Space Exploration News – Latest Headlines

Reinterpreting dark matter

New research explores cold dark matter in depth and proposes new answers about the formation of galaxies and the structure of the universe. These predictions are being contrasted with fresh data provided by the Hubble space telescope.

September 17, 2014 Read more

'J' marks the spot for Rosetta's lander

Rosetta's lander Philae will target Site J, an intriguing region on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that offers unique scientific potential, with hints of activity nearby, and minimum risk to the lander compared to the other candidate sites.

September 15, 2014 Read more

Martian meteorite yields more evidence of the possibility of life on Mars

A tiny fragment of Martian meteorite 1.3 billion years old is helping to make the case for the possibility of life on Mars, say scientists.

September 15, 2014 Read more

Unravelling the mysteries of the Venusian atmosphere (w/video)

Underscoring the vast differences between Earth and its neighbor Venus, new research shows a glimpse of giant holes in the electrically charged layer of the Venusian atmosphere, called the ionosphere. The observations point to a more complicated magnetic environment than previously thought - which in turn helps us better understand this neighboring, rocky planet.

September 12, 2014 Read more

Astronomers unveil secrets of giant elliptical galaxies

New findings of how giant elliptical galaxies move have been discovered by an international team of astronomers using the newly installed Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility.

September 12, 2014 Read more

NASA research gives guideline for future alien life search

Astronomers searching the atmospheres of alien worlds for gases that might be produced by life can't rely on the detection of just one type, such as oxygen, ozone, or methane, because in some cases these gases can be produced non-biologically, according to extensive simulations by researchers in the NASA Astrobiology Institute's Virtual Planetary Laboratory.

September 12, 2014 Read more

'Hot Jupiters' provoke their own host suns to wobble

Blame the 'hot Jupiters'. These large, gaseous exoplanets can make their suns wobble after they wend their way through their own solar systems to snuggle up against their suns.

September 11, 2014 Read more

Lurking bright blue star caught

Astronomers have found evidence of a hot binary companion star to a yellow supergiant star, which had become a bright supernova. Its existence had been predicted by the team. This finding provides the last link in a chain of observations that have so far supported the team's theoretical picture for this supernova.

September 11, 2014 Read more

China's space station to be established around 2022

The deputy chief of China's Manned Space Agency has announced an ambitious space program timetable building up to the country establishing its first space station around 2022.

September 11, 2014 Read more

A map of Rosetta's comet

The surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko can be divided into several morphologically different regions.

September 10, 2014 Read more

Scientists take key step toward solving a major astrophysical mystery

Magnetic reconnection can trigger geomagnetic storms that disrupt cell phone service, damage satellites and black out power grids. But how reconnection, in which the magnetic field lines in plasma snap apart and violently reconnect, transforms magnetic energy into explosive particle energy remains a major unsolved problem in plasma astrophysics.

September 10, 2014 Read more

Where to grab space debris (w/video)

Algorithm tested aboard the International Space Station analyzes the rotation of objects in space.

September 10, 2014 Read more

First evidence for water ice clouds found outside solar system

A team of scientists has discovered the first evidence of water ice clouds on an object outside of our own Solar System. Water ice clouds exist on our own gas giant planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune - but have not been seen outside of the planets orbiting our Sun until now.

September 9, 2014 Read more

Evidence of 'diving' tectonic plates on Jupiter's moon Europa

Scientists have found evidence of plate tectonics on Jupiter's moon Europa. This indicates the first sign of this type of surface-shifting geological activity on a world other than Earth.

September 8, 2014 Read more

Scientist explores birth of a planet

Astronomers have discovered what they believe is evidence of a planet forming around a star about 335 light years from Earth.

September 8, 2014 Read more

China finishes design on its first cargo spacecraft

China has finished designing its first cargo spacecraft, which will ferry supplies and fuel to the nation's future multi-cabin, manned space station.

September 6, 2014 Read more

DARPA issues RFI for robotic space services for satellites

Space community invited to submit ideas to enable a flight demonstration in the next five years and an innovative public-private partnership to jumpstart a new industry.

September 6, 2014 Read more

Rosetta-Alice spectrograph obtains first far ultraviolet spectra of a cometary surface

NASA's Alice ultraviolet spectrograph aboard the European Space Agency's Rosetta comet orbiter has delivered its first scientific discoveries. Rosetta, in orbit around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, is the first spacecraft to study a comet up close.

September 5, 2014 Read more