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Saturn’s moon Enceladus has an ocean beneath its icy shell, and at the interface between the ocean and the rocky core, hydrothermal vents could be breeding grounds for prebiotic chemistry. Laboratory experiments on Earth can now simulate the conditions under which life might emerge on Saturn’s moon Enceladus , as well as other icy alien […]

NASA’s upcoming Mars 2020 rover will be a souped-up version of the highly accomplished robot that touched down on the Red Planet in August 2012, agency officials said. Engineers are reusing the designs for about 85 percent of the Curiosity rover’s hardware to save time and money on the new robot, but the remaining 15 […]

Artist’s illustration of NASA’s Voyager 1 probe in interstellar space. NASA’s far-flung Voyager 1 spacecraft has taken its backup thrusters out of mothballs. Voyager 1 hadn’t used its four “trajectory correction maneuver” (TCM) thrusters since November 1980, during the spacecraft’s last planetary flyby — an epic encounter with Saturn. But mission team members fired them […]

It really is Mars or bust for Elon Musk. The billionaire says he’s going to launch his own Tesla Roadster on the first test flight of SpaceX’s new giant rocket next month, and the car will play David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” full blast on the way to Mars (if the rocket doesn’t explode during liftoff). In […]

“Planet Money’s” cubesat launched to space on Orbital ATK’s Minotaur C spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Oct. 31. After tackling topics such as how to make a T-shirt and how to drill for oil, the “Planet Money” podcast team at National Public Radio has a new topic to explore: how to […]

By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | December 1, 2017 07:28am ET Considered one of the year’s most reliable showers, the Geminid meteor shower (also known as the Geminids) occurs every December. They’re bright and easy to spot — even from light-polluted areas. Before you head outside to look at the show, take our quiz to […]

After a decade-long hiatus from making replicas of sci-fi movie props and other cool space-themed collectibles, Master Replicas is back in business with some stellar new products. A company best known for making accurate and full-scale “Star Wars” movie props (like Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber ), the newly rebranded Master Replicas Group is now making small-scale […]

Ultralow-Velocity Zones can give rise to volcanic hotspots, like Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park. The boundary between the Earth’s outermost layer, the crust, and the underlying mantle is speckled with mysterious, blob-like regions. Scientists have long known about these odd pockets, which are called ultralow-velocity zones. They slow down the seismic waves caused by earthquakes and […]

NASA has opened registration for Phase 3 of its 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. Registration is open for Phase 3 of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge , which searches for ways to create shelters for astronauts on locations such as the moon and Mars. The $2 million prize for this phase encourages competitors to create miniature […]

The Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile, which is housed at the Titan Missile Museum in Sahuarita, Arizona. This missile became operational in 1963 at the height of the Cold War with the Soviet Union and was de-activated in November 1982 because of a nuclear treaty. How do intercontinental ballistic missiles — including the one North […]

Cargo Cosmetics has launched a new makeup line inspired by “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Dark side or light side? First Order or the Resistance? The eyes have it with a new line of “Star Wars” makeup from Cargo Cosmetics. These cosmetics from a galaxy far, far away, first teased in September, are available now […]

A Falcon 9 first stage landing after the June launch of a Dragon cargo spacecraft. NASA has approved using that stage for the Dec. 8 launch of another Dragon. WASHINGTON — NASA officials said Nov. 29 that they have given their approval, as expected, to SpaceX’s use of a previously-flown Falcon 9 first stage on […]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off Oct. 11 carrying the SES-11/EchoStar-105 satellite. The company has added $100 million to a funding around announced this summer, bringing its total to $450 million. WASHINGTON — SpaceX has increased the size of its latest funding round by $100 million   to $450 million, the company said Nov. 27. In a Nov. […]