Space : Discovery News

Rodent Space Travelers Perish in Orbital Test

AFP — Sun, 19 May 2013 14:35:00 -0400

A number of mice and eight gerbils sent into space in a Russian capsule perished during their journey, after a month-long mission touched back down on Earth.

LHC Creates Tiny Drops of Big Bang 'Blood Spatter'

Ian O'Neill — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:45:30 -0400

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has recreated the world's tiniest droplets of a primordial state of matter that last existed moments after the Big Bang, some 13.82 billion years ago. Continue reading →

Venus, Jupiter and Mercury Will Dance on May 28

Mark Thompson — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:56:00 -0400

Later this month, three planets will gather very close in the twilight sky -- make sure you don't miss this stunning conjunction!

1998 QE2: Massive Asteroid to Make 'Royal' Flyby

Mike Wall, Space.com — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:41:00 -0400

A big asteroid will cruise by Earth at the end of the month, making its closest approach to our planet for at least the next two centuries.

Opportunity Breaks NASA's 40-Year Roving Record

Ian O'Neill — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:14:29 -0400

After nine years of hard Mars roving, Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has broken a 40-year-old extraterrestrial distance record. Continue reading →

Dust Devils Rip Up Mars' 'Etch A Sketch' Surface

Ian O'Neill — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:51:00 -0400

In side-by-side comparisons of observations of the same Mars region years apart, the active Martian atmosphere acts like an Etch A Sketch, rubbing out dust devils' tracks only for them to re-form years later.

Did 'Star Trek' Give Rise to the Space Shuttle?

Robert Z. Pearlman, collectSPACE.com Editor — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:30:00 -0400

'Star Trek Into Darkness' warped into theaters Thursday, May 16. Is there a link between Starfleet and NASA's shuttle fleet?

Does Alien Life Thrive in Venus' Mysterious Clouds?

Markus Hammonds — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:22:17 -0400

Venus might not be somewhere you'd expect to find life, but there's a chance that its sulfrous clouds could be hiding something. Continue reading →

When (Part of) Apollo 13 Reached the Moon

Amy Shira Teitel — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:47:42 -0400

Even though Apollo 13 never landed on the moon, the upper stage of it's Saturn V rocket did. Continue reading →

Kepler's Planet-Hunting Mission May Be Over

Irene Klotz — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:51:00 -0400

NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has shut down due to an apparent problem with its positioning system, suspending indefinitely its science mission.

New York City Under 5 Alien Skies

Ray Villard — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:54:00 -0400

Because the Manhattan skyline is so iconic, New York City is often the backdrop for implausible imaginary sci-fi futures -- now see an artist's fanciful renderings of NYC on 5 planets of the solar system.

Sun Kicks Off Another X Flare -- Should We Care?

Ian O'Neill — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:32:08 -0400

The sun has erupted with another X-class solar flare, adding a fourth huge solar explosion to the 48-hour tally. Continue reading →

Into Reality: Top Star Trek Warp Speed Concepts

Ian O'Neill — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:29:00 -0400

As Star Trek 'Into Darkness' hits movie screens, let's take a look at the plausibility of traveling at warp speed and some of the real physics behind the warp drive.

Ancient Ocean Bacteria Feasted on Supernova Dust

Markus Hammonds — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:17:19 -0400

A rare isotope of iron found in fossilised bacteria under the Pacific ocean gives clues to a near-Earth supernova which exploded 2.2 million years ago. Continue reading →

Einstein's BEER Planet Discovered

Ian O'Neill — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:02:40 -0400

An exoplanet has been discovered by Kepler using a strange quirk of relativity. Continue reading →

Sun Unleashes THREE Record X-Class Flares

Ian O'Neill — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:54:02 -0400

The sun didn't unleash one record-setting solar flare of 2013, it unleashed a hat-trick of awesome eruptions... all within 24 hours! Continue reading →

Soyuz Capsule Lands Space Station Crew Safely

Miriam Kramer, SPACE.com — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:30:00 -0400

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a crew of three touched down on the Central Asian steppes of Kazakhstan tonight, wrapping up a five-month mission to the International Space Station.

Space Oddity: Astronaut Ends Mission With Music Video

Irene Klotz — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:17:58 -0400

For space station commander Chris Hadfield's finale aboard the orbiting outpost, he created a poignant music video rendering of David Bowie’s iconic “Space Oddity.” Continue reading →

X-Rated: Sun Unleashes Biggest Boom of 2013

Ian O'Neill — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:27:26 -0400

In the early hours of this morning, the sun exploded to life with an X1.7 flare -- the biggest of the year, so far. Continue reading →

Pulsar Planets: Strange Worlds Orbiting Undead Stars

Markus Hammonds — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:48:07 -0400

As we start to discover "Earth-like" planets elsewhere in the galaxy, it's easy to forget that the first exoplanets discovered were orbiting a pulsar -- and weren't very Earth-like at all. Continue reading →