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Recurring slop lineae in Mars’s Juventae Chasma. NASA made headlines around the world back in 2015 when it discovered evidence of briny water flowing on the surface of Mars. The agency detected hydrated salts flowing within recurring slope lineae, or RSLs, which are streaks that appear on the sides of craters. RSLs are more prominent […]

Weightlessness is arguable one of the most amazing parts of space travel, despite the physical and engineering challenges it poses for astronauts. And it can be a lot of fun, too. Check out some amazing photos of astronauts and civilians in weightlessness in this Space.com gallery. Here: This image of a green apple was taken […]

An artist’s illustration of the asteroid belt, dominated by the largest asteroid Ceres, a dwarf planet. The asteroid belt may have started out empty, later becoming a “cosmic refugee camp” taking on leftovers of planetary formation from across the solar system, a new study finds. The main asteroid belt, located between the orbits of Mars […]

Doin’ Work Credit: HI-SEAS V crew Two crew members from HI-SEAS Mission V walk uphill on the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa while pulling a cart of scientific equipment. Dinner Credit: HI-SEAS V crew Laura, one of the HI-SEAS Mission V crewmembers, puts some homemade bread on display. Hanging Out Credit: HI-SEAS V crew Several of […]

This photo of Jupiter was taken on Sept. 20, 2010 when Jupiter made its closest approach to Earth since 1963. (Uranus [insert] was visible through telescopes near Jupiter.) Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Fittingly, it was named after the king of the gods in Roman mythology. In a similar manner, the […]

Members of the 2017 NASA and Canadian Space Agency astronaut class, who are now nicknamed “The Turtles.” What do you call a group of new astronaut trainees who are a tad green around the collar, a bit shell-shocked at being selected and who together faced having their new home submerged underwater just as they arrived […]

Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the second largest planet in the solar system. Saturn was the Roman name for Cronus, the lord of the Titans in Greek mythology. Saturn is the root of the English word “Saturday.” Saturn is the farthest planet from Earth visible to the naked human eye, but […]

Orbital ATK will become a fourth division of Northrop Grumman under the deal, bringing to the company complementary capabilities such as launch vehicles like the Minotaur 4 (above) and satellite manufacturing. WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman will acquire Orbital ATK in a $9.2 billion deal the companies announced Sept. 18. Under the terms of the deal, […]

The Cassini spacecraft’s farewell images are jaw-dropping, just like countless other photos the probe snapped during its 13 years in the Saturn system. Cassini’s historic mission came to a dramatic end today (Sept. 15), with a deliberate plunge into Saturn’s thick atmosphere . As it zoomed toward the ringed planet Wednesday and Thursday (Sept. 13 […]

Onboard the NASA Motor Vessel Retriever, astronaut Michael Collins , the Gemini 10 prime crew pilot, sits in Static Article #5 (SA-5), a water egress trainer, on June 18, 1966. Collins and astronaut John Young , command pilot, were placed in the water inside the SA-5 to practice exiting the craft as well as water […]

This image of Saturn’s northern hemisphere was taken by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on Sept. 13, 2017. It is among the last images Cassini sent back to Earth before its mission-ending plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere on Sept. 15, 2017. PASADENA, Calif. — NASA’s Cassini spacecraft died the way it lived — as a well-oiled, data-gathering machine. […]

The United States “might not be able to recover” from climate change if extreme weather events and flooding continue to swamp the country’s largest coastal cities, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson told CNN yesterday (Sept. 17). In an interview with reporter and TV host Fareed Zakaria on CNN’s “GPS,” Tyson discussed hurricanes Harvey and Irma , […]

Update 9/18 at 8:15 p.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center has declared Hurricane Maria a “potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane.” This article has been updated to show that the storm has been upgraded from a category 4 to category 5 hurricane.  The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will cease observations today (Sept. 18) through Thursday […]