'Star Wars' Celebration Takes Over Toys 'R' Us in NYC's Times Square
NEW YORK – A few hours ago, at a toy store not so far away, Space.com sent one of its reporters to eat Wookie cookies, attend “Light Saber Academy,” and meet the owner of the world’s largest “Star Wars” memorabilia collection, in a daylong countdown to “Force Friday.” Tomorrow (Sept. 3), is “Force Friday”: […]
'Floating Spoon' on Mars Is Just a Weird Rock, But Still Awesome
Is that really a floating spoon on Mars? No, but this photo from NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity this week does show a weird rock that looks like a floating spoon. It was likely sculpted by Martian winds, NASA says.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS A so-called “floating spoon” on Mars spotted by NASA’s Curiosity rover is cooking up a […]
Spaceship Earth
Come and see how images of Earth from space show how science meets art at a new exhibition at Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria To source
Sept. 3, 1976: Viking 2 Lands on Mars
This rocky panoramic scene is the second picture of the Martian surface that was taken by Viking Lander 2 shortly after touchdown on Sept. 3, 1976 at 3:58 p.m. PDT (Earth received time). To source
SpaceX Will Debut Upgraded Falcon 9 Rocket on Return to Flight Mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Falcon 9 return-to-flight mission will be the first of an upgraded version with increased performance.Credit: SpaceX PASADENA, Calif. — The return to flight of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, still a “couple of months” away, will also be the first launch of an upgraded […]
Wild 'Hitchhiker' Spacecraft Idea Could Harpoon Comets
This artist concept shows Comet Hitchhiker, an idea for traveling between asteroids and comets using a harpoon and tether system.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornelius Dammrich A NASA spacecraft may one day sling itself from one comet or asteroid to another using a harpoon and a superlong tether. That’s the idea behind Comet Hitchhiker, a proposal that received funding […]
Some Apollo Moon Samples 'Crumbling to Dust'
An Apollo moon rock sample in the Lunar Sample Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.Credit: Science/AAAS Some of the moon soil collected by Apollo astronauts has deteriorated significantly during its four-plus decades on Earth, a new study reports. Scientists found that the median particle size in a set of 20 different Apollo soil […]
Earth from Space
Join us Friday, 4 September, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme. This week features a Sentinel-2A satellite image of the Australian Northern Territory. To source
Syfy Space Shows 'Dark Matter' and 'Killjoys' Will Be Back for 2nd Seasons
The space-based action shows “Killjoys” and “Dark Matter” will both be getting second seasons in 2016, the Syfy network announced this week. “Dark Matter ” tells the story of six people who wake up on a spaceship with no memory of who they are, or how they got there. According to a statement from the network, […]
Powerful Rocket Launches Light Up the Skies Just Hours Apart (Photos)
The MUOS-4 satellite launched aboard an Atlas V rocket on Sept. 2, 2015. The rocket trail reflected sunlight in the early dawn hours to create this stunning aerial light show.Credit: United Launch Alliance Early this morning, in a double display of sheer power and explosive force, two rockets thousands of miles apart blasted off toward […]
Awesome Launch Photos: US Navy's MUOS-4 Satellite Streaks Into Space
PREVIOUS | NEXT 1 of 9 MUOS-4 Launch Credit: United Launch Alliance An Atlas V rocket carrying the MUOS-4 satellite took off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:18 a.m. EDT (1018 GMT). 2 of 9 MUOS-4 Launch Exhaust Trail Credit: United Launch Alliance The MUOS-4 satellite launched aboard an Atlas V rocket […]
Hell On Earth: NASA Recreates Venus' Extreme Atmosphere
False-color view of cloud features on Venus taken by Europe’s now-defunct Venus Express spacecraft.Credit: ESA/MPS/DLR/IDA Scientists interested in studying Venus, as well as other extreme places in the solar system, now have an option besides expensive, one-off space missions. A new test rig at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio can replicate the planet’s lead-melting […]
Tatooine-Like Planets with 2 Suns Need Perfect Ingredients to Form
An artist’s impression of Alpha Centauri, which involves two close-orbiting stars, with an Earth-mass planet in orbit around one. A third star orbits the close pair from a distance.Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org ) Astronomers have long struggled with how young planets form around pairs of stars without destroying themselves, but new research suggests it […]