What's inside Ceres? New findings from gravity data
In the tens of thousands of photos returned by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, the interior of Ceres isn't visible. But scientists have powerful data to study Ceres' inner structure: Dawn's own motion.
View ArticleDiscovery brings autonomous interplanetary navigation closer to reality
An accurate method for spacecraft navigation takes a leap forward today as the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the University of Leicester publish a paper that reveals a spacecraft's position in...
View ArticleProspector-1—first commercial interplanetary mining mission
Deep Space Industries announced today its plans to fly the world's first commercial interplanetary mining mission. Prospector-1 will fly to and rendezvous with a near-Earth asteroid, and investigate...
View ArticlePulsar-based spacecraft navigation system one step closer to reality
Pulsars are highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars that emit electromagnetic radiation at regular intervals. They are often dubbed "lighthouses" of the universe as their emission is beamed; thus,...
View ArticleTwo pairs of planets perform in the August twilight
Step outside as the stars come out, look southwest, and you'll see an eye-catching pattern. For the next few days (August 17–22, 2016), bright orange Mars shines to the right of Saturn and the reddish...
View ArticleNASA establishes contact with STEREO mission
On Aug. 21, 2016, contact was reestablished with one of NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatories, known as the STEREO-B spacecraft, after communications were lost on Oct. 1, 2014. Over 22...
View Article'Strong signal' stirs interest in hunt for alien life
A "strong signal" detected by a radio telescope in Russia that is scanning the heavens for signs of extraterrestrial life has stirred interest among the scientific community.
View ArticleMcMaster engineer working with NASA to improve deep space medicine
Imagine a doctor trying to perform a life saving medical procedure in the middle of the wilderness. That's what it's like tackling medical emergencies in deep space.
View ArticleComing to your solar system soon: A rendezvous with an asteroid
A group of University of Colorado Boulder researchers is readying for NASA's Sept. 8 launch of a spacecraft to a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu, thought to harbor primordial material left over from...
View ArticleImage: Hubble finds a lenticular galaxy standing out in the crowd
A lone source shines out brightly from the dark expanse of deep space, glowing softly against a picturesque backdrop of distant stars and colorful galaxies.
View ArticleJPL seeks robotic spacecraft development for Asteroid Redirect Mission
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has issued a request for proposal (RFP) seeking design, development and build of the robotic spacecraft that will capture a multi-ton asteroid...
View ArticleFirst step in the Deep Space mission
Deep Space is a project that will use a new specially designed telescope to look far into space in order to observe radiation from the early universe. The equipment will be placed at Summit in the...
View ArticleNASA's asteroid-bound spacecraft aces instrument check
Its science instruments have been powered on, and NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft continues on its journey to an asteroid. The spacecraft has passed its initial instrument check with flying colors as it...
View ArticleEurope's comet probe Rosetta ends 12-year mission with crash
After 12 years of hurtling through space in pursuit of a comet, the Rosetta probe ended its mission Friday with a slow-motion crash onto the icy surface of the alien world it was sent out to study.
View ArticleNew Horizons returns last bits of 2015 flyby data to Earth
NASA's New Horizons mission reached a major milestone this week when the last bits of science data from the Pluto flyby – stored on the spacecraft's digital recorders since July 2015 – arrived safely...
View ArticleHubble's front row seat when galaxies collide
This delicate smudge in deep space is far more turbulent than it first appears. Known as IRAS 14348-1447—a name derived in part from that of its discoverer, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS...
View ArticleCatching Cassini's call
This week, ESA deep-space radio dishes on two continents are listening for signals from the international Cassini spacecraft, now on its final tour of Saturn.
View ArticleSuccessful deep space maneuver for NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft
New tracking data confirms that NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft aced its first Deep Space Maneuver (DSM-1) on Dec. 28, 2016. The engine burn sets up the spacecraft for an Earth gravity assist this fall as...
View ArticleMicro spacecraft investigates cometary water mystery
In September 2015, a team of astronomers from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, University of Michigan, Kyoto Sangyo University, Rikkyo University and the University of Tokyo successfully...
View ArticleWhy it's time for Australia to launch its own space agency
Any nation that hopes to have a space program needs to be able to keep an eye on its orbiting assets at all times. This means that Australia has become a key link in the global chain of ground-based...
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