Tag Archives | space

VSS Unity, Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo, glides during a Dec. 22 flight test. SANTA FE, N.M. — Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane performed its second free flight Dec. 22  as the company prepares to enter a critical year in the vehicle’s long-delayed development. The suborbital vehicle, named VSS Unity , took off from Mojave Air and […]

The Starship Avalon, from the movie “Passengers” seems to have been inspired by some real-world science. The movie “Passengers,” which opened yesterday (Dec. 21), explores the fascinations and perils of interstellar travel, but could the kind of starship portrayed in the movie ever exist in real life?   The film begins on board the Starship […]

It’s Christmastime, space fans! Here are three ways you can get into the holiday spirit and express your love of the cosmos.  When Christmas Eve rolls around, many people will turn their eyes to the sky to try and catch a glimpse of Santa’s sleigh, but we recommend taking a more high-tech approach and heading […]

Astrophotographer Mike Killian took this photo of Venus and the crescent moon on Dec. 2, 2016 from Toronto. Christmas week is here, and the night sky obliges by presenting a beautiful display of celestial sights, perfectly timed to coincide with the holiday. In ancient times, Dec. 25 was the date of the lavish Roman festival […]

The bright North Star, Polaris, from Slooh Observatories. What cosmic light could have guided the Three Wise Men to the newborn baby Jesus 2,000 years ago? Learn about all the theories in a free webcast today (Dec. 23) by the online Slooh Community Observatory. During the show, experts in both religion and astronomy will discuss […]

In preparation for the 2021 Asteroid Redirect Mission, this prototype of a robotic capture module system uses a mock asteroid boulder as a test at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA to launch the robotic portion of its Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) in 2021. This will be the first mission to visit and […]

Elon Musk showed childlike joy during the first historic landing of a Falcon 9 reusable rocket booster. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk typically displays such an incredibly calm demeanor that it’s hard to imagine him getting excited about anything. But in a newly released video, Musk makes an uncharacteristic display of emotion, ranging from dread to unbridled […]

The holidays might be time for joy or reflection on Earth, but the same is true for space. See how astronauts mark the holidays away from family and friends for months at a time in this Space.com gallery. HERE: NASA astronaut Douglas Wheelock sends a Fourth of July message to the United States and poses […]

Satellites for Brazilian and Japanese customers lift off with Ariane 5 for a dual-passenger mission successfully performed on December 21. Flight VA234. Star One D1 and JCSAT-15 WASHINGTON — European launch provider Arianespace completed its 11th and final launch of the year Dec. 21, putting satellites for Asia’s and South America’s largest regional operators on […]