An artist’s depiction of the Ariane 6 main stage after strap-on booster separation. LES MUREAUX, France and WASHINGTON — Europe’s upcoming Ariane 6 rocket, though designed to be expendable, could one day sport a reusable engine , according to Patrick Bonguet, head of the Ariane 6 program at ArianeGroup. Whether or not the rocket would ever […]
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Atlas V Rocket Launches New US Spy Satellite on Secret Mission
The United States has launched its second secret spy satellite in less than three weeks. The NROL-52 satellite soared into orbit this morning (Oct. 15) atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket, which lifted off at 3:28 a.m. EDT (0728 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.The launch came after more […]
I Asked Artists to Create Films Using Real Sounds From Space: This is What They Came Up With
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Art and science are often seen as complete opposites: art is subjective, while science aims to discover objective facts about nature. But more and more, we are realising that there are commonalities between the two. […]
Don't Miss the Moon Hide the Bright Star Regulus Before Dawn Sunday!
On Sunday, Oct. 15, the moon will temporarily block the bright star Regulus before dawn for observers in much of North America. Sunday morning (Oct. 15) should get a big circle on your celestial calendar if you live nearly anywhere in the contiguous United States or southeast Canada. During the predawn hours, a waning crescent […]
Russian Cargo Ship Launches Fresh Food & More to Space Station
After a two-day delay, robotic Russian cargo ship launched into orbit Saturday (Oct. 14) to deliver nearly 3 tons of fresh food, equipment and other supplies to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station. The Russian Federal Space Agency’s (Roscosmos) automated Progress 68 resupply ship lifted off atop a Soyuz rocket at 4:46 a.m. EDT […]
Plutonium Supply for NASA Missions Faces Long-Term Challenges
The radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) developed for the Curiosity Mars rover. NASA says it has sufficient plutonium for a similar RTG that will power the Mars 2020 mission, as well as for a future New Frontiers mission. WASHINGTON — While NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) have restarted production of a plutonium isotope used […]
Planet Mercury: Facts About the Planet Closest to the Sun
This view is one of the first from the MESSENGER probe’s Oct. 6, 2008 flyby of Mercury. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. As such, it circles the sun faster than all the other planets, which is why Romans named it after their swift-footed messenger god. The Sumerians also knew of Mercury since […]
Mobile Stargazing: Diving into Deep-Sky Objects Using Mobile Apps
Deep-sky objects are celestial objects outside our solar system that aren’t individual or double stars. They include star clusters and nebulas located within our Milky Way galaxy as well as the multitude of distant galaxies within reach of telescopes. Many of the best and brightest of these objects were included in Charles Messier’s list of […]
Apollo 11 Spacecraft Traveling Exhibit Lands at Space Center Houston
“Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission,” the Smithsonian’s new traveling exhibition, is ready to launch on Saturday (Oct. 14) at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas and a Smithsonian Affiliate. Small in size but giant in its historical stature, Columbia, the Apollo 11 command module, has taken center […]
Cassini Battled Saturn Hard During Death Dive
Artist’s illustration of NASA’s Cassini plunging into Saturn’s atmosphere on Sept. 15, 2017. Cassini put up a good fight. The NASA Saturn probe fired its thrusters full bore for at least 91 seconds during its suicide plunge into the ringed planet on Sept. 15, battling hard to keep its antenna pointed at Earth for as […]
See Back-to-Back Rocket Launches Early Saturday: How to Watch Them Online
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the classified NROL-52 spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office stands atop a launchpad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for an Oct. 14, 2017 launch. Calling all early-bird space fans! Two rockets — one Russian and the other American — will launch […]
November Full Moon 2017: Almost-Super Beaver Moon Occults Aldebaran This Weekend!
The full Beaver Moon will light up the night sky this weekend, and just miss being a “supermoon” as it passes into the constellation Cetus on its way between Pisces and Aries. This full moon happens just before the moon reaches perigee, its closest distance to Earth. When the moon becomes officially full on Saturday, […]
Satellite Photos of California's Devastating Wildfires (Gallery)
Smokes Plumes on Oct. 12 Credit: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image of California’s wildfires and smoke plumes on the morning of Oct. 12. The red color represents vegetation, while fires and hot spots are depicted […]