Space Exploration
Europa Mission Heralds Sea Change in the Search for Alien Life
It’s not something NASA likes to advertise, but ever since its creation in 1958, the space agency has only conducted one direct, focused hunt for …
Extraterrestrial LifeMars Life Could Lurk Within These Salty Streaks
Life as we know it requires liquid water. So you can imagine the excitement when, in 2015, hydrated minerals — or compounds that form in the presence …
AstronomyA Region On Mars With Recent Water Is About To Get Major Attention
Striations exposed on the surface between Martian sand dunes (one pictured at top) in Lucaya Crater indicate fluctuating levels of salty groundwater. …
Space ScienceThis week in space: Pluto, Europa, and 96 nanosats
India just set a world record by sending 104 satellites into space in a single launch. One hundred and three of them were nanosats, but they were …
AstronomySaturn's Icy Moon Enceladus, a Possible Home for Life, Shines in Photo
Icy, harsh and uninhabitable — looking at Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, this may be your initial expectation from the cosmic satellite. But take a …
AstronomyThe Most Bullshit Missions to Mars, Ranked
For decades, Mars has entranced humans, including Matt Damon. Our cosmic neighbor, located some 34 to 249 million miles away, is an enticing …
Space ScienceNASA Narrows Down Mars 2020 Rover Landing Sites - Sky & Telescope
<b>Three possible landing sites are now in the running for NASA's Mars 2020 rover.</b><p>A huge inactive shield volcano in NE Syrtis Major.<i><br>NASA / JPL-Caltech /</i> …
Space ScienceNASA's Dawn spacecraft has detected organic compounds on the surface of Ceres
Scientists found a patch of organic materials near one crater, with a smaller amount a few hundred kilometers away.<p>The materials are likely …
Space TravelMoon is star of congressional hearing on NASA's future
WASHINGTON — The Oklahoma lawmaker considered the front-runner to be NASA’s next administrator wants the U.S. to re-establish its dominance on and around the moon.<p>“We all want to get to Mars in 2033 (but the moon) is critically important to the geo-political position of the United States of …
Space ScienceCongress May Shift Climate Research Away from NASA
Lawmakers are remaking NASA in order to leave parts of the agency’s earth science program untouched but remove its climate change research.<p>It’s still …
Climate ChangePresident Trump and Congress Might Want to Send Americans to the Moon
On Saturday afternoon inside a hangar at the Melbourne International Airport in Florida, President Trump will hold a campaign-style rally for …
NASAThe Greatest Space Missions Launched from NASA's Historic Pad 39A
1 of 11<p>Launch Complex 39A<p>NASA's historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida was first built to send astronauts to the moon and …
NASAResearcher works with NASA to study using Martian soil to build human habitats
It's hard enough to transport humans to Mars. But once they get there, where will they live?<p>A University of Central Florida professor is working with …
ChemistryEurope's Mars Mission Is About to 'Surf' the Red Planet's Atmosphere
The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) is about to go surfing — at the Red Planet.<p>Through 13 months of delicate maneuvers, the spacecraft will carefully …
AstronomyA Lander is Going to Europa to try and Find Alien Life
Life on an Icy Moon<p>Scientists believe that there is a possibility of life existing on Europa, one of Jupiter’s four<p>Galilean moons. Recently, NASA has …
Extraterrestrial LifeNASA Might Ship Astronauts Around The Moon And Nobody Quite Knows Why
NASA first zipped three Apollo 8 Mission astronauts around the moon in 1968. Now the agency is talking about a repeat mission.<p>NASA appears to be taking Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan seriously, pondering a repeat of a past triumph — circling astronauts on a test flight around the …
NASA104 satellites, World’s Cheapest, and more ISRO fluff
<i>It’s the season to celebrate ISRO again. But pardon me if I don’t get up from my seat for this anthem. ISRO‘s competence is to be expected, and</i> …
Space TravelNASA wants to send humans aboard the first SLS flight
The first Space Launch System flight scheduled for 2018 was supposed to be unmanned, designed to test the new rocket and its companion Orion capsule. But now NASA has grander plans for its maiden flight: acting administrator Robert M. Lightfoot Jr. has announced that the agency is considering …
Space ScienceWhy the Most Controversial 2020 Mars Rover Landing Site Is Also the Most Exciting
After much anticipation, NASA has finally released a shortlist of landing sites for its Mars rover mission slated for July 2020. The three finalists …
AstronomyUAE Announces Plans to Have a Human Colony on Mars by 2117
The Race Is On<p>The race to the Red Planet is, indeed, on, and the United Arab Emirates wants to be a part of it. Yesterday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid …
Space ScienceCheck Out NASA's Three Options for the 2020 Mars Rover Landing
Curiosity is still be working hard on Mars, collecting data and sending it back to Earth for analysis. But scientists and engineers are already …
Mars RoverMars Rover Curiosity's Drill Malfunction Puts Organics Hunt at Risk
Scientists hoping for a more detailed look at organic material on Mars — possibly including molecules relevant to life — are patiently awaiting an …
AstronomyThis Miniature Theater Set Memorializes the World's Worst Disasters - Creators
<i>Lead image: The full scene displayed in A Stage for the Worst of Times.</i><p>Rather than try to forget about tragic events, one artist decided to commemorate them. <i>A Stage for the Worst of Times</i> is a miniature theatrical set created by Kaitlyn Schwalje from handcrafted objects and portraits to memorialize …
ArtVoyager 1 Red Spot Movie | Galleries
This movie shows the portion of Jupiter around the Great Red Spot as it swirls through more than 60 Jupiter days. Notice the difference in speed and …
SpaceHow Trump Can Save NASA By Keeping It Grounded
Orbital Insight founder and NASA veteran James Crawford on why it's time to shelve "moonshots."<p><i>This story reflects the views of this author, but not necessarily the editorial position of</i> Fast Company.<p>It’s tough to be NASA in 2017. The last time anyone walked on the Moon was more than 40 years ago. …
NASANASA bets big on private sector to put humans on Mars
<b>NASA</b> will continue tapping the private sector to fund space exploration efforts under President <b>Trump</b> , marking a continuation in policy that first …
Space ScienceThe 8 Most Inaccurate Depictions of Mars Ever Put on Film
These days, we know more about Mars than ever before, thanks to the work of NASA and other space agencies. But science fiction movies have been …
Science FictionWhen Earth Became a 'Mote of Dust' - The Crux
By Shannon Stirone | February 14, 2017 12:28 pm<p>Earth, seen as the faint dot in a sunbeam, is 4 billion miles away in this image from Voyager 1.</i> …
SpaceMars 2020: Could this be Red Planet round-trip?
Engineers are building NASA's next rover with a return mission in mind. So far, NASA’s four Mars rovers have only covered about 38 miles of the Red …
AstronomyIndia in record satellite launch as Asia's space race heats up
(CNN)Forget the US versus Russia. The real space race is taking place in Asia.<p>India's space agency has successfully launched 104 satellites from a single rocket -- a record feat that will cement the country's space smarts after its successful Mars orbiter mission.<p>The launch has almost tripled the …
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