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 […]
NASA Reaches New Heights in 2015
In 2015, NASA explored the expanse of our solar system and beyond, and the complex processes of our home planet, while also advancing the technologies for our journey to Mars, and new aviation systems as the agency reached new milestones aboard the International Space Station. To source
How to See Comet Catalina in the Early-Morning Sky
Catch Comet Catalina in the sky over the next several weeks. Amateur astronomer Rich Tyson snapped this image from the Slooh Observatories on the Canary Islands Dec. 12.Credit: Richard Tyson If you have already received, or expect to receive, binoculars or a telescope for the holidays, you’re in luck. During the next several weeks, you’ll […]
Behold, Enceladus! Awesome Photo Shows Off New Features on Saturn Moon
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft captured this shot of Saturn’s moon Enceladus on Aug. 18, 2015.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute A gorgeous new photo shows the varied terrain of Saturn’s icy, ocean-harboring moon Enceladus. The image, which was taken on Aug. 18 by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft from a distance of 85,000 miles (137,000 kilometers), dramatically shows that some […]
Spacewalking Astronauts Rescue Stuck Space Station Railcar
NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra completed a spacewalk today (Dec. 21), releasing a stuck railcar and moving it to a workstation, where it could be locked down. Here, Kopra works near the recently arrived Cygnus supply craft (top).Credit: NASA Two astronauts took a surprise spacewalk outside the International Space Station this morning (Dec. […]
No Water Required: Mars Gullies Caused By 'Dry Ice'?
These NASA Mars Global Surveyor images show fresh gully deposits inside an unnamed crater in the Centauri Montes region of the Red Planet.Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS More than a decade ago, NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor returned stunning images of gullies shaped like water-carved streams on Earth, raising the prospect that Mars may be a friendly haven for […]
Earth's Extreme Tilt Marks the Winter Solstice
The winter solstice is a vampire’s delight. No other night is longer and no day shorter. But it also means the subsequent days get longer. This year’s winter solstice will occur at 11:48 p.m. ET Monday (04:49 GMT Tuesday). At that moment, the sun will be directly overhead at 23.5 degrees south latitude, and the […]
Chandra Finds Remarkable Galactic Ribbon Unfurled
An extraordinary ribbon of hot gas trailing behind a galaxy like a tail has been discovered using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. To source