P80 rocket motor, which will power the first stage of ESA's new small launcher - Vega, was successfully tested on 4 December at the Guiana Space Centre,...
Mars and Venus are surprisingly similar
Using two ESA spacecraft, planetary scientists are watching the atmospheres of Mars and Venus being stripped away into space. The simultaneous observations by Mars Express and Venus Express give...
Cosmic engines surprise XMM-Newton
XMM-Newton has been surprised by a rare type of galaxy, from which it has detected a higher number of X-rays than thought possible. The observation gives new insight into the...
Contract signed for ESA’s Sentinel-3 earth observation satellite
ESA PR 22-2008. The European Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space today signed a €305 million contract to provide the first Sentinel-3 earth observation satellite, devoted to oceanography and land-vegetation...
Toulouse centre stage for space exploration
Toulouse will be the European capital of space and its applications when it hosts 'Toulouse Space Show '08' – an international space exhibition for both business and the general public...
From Mars to the Earth: Studying ice beneath the surface
A technique being used by the European Space Agency at Mars could prove invaluable for studying the stability of Antarctic ice sheets here on Earth. In preparation, a new ESA...
Ariane 5 - second launch of 2008
Yesterday evening, an Ariane 5 ECA launcher lifted off from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place two telecommunications satellites into geostationary transfer orbits.
Herschel spacecraft assembly complete
The mirror of the Herschel telescope has now been assembled with the payload and service module, completing the spacecraft structure - an important milestone in the days following through to...
GIOVE-B spacecraft in good health
After its successful launch by a Soyuz Rocket from Baiknour on 27 April and accurate insertion into its target orbit by the Fregat autonomous upper stage, GIOVE-B is now completing its...
Leaping dolphins collide; one dies
A dolphin died over the weekend at a SeaWorld sister park after colliding with another dolphin during a guest interaction program.
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Ling Ling, Japan's oldest giant panda, dies
Japan's oldest giant panda, Ling Ling, a longtime star at Tokyo's largest zoo and a symbol of friendship with China, died Wednesday of heart failure, zookeepers said.
Watching Galaxies Grow Old Gracefully
In the early 1900s, Edwin Hubble made the startling discovery that our Milky Way galaxy is not alone.
Astronomers Say Moons Like Ours Are Uncommon
The next time you take a moonlit stroll, or admire a full, bright-white moon looming in the night sky, you might count yourself lucky.
Voyager 2 Proves Solar System is Squashed
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft has followed its twin, Voyager 1, into the solar system's final frontier, a vast region at the edge of our solar system where the solar wind...
Mars Rover Investigates Signs of Steamy Martian Past
SAN FRANCISCO - Researchers using NASA's twin Mars rovers are sorting out two possible origins for one of Spirit's most important discoveries, while also getting Spirit to a favorable spot...
New NASA Mission to Reveal Moon's Internal Structure and Evolution
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or Grail, mission, will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail.
Mars Orbiter Examines 'Lace' and 'Lizard Skin' Terrain
SAN FRANCISCO - Scrutiny by NASA's newest Mars orbiter is helping scientists learn the stories of some of the weirdest landscapes on Mars, as well as more familiar-looking parts of the Red...
NASA Satellites Help Lift Cloud of Uncertainty on Climate Change
New findings from NASA's CloudSat and other Earth observing satellites offer important insights into this year's record reduction of Arctic sea ice, global rainfall patterns and the effects of pollution...
NASA Sends Spacecraft on Mission to Comet Hartley 2
NASA has approved the retargeting of the Epoxi mission for a flyby of comet Hartley 2 on Oct. 11, 2010.
10,000 Earths' Worth of Fresh Dust Found Near Star Explosion
Astronomers have at last found definitive evidence that the universe's first dust -- the celestial stuff that seeded future generations of stars and planets -- was forged in the explosions...
Countdown to Launch of Jet Propulsion Lab Rose Parade Float
Volunteers from JPL are helping with the finishing touches on the Lab's Rose Parade float saluting 50 Years of Space Exploration.
Hot Cyclones Churn at Both Ends of Saturn
Despite more than a decade of winter darkness, Saturn's north pole is home to an unexpected hot spot remarkably similar to one at the planet's sunny south pole.
JPL to Host High-Tech Small-Business Conference
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., will host the 20th annual High-Tech Conference for Small Business on March 4 and 5 at the Radisson Hotel near Los Angeles International...
NASA Unveils Cosmic Images Book in Braille for Blind Readers
NASA unveiled a new book that brings majestic images taken by its Great Observatories to the fingertips of the blind.
Cosmic Suburbia Is a Better Breeding Ground for Stars
New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that galaxies prefer to raise stars in cosmic suburbia rather than in "big cities."
Stardust Comet Dust Resembles Asteroid Materials
Contrary to scientists' expectations, much of the comet dust returned by NASA's Stardust mission formed very close to the young sun and was somehow differentiated from the other materials that...