Rocket Lab’s second Electron rocket stands on its New Zealand pad prior to a series of launch attempts in December 2017. A new window for the launch opens in late January 2018. WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab announced Jan. 11 it plans to make another attempt to launch its Electron small rocket on its second mission later […]
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SpaceX Dragon Capsule Returns to Earth After Space Station Delivery
A SpaceX Dragon capsule departs the International Space Station on Jan. 13, 2018 to return 4,100 lbs. (1,860 kilograms) of science gear to Earth and end a monthlong delivery mission. A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship left the International Space Station and returned to Earth Saturday (Jan. 13), wrapping up a nearly month-long delivery mission for […]
Indian Rocket Launches 31 Satellites Into Orbit
An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle has launched 31 new satellites into orbit, making a successful comeback after a launch failure last August. The PSLV rocket lifted off from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on the country’s east coast carrying the agency’s Cartosat-2F Earth observation satellite and 30 smaller […]
Wild 360-Degree Video Lets You See the Milky Way As a Giant Black Hole Would
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Ever wish you could see the galaxy from the perspective of a black hole? A new 360-degree simulation that uses data from NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory is helping astronomers better understand more than 22 stellar giants found at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The simulation, unveiled here Wednesday (Jan. […]
Ames Research Center: R&D Lab for NASA
Aerial image of NASA Ames Research Center. Ames Research Center is one of the oldest facilities currently operated by NASA. Lying just south of San Francisco, in the heart of Silicon Valley, Ames boasts a wealth of research projects. It is one of 10 NASA field centers. “Ames Research Center … contributes to virtually every […]
Whirlpool Galaxy: Exploding With Supernovas
One of the first images taken by the Discovery Channel Telescope was of the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. The image was obtained April-May 2012. The Whirlpool Galaxy is a spiral galaxy that is relatively close to Earth — about 30 million light-years away. It is visible in the northern constellation Canes Venatici, just southeast of the […]
In Photos: NROL-47 Spy Satellite Launches Into Space on Delta IV Rocket
On Jan. 12, 2018, the U.S. spy satellite NROL-47 launched into space atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. See video of the launch here! See photos from the stunning launch here. This Photo: The liftoff moment for NROL-47 as a secret mission is born. To source
Zoom Through the Famous Orion Nebula with NASA's Incredible 3D Video
Take a tour of one of the most famous star-forming gas clouds in the night sky, the Orion Nebula , with a new, 3D visualization released by NASA. In this short video, viewers slip through the colorful clouds, bright stars and detailed structures of the popular nebula . The visualization was created using real data […]
What Does It Take to Be an Astrophysicist?
An ultraviolet portrait of our galactic neighbor, Andromeda, taken with NASA’s Swift satellite. Paul Sutter is an astrophysicist at The Ohio State University and the chief scientist at COSI science center . Sutter is also host of Ask a Spaceman and Space Radio , and leads AstroTours around the world. Sutter contributed this article to […]
Previewing the Blue Blood Supermoon Eclipse of January 2018 Using Mobile Apps
Mobile astronomy apps such as SkySafari 6 are an ideal tool to preview celestial events. The total lunar eclipse on the morning of Jan. 31, 2018 features an enlarged supermoon. It’s also a Blue Moon, the second full moon in January — a combination that hasn’t occurred in many years. In the eastern US and […]
Puerto Rico Blackout Looked Striking from Space, Astronaut Tells Students in Q&A
Astronaut Joe Acaba says it was very difficult to see the island of Puerto Rico from space after Hurricane Maria swept through the region on Sept. 20 . In comments during a space-to-ground question-and-answer session with hundreds of Puerto Rican students today (Jan. 12), Acaba said the Caribbean island is usually easy to spot because […]
US Launches New Spy Satellite on Secret Mission
The fleet of U.S. spy satellites has just welcomed a new member. The NROL-47 spacecraft soared into Earth orbit today (Jan. 12), riding atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Medium rocket that lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:11 p.m. EST (2211 GMT, 2:11 p.m. local California time). NROL-47 will […]
Winter Skywatching: See Taurus, the Angry Bull
Taurus is the first of the bright winter constellations to rise, carried high in the southern sky by late evening every December. The bull is tilted over as if charging nearby Gemini and Orion. His triangular face features the bright-orange star Aldebaran and many easy-to-observe double stars. Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez (1917-1947), better known as […]