Rare Christmas Full Moon Will Add to Holiday Light
A full moon will light up the heavens on Christmas Day this year, for the first time in more than 30 years.Credit: NASA/Goddard/Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Holiday lights will adorn many neighborhoods this Christmas, but look out for a very special lighting treat in the form of a full moon this Friday. This month, the full moon […]
Photos: The Geminid Meteor Shower of 2015
Space.com readers have sent in their best photos of the Geminid meteor shower taking place in December 2015. See their images here. THIS IMAGE: Astrophotographer…Read More » Kevin Lewis produced this composite image of Geminid meteors using exposures taken on the island of Anglesey off the northwest coast of Wales on Dec. 14, 2015. Less « […]
Neil deGrasse Tyson Has Deep Thoughts About 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
A new addition to the “Star Wars” movie universe will keep the already-long-lived franchise alive for new fans.Credit: Disney/Lucasfilm Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has searched his feelings about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and the Force is strong in his opinions. Tyson, host of the StarTalk podcast and talk show and the of head […]
NASA Astronaut Tim Kopra on Dec. 21 Spacewalk
Expedition 46 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra on a Dec. 21, 2015 spacewalk, in which Kopra and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly successfully moved the International Space Station’s mobile transporter rail car ahead of Wednesday’s docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft. To source
NASA Europa Mission May Land on Potentially Life-Hosting Jupiter Moon
Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, as seen by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute SAN FRANCISCO — There’s a good chance that NASA’s highly anticipated Europa mission will do much more than just fly by the ocean-harboring Jupiter moon. NASA has already selected the nine primary science instruments for the Europa spacecraft, whose core mission involves performing […]
SpaceX Rocket Landing Is a Giant Leap Toward a City on Mars, Elon Musk Says
Artist’s illustration showing SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft landing on Mars.Credit: SpaceX Elon Musk’s Mars dream is looking more and more achievable. Musk’s company, SpaceX, successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during an orbital launch Monday night (Dec. 21). The historic accomplishment brings SpaceX a big […]
The Falcon Has Landed! Epic Views of SpaceX's Amazing Rocket Landing
SpaceX, your Falcon 9 rocket has landed, and oh, what a sight it was. In a history-making launch late Monday (Dec. 21), the private spaceflight company SpaceX blasted one of its two-stage Falcon 9 rockets into space, then returned the first stage of the rocket back to Earth in a stunning nighttime landing. (The upper stage, […]
SpaceX Launches, Lands, Deploys 11 Birds | Highlights Video
Private sector energy: Roll-out an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket – after a major anomaly 6 months prior – launch it; land it, and deploy 11 ORBCOMM satellites. [Excerpted from the SpaceX Live webcast of 21 December 2015.] (Full Story) Credit: SpaceX, Space.com To source
SpaceX's Epic Falcon 9 Rocket Landing in Pictures
Tariq Malik Tariq joined Purch’s Space.com team in 2001 as a staff writer, and later editor, covering human spaceflight, exploration and space science. He became Space.com’s Managing Editor in 2009. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration […]
Upgraded SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 11 ORBCOMM Birds | Video
Building ALMA: Earth’s Largest Radio Telescope SPACEWATCH: Scanning for Cosmic Killers Planning the Assault: Why Bomb the Moon? Protecting Space Robots…from People! Possible Killer Asteroid Targeted for Mission Galileo’s Imperfect World: The Moon (Again) Flash Back to America’s First Spaceflight Rover Tracks: Spirit at Gusev – Lucky Again Lucky Landing – Opportunity Mars Rover’s Bullseye […]
Wow! SpaceX Lands Orbital Rocket Successfully in Historic First
The third attempt at a historic reusable-rocket milestone was the charm for SpaceX. The private spaceflight company brought the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth for a soft touchdown tonight (Dec. 21), pulling off history’s first-ever rocket landing during an orbital launch. (Blue Origin, the company led by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, […]
Orion Capsule Exhibit Previews 'Journey to Mars' at Space Center Houston
A United States flag and flown back shell (adorned with a flag) are among the Orion exhibits now on display at Space Center Houston.Credit: collectSPACE.com Artifacts from NASA’s on-going efforts to develop Orion, its new spacecraft to fly astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, have landed at Space Center Houston as a preview of a planned […]
Ursids Outshone: December's 'Other' Meteor Shower Beaten by Moon
The Ursid meteor shower will peak the night of Dec. 22-Dec 23, but a bright moon may wash out the unlucky display.Credit: Starry Night Software The Ursids, December’s “other” meteor shower besides the famous Gemenids, will peak in late December — but will face stiff competition from the dazzling winter moon. December is an interesting […]