House passes bill to create special curved coins for Apollo 11 Moon landing anniversary
The US may be getting some new legal tender soon that will showcase the most famous space event in history. The House of Representatives just passed a bill that would require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint special commemorative coins to...
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is getting ready to skim Saturn’s rings
After 12 years of touring the Saturn system, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is about to enter a new orbit — one that will take the probe up close to the planet’s famous rings. These Ring-Grazing Orbits, as NASA is calling them, will bring Cassini...
Trump's NASA looks good for human space exploration and terrible for Earth science
Update November 23rd 2:30PM ET: When this story was originally reported on November 9th, Walker thought he might be on the NASA transition team. He has since told The Verge that he won't be a team member, since he is a lobbyist, but that he hopes...
Watch the launch of the GOES-R satellite that will revolutionize weather forecasting
An Atlas V rocket is all set to launch this afternoon from Cape Canaveral, Florida, sending a NASA-built weather satellite into orbit. It’s the GOES-R probe, and it’s being touted as a game changer for weather forecasting. The spacecraft, which...
NASA is looking for ideas that could make its Mars vehicles more affordable
NASA is asking the private space industry how to make its future Mars vehicles more affordable. The agency released a Request for Information Thursday afternoon, looking for ideas that could maximize the “long term efficiency and sustainability”...
NASA astronaut launching today will be the first woman to command the ISS twice
This afternoon, three astronauts will launch to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz rocket, bringing the total number of crew aboard the ISS back to six. The new arrivals are an international group, including NASA astronaut Peggy...
Pluto’s ‘icy heart’ may have tilted the dwarf planet over
Pluto’s most iconic feature — its “icy heart” — may have been responsible for tipping the dwarf planet over. Scientists believe the 600-mile-wide region of frozen plains known as Sputnik Planitia gained enough mass over the years, causing Pluto to...
It's official: there will be fewer cosmonauts on the International Space Station in 2017
Starting in March 2017, some of the Soyuz rockets that launch to the International Space Station will have just two crew members on board — instead of the typical three. The change is the result of Russia’s desire to reduce the number of...
Stop stressing and stare at the closest supermoon we've seen in 69 years
This Monday, the early morning night sky will be treated to an extra special supermoon. You may be asking yourself "what’s the point?"; It feels like there’s a new supermoon every other month, and there are other bigger things to worry about right...
Why NASA’s Juno mission could last a lot longer than it was supposed to
NASA is preparing for Juno to stick around Jupiter a lot longer than it had originally planned. The probe — which has been orbiting the gas giant since July — is going to stay in its 53-day orbit around the planet for a while, with no definitive...
After successful Antares launch, NASA wants Orbital ATK to launch on ULA’s rocket again
NASA has asked commercial partner Orbital ATK to set aside its Antares rocket for the company’s next mission to the International Space Station and instead fly cargo on an Atlas V rocket — the premier vehicle of the United Launch Alliance. The...
SpaceX's plan to fuel rockets with people on board has NASA advisors worried
A panel of expert advisors to NASA have expressed concern about SpaceX’s plans to fuel its Falcon 9 rockets with astronauts on board, The Wall Street Journal reports. At a meeting on Monday, members of NASA’s Space Station Advisory Committee...
NASA’s most powerful space telescope ever is ready for preflight testing
The telescope portion of NASA’s James Webb Telescope is finally complete — marking a major benchmark for the spacecraft that has been in development for the past 20 years. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and other members of the James Webb...
NASA is crowdsourcing ideas to study the surface of the Moon
NASA wants ideas from private companies and the science community about instruments that can be used to explore and study the surface of the Moon. This morning, the space agency put out a formal Request for Information, asking for concepts of...
Watch three astronauts return home from the International Space Station tonight
A trio of astronauts will depart the International Space Station this evening, embarking on a three-and-a-half hour journey back to Earth. The exiting crew includes Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin, Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace...
