Space News
Electric Solar Sail Concept Introduction
SpaceRef - 17 Aug 2015 16:07
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program recently selected several concepts for further study including the Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS), an electric solar sail concept....
Dark Energy Survey finds more celestial neighbors
Phys.org - 17 Aug 2015 16:54
Scientists on the Dark Energy Survey, using one of the world's most powerful digital cameras, have discovered eight more faint celestial objects hovering near our Milky Way galaxy. Signs indicate that they, like the obje...
Damaging electric currents in space affect Earth's equatorial region, not just the poles
Phys.org - 17 Aug 2015 16:00
The Earth's magnetic field - known as the "magnetosphere" - protects our atmosphere from the "solar wind." That's the constant stream of charged particles flowing outward from the sun. When the magnetosphere shields Eart...
Indian Mars Orbiter Shoots Spectacular New Images of Sheer Canyon and Curiosity's Crater
Universe Today - 17 Aug 2015 23:42
India's space agency has released a spectacular new batch of images taken by everyone's favorite MOM – the Mars Orbiter Mission – the nation's first probe ever dispatched to the Red Planet and which achieved orbit ne...
'Star Wars' Lands Coming to Disneyland, Disney World
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 23:39
"Star Wars"-themed lands will be added to the Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts -- located in Anaheim, California, and Orlando, Florida, respectively -- Walt Disney Co. representatives announced at the D23 Expo 20...
Ace Solar Observatory to Make 3,000th Comet Discovery
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 23:37
After nearly 20 years gazing at the sun, the SOHO spacecraft is about to spy its 3,000th comet.
Constellation Sagittarius: Archer, Dipper or Teapot?
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 23:33
Bow, arrow, milk ladle or teapot -- the constellation called the Archer appears as many things besides, and you can find it down near the southern horizon this week.
Neon Found in the Moon's Atmosphere
SpaceRef - 17 Aug 2015 23:20
The moon's thin atmosphere contains neon, a gas commonly used in electric signs on Earth because of its intense glow....
LADEE spacecraft finds neon in lunar atmosphere
Phys.org - 17 Aug 2015 22:55
The moon's thin atmosphere contains neon, a gas commonly used in electric signs on Earth because of its intense glow. While scientists have speculated on the presence of neon in the lunar atmosphere for decades, NASA's L...
Capturing clues to solar mysteries hurtling through space at the speed of light
Phys.org - 17 Aug 2015 22:04
Solar flare experts from around the world gathered at NJIT last week to share the latest research on the sudden, powerful blasts of electromagnetic radiation and charged particles that burst into space during the Sun's m...
Breathtaking Purple and Green Auroras Leave Photographer Awestruck
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 22:01
This stunning image of a purple and gold aurora was taken by Jason Matias at the Wild Horses Monument on the Columbia River Gorge in Washington.
Stunning On-Orbit Time-Lapses Captured By NASA's One-Year Astronaut | Video
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 21:57
Astronaut Scott Kelly's imagery of Earth and Space from the International Space Station has been nothing short of extraordinary. They've been posted to his Facebook page, with personalized short descriptions since the be...
Venera 7, 1st to Send Data from Venus Surface, Launched 45 Years Ago
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 20:40
Forty-five years ago today (Aug. 17), the then-Soviet Union launched Venera 7, a spacecraft that would eventually become the first probe ever to send data from the surface of Venus, if only for a few brief minutes.
Tianjin Explosions Seen from Space (Photo)
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 19:45
After two giant explosions in Tianjin, a black plume of smoke snaked over China's Bohai Sea.
Scientists Test Out Drones That Could Help Deliver Medical Samples To Remote Destinations
Tech Times - 17 Aug 2015 18:44
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University are testing delivery drones that could make transporting medical samples more efficient in developing countries with unreliable infrastructure.
Cassini Makes Final Close Flyby of Saturn Moon Dione
Scientific American - 17 Aug 2015 18:25
The spacecraft makes one last close flyby of Saturn's pockmarked moon Dione August 17, in search of direct evidence that the moon is geologically alive and active --
Neutron stars: Weirdly Fascinating, or Fascinatingly Weird? | Video
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 18:18
Neutron stars are some of the strangest objects in the universe. This video describes that it would be like to live on one, and what horrible things they would do to you!
Wild Inflatable Space Elevator Idea Could Lift People 12 Miles Up
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 18:17
Space enthusiasts and sci-fi fans, rejoice: The space elevator may be one step closer to reality. A Canadian space company has been awarded a patent for a space elevator that would reach 12 miles (20 kilometers) above th...
NASA Orders Two More ISS Cargo Missions From Orbital ATK
Space News - 17 Aug 2015 17:57
SpaceNews.com - Daily news coverage of the business and politics of the global space industry. NASA ordered two more cargo deliveries to the International Space Station from Orbital ATK under a 2008 Commercial Resupply S...
Chasms on Dione
SpaceRef - 17 Aug 2015 17:49
While not bursting with activity like its system satellite Enceladus, the surface of Dione is definitely not boring....
Amazing Astrophotography: Perseids, Fireball, Aurorae, and Weird Clouds
Bad Astronomy - 17 Aug 2015 17:30
OK, I can't resist: Above is another beautiful Perseid meteor photo, taken by Göran Strand in Sweden on Thursday. I love the colors in this one! In the original shot, you can see the stars of the Big Dipper above it, to...
NASA Extracting Tanks from Retired Shuttle Endeavour for Use on Space Station
SPACE.com - 17 Aug 2015 17:17
NASA's retired space shuttle Endeavour, on exhibit in Los Angeles since 2012, has been called back into service -- or rather, parts of it have -- for the benefit of the International Space Station. NASA will remove four ...