Space Exploration news

Titan's lakes could be explored by boat

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 22, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (10) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- If a suggestion to be made to NASA comes to fruition, vast lakes thought to be filled with liquid hydrocarbons near the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan, may one day be explored by boat.

New Russian missile failure sparks UFO frenzy

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 10, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (10) | 24

Russia's new nuclear-capable missile suffered another failed test launch, the defence ministry said Thursday, solving the mystery of a spectacular plume of white light that appeared over Norway.

Colliding auroras produce an explosion of light

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 17, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (8) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A network of cameras deployed around the Arctic in support of NASA's THEMIS mission has made a startling discovery about the Northern Lights. Sometimes, vast curtains of aurora borealis collide, ...

Virgin Galactic unveils commercial spaceship

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 07, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (8) | 2

SpaceShipTwo (SS2) and its mothership, VMS Eve (WhiteKnightTwo) herald a new era in commercial space flight with daily space tourism flights set to commence from Spaceport America in New Mexico after test ...

MESSENGER team releases first global map of mercury

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 15, 2009 | 5 / 5 (7) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's MESSENGER mission team and cartographic experts from the U. S. Geological Survey have created a critical tool for planning the first orbital observations of the planet Mercury - a global ...

Spirit Mars Rover: Unexpected Wheel-Test Results

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 15, 2009 | 4.9 / 5 (7) | 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Diagnostic tests were run on Spirit's right-rear wheel and right-front wheel on Sol 2013 (Dec. 12, 2009).

Japan launches 5th spy satellite

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 28, 2009 | 3.6 / 5 (9) | 3

(AP) -- Japan launched its fifth spy satellite into orbit Saturday in a bid to boost its ability to independently gather intelligence, the government said.

China to launch second lunar probe: state media

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 27, 2009 | 5 / 5 (6) | 0

China will launch its second moon orbiter next October, state media reported Friday, as it powers ahead with a space programme that has sparked concerns abroad.

WISE satellite blasts off on space-map mission

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 14, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (6) | 4

NASA launched Monday a new breed of satellite called WISE on a mission to orbit Earth and map the skies to find elusive cosmic objects, including potentially dangerous asteroids.

ET: Check your voicemail

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 24, 2009 | 3.9 / 5 (7) | 7

(PhysOrg.com) -- Alien beings on faraway planets may not have noticed, but it’s been 35 years since human beings made the first deliberate effort to send them a message.

U.S. losing its lead in space, experts warn Congress

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 24, 2009 | 3 / 5 (9) | 6

America's once clear dominance in space is eroding as other nations, including China, Iran and North Korea, step up their activities, a panel of experts told the House subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics Thursday.

The 2009 Geminid Meteor Shower (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 08, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (6) | 0

Make hot cocoa. Bundle up. Tell your friends. The best meteor shower of 2009 is about to fall over North America on a long, cold December night.

Prof gets messages from space

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 08, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (6) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Barbara Frisken received several messages from outer space this year on her answering machine.

The Meandering Channels of Mars

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 10, 2009 | 4.2 / 5 (6) | 5

Sinuous channels on the Martian surface may be evidence of relatively recent rainfall. Researchers plan to test this hypothesis by studying sinuous streams on Earth.

Top US lawmaker skeptical of new space funding

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 17, 2009 | 4.2 / 5 (6) | 4

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was personally skeptical of manned space missions and warned that NASA's future funding could depend on whether it was likely to create jobs.