Artist’s illustration of SpaceX BFR spaceships on the moon. Falcon Heavy , we hardly knew ye. SpaceX plans to eventually phase out the big rocket, which has yet to fly, as well as the Falcon 9 booster and Dragon capsule to concentrate on the Mars-colonizing BFR system , company founder and CEO Elon Musk announced […]
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After Cassini: 14 Epic Planetary Science Missions to Get Excited About
An artistic representation of the Mars2020 rover (operating the SuperCam remote sensing instrument) on the Red Planet. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft ended its epic 13-year stint at Saturn on Sept. 15, but there are other upcoming planetary science missions to look forward to. Currently, there are several active missions (led by NASA as well as other […]
Langley Research Center: 100 Years of Exploring Flight
Decades before NASA existed, Langley Research Center studied the challenges of flight, a mission that prepared the United States for the space race and modern astronaut exploration. Researchers at the center helped design a plane to break the sound barrier, plotted how to put humans in orbit and then stay in contact, hunted where the […]
Space Image of the Day Gallery (June 2017)
Tuesday, June 13, 2017: Far out in the background of this image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is Saturn’s “Death Star” moon, Mimas . The little moon measures only 246 miles (396 kilometers across) across and has a large basin spanning roughly one-third its diameter. Cassini captured this photo while orbiting over Saturn’s northern hemisphere on […]
Akatsuki: Japan's Mission to Study Climate of Venus
Artist’s concept of Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft at Venus. Japan’s Akatsuki is a spacecraft that is orbiting Venus to study the planet’s climate and atmosphere. The $300-million spacecraft began its science observations in 2016 and remained operational as of late 2017. During its mission, the spacecraft has made some unexpected observations. Akatsuki — the name means […]
Breaking the Sound Barrier | The Greatest Moments in Flight
This is part of a SPACE.com series of articles on the Greatest Moments in Flight, the breakthrough events that paved the way for human spaceflight and its next steps: asteroid mining and bases on the moon and Mars. A booming thunder roared across the clear skies of the Mojave Desert on Oct. 14, 1947, as U.S. […]
Damage to Arecibo Less Than Feared
The Arecibo radio observatory in Puerto Rico sustained less damage from Hurricane Maria last week than originally feared, an NSF official says. ADELAIDE, Australia — The giant Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico sustained less damage from Hurricane Maria than originally thought, and may have little effect on plans to transfer its operations, a National […]
ILS Proton Launches AsiaSat-9, Completes 2017 Commercial Manifest
Proton lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Sept. 29 at 12:52 a.m. local time with AsiaSat-9. BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan — International Launch Services completed its third and final 2017 commercial Proton mission today, launching the AsiaSat-9 telecommunications satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Proton lifted off at 12:52 a.m. local time, performing first, second and third stage […]
Space Image of the Day Gallery (August 2017)
Thursday, August 24, 2017: FiOS1 weatherman and Space.com columnist Joe Rao watched the total solar eclipse from an Alaska Airlines flight on Monday (Aug. 21). While millions of Americans were watching the eclipse from down below, about 100 lucky passengers witnessed the celestial event from 40,000 feet (12,200 meters) above the Pacific Ocean, slightly west […]
Space Image of the Day Gallery (July 2017)
Monday, July 31, 2017: NASA astronaut Jack Fischer tweeted this gorgeous image taken on the International Space Station featuring sunrise on Earth. “What do you need to start a Monday morning off right?” he wrote . “1. Floating coffee. 2. A pretty sunrise. Check and check!” Fischer has more people to share the sunrise with […]
Astronaut Sends Prayers to Puerto Rico from Space
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba sports a shirt with a Puerto Rican flag at the International Space Station after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico. NASA astronaut Joe Acaba beamed prayers and support for the people of Puerto Rico down from the International Space Station this week in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria’s devastation to the U.S. […]
Astronauts to Flat-Earther B.o.B: We've Seen the Curve
NASA astronaut Terry Virts captured this view of the sun over Earth on his last day in space as he prepared to leave the International Space Station on June 11, 2015. Some former NASA astronauts have a message for flat-Earther B.o.B: The curve is real, and we’ve seen it. Last week, the Atlanta-based rapper kicked […]
To Celebrate 30 Years, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Stars Visit Atlanta's DragonCon
Members of the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” cast entertained fans at Atlanta’s DragonCon last week in honor of the show’s 30th anniversary this year, sharing anecdotes from their shows and from their lives. The actors participated in panels on three of the convention days over Labor Day weekend. DragonCon is a five-day convention that […]