Space News
Digging for Space History in Surplus Sale of NASA-Flown Gold
SPACE.com - 16 Jan 2015 01:54
A federal surplus auction is selling a NASA flown-in-space artifact that may be worth its weight in gold -- because it is gold. The six 24 karat gold plates reportedly flew in space for 69 months.
1-Year Space Station Mission May Pave NASA's Way to Mars
SPACE.com - 16 Jan 2015 20:45
The first crew to embark on a yearlong International Space Station mission could help NASA get to Mars.
Onward To Pluto - New Horizons' Epic Journey Animated
SPACE.com - 16 Jan 2015 03:01
The NASA probe launched in January 2005 and will encounter Pluto in the summer of 2015.
Com Dev Closing California Plant But Expects To Find Another U.S. Foothold
Space News - 16 Jan 2015 20:36
Com Dev said it is closing its California plant because of a lack of U.S. government communication satellite orders but likely will acquire a U.S. company in the near future -- one that does not depend on government comm...
"The Unexplored Planet" --NASA Spacecraft Begins 1st stage of Epic Pluto Probe
The Daily Galaxy - 16 Jan 2015 19:45
"NASA first mission to distant Pluto will also be humankind's first close up view of this cold, unexplored world in our solar system," said Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at the agency's Headqua...
First SLS Engine Blazes to Life in Mississippi Test Firing Igniting NASA's Path to Deep Space
Universe Today - 16 Jan 2015 00:21
NASA's goal of sending astronauts to deep space took a major step forward when the first engine destined to power the mighty Space Launch System (SLS) exploration rocket blazed to life during a successful test firing at ...
Second SpaceShipTwo Under Construction - Factory Video
SPACE.com - 16 Jan 2015 23:27
Contruction team members talk about the progress being made on rolling out Virgin Galactic's new private spaceship.
Lost Mars Lander Found in NASA Photos
Scientific American - 16 Jan 2015 23:00
The UK's Beagle 2, which disappeared during a landing attempt in 2003, is clearly visible in new photos from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently at the Red Planet --
As SpaceX Turns up Rhetoric, USAF Taps Welch for Certification Review
Space News - 16 Jan 2015 22:39
Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Larry D. Welch, a former chief of staff, will lead an independent review of the service's launch vehicle certification process, which has come under criticism for the time it is taking to cert...
Weekly Space Hangout - Jan. 16, 2015: Hard Landings, False Alarms & Found Beagles
Universe Today - 16 Jan 2015 21:59
Host: Fraser Cain (@fcain) Guests: Morgan Rehnberg (cosmicchatter.org / @MorganRehnberg ) Ramin Skibba (@raminskibba) Brian Koberlein (@briankoberlein) (...)Read the rest of Weekly Space Hangout – Jan. 16, 2015: Hard L...
European Data-Relay Satellite's Completion in Doubt
Space News - 16 Jan 2015 21:40
A data-relay satellite under construction as part of an ambitious partnership between the European Space Agency and Airbus Defence and Space may not be built because of ongoing concerns with the project's business prospe...
Elon Musk Releases Dramatic Imagery of Mostly Successful Falcon 9 1st Recovery Attempt, Hard Landing on Drone Ship
Universe Today - 16 Jan 2015 21:30
Dramatic new photos and video of the daring and mostly successful attempt by Space X to land their Falcon 9 booster on an ocean-going "drone ship" were released this morning, Friday, Jan. 16, by SpaceX CEO and founder El...
Mysterious Planet X May Really Lurk Undiscovered in Our Solar System
SPACE.com - 16 Jan 2015 21:23
At least two planets larger than Earth likely lurk in the dark depths of space far beyond Pluto, just waiting to be discovered, a new analysis of the orbits of "extreme trans-Neptunian objects" (ETNOs) suggests.
'Lost' 2003 Mars Lander Found by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
PTTU - 16 Jan 2015 21:06
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory News and Features: The Beagle 2 Mars Lander, built by the United Kingdom, has been thought lost on Mars since 2003, but has now been found in images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbite...
NASA ISS Space to Ground Weekly Report - 16 January 2015
SpaceRef - 16 Jan 2015 21:00
NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station....
SpaceX Releases Dramatic Photos and Video of Rocket Landing Explosion
Bad Astronomy - 16 Jan 2015 20:05
Holy cow! Watch this amazing Vine video of the SpaceX Falcon 9 booster crashing as it attempted to land on a barge last week after a successful launch to the space station. Make sure the volume is up, because holy wow. T...
Comet Lovejoy Now at its Brightest: Images from Around the World
Universe Today - 16 Jan 2015 19:33
Last night was the first time I was able to spot Comet Lovejoy with unaided eyes. The latest images from our readers and dedicated astrophotographers confirm that now is a good time to see the comet, which is reaching ma...
Falcon 9 Crash-landing Video Loop is Mesmerizing
Space News - 16 Jan 2015 19:25
There's something downright mesmerizing about this six-second video loop SpaceX posted Jan. 16 showing the Falcon 9's first stage crash land on the company's "autonomous spaceport drone ship." The post Falcon 9 Crash-lan...
Beagle 2, Lost on Mars a Decade Ago, Has Been Found
Bad Astronomy - 16 Jan 2015 19:22
In late December 2003, the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft entered orbit around the red planet. Part of the mission was to send a lander, the Beagle 2, down to the surface to study the geology and other ...
NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 15 January 2015
SpaceRef - 16 Jan 2015 19:18
Today: External Thermal Control System (ETCS) Loop B Recovery Status: Ground teams are methodically working towards repressurizing and recovering ETCS Loop B and the systems which were deactivated as a result of yesterda...
Missing Beagle 2 Lander Spotted By NASA Orbiter | Video
SPACE.com - 16 Jan 2015 19:04
Planetary geologist Timothy Parker of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab explains how the HiRise camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was tasked to locate Beagle 2, which landed on Christmas Day, 2003 but never successfully ...
Peering Back 13-Billion Years to Glimpse Quasars Powered by Supermassive Black Holes
The Daily Galaxy - 16 Jan 2015 18:56
Astronomers have been able to peer back to the young Universe to determine how quasars - powered by supermassive black holes with the mass of a billion suns - form and shape the evolution of galaxies. Quasars are amongst...