SPACE

NASA’s Spacecrafts ‘Duck And Cover’ Behind Mars as Comet Passes Through

SPACE It’s been a flyby anticipated for months, and one whose arrival sparked much commotion at NASA’s headquarters this past weekend. Hurtling through the night sky at nearly 125,000 miles per hour, Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring passed right by the planet Mars early Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19, coming in close contact with the Martian outer atmosphere at about 2:27pm ET.

Taking A Bite Out of Sunlight—US Expects A Partial Solar Eclipse

Predicted to occur this Thursday, Oct. 23, the off-center new moon will pass in front of the sun creating a partial solar eclipse seen across the United States. Though the predicted visibility will range anywhere from twelve to seventy percent of clarity, researchers at NASA expect that the event will be widely visible across the entire continental US.

How the Milky Way Dominates the Stellar Block—Dwarf Galaxies, Get Out of the Way

It’s no big secret that humans tend to think of themselves as the center of the universe. It’s a flaw that has countlessly been proven wrong as science emerged and showed a different view of the world a around us. However, as it turns out, our galaxy may also be to blame for believing it too is the center of the universe.

Video: X-37B Space Plane Lands After 2 Years in Orbit

The U.S. Air Force's mysterious X-37B space plane landed this week after a record of nearly two years in orbit, yet government officials still haven't commented as to the nature of its mission. The 'orbital test vehicle' is the third such OTV mission, and orbited the Earth for 674 days.

Saturn's 'Death Star' Moon Might Have an Ocean

Saturn's 'Death Star' Moon Might Have an Ocean Saturn's Moon Mimas, also referred to as the 'Death Star' moon because of its resemblance to the Star Wars space station, may have a secret that no one knew about previously.

ESA Rosetta Spacecraft Is Showing Off Its ‘Cheops’

While Rosetta mission team members are preparing to touch down on the surface for a more up-close view of the comet, Rosetta’s Optical, Spectroscopic and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) is taking a look at the surface from afar. And in the newest batch of images sent back Monday morning, researchers have revealed a large pyramid-shaped boulder standing 82-feet-tall near the intended landing site for Rosetta’s Philae rover.

NASA Plans Life and Death on Mars—Planet’s First ‘Mars Plant Experiment’ to be Launched in 2020

In hopes of a long future on the Red Planet, researchers have proposed the addition of a horticultural experiment onboard NASA’s next Mars rover mission, scheduled to land in 2021. The proposed project, known simply as the “Mars Plant Experiment” (MPX) would not only aid in the understanding of plant growth on foreign planets, but also would lay the foundations for future colonies currently planning on settling in on Mars.

Deserting Earth for a Chance in Space—Martian Pilgrims look to Mars for a New Permanent Adventure

For most, space exploration has been a fascination since adolescence; series like Star War and Star Trek, romanticizing the concept of far off planets and uninhabitable lands, filled with vast expanses of the darkness of space. Letting dreams take you beyond the clouds, aspirations of a career as an astronaut seem closer than before, but what about those who cannot make it through the rigorous process of entering NASA’s elite profession? Turns out you can buy your way off this planet; but there is still catch—you can’t come back.

While Moon Turns Red, Sun Gets Halloween Ready in Jack-O-Lantern Style

While the whole world may not celebrate the spooky holiday of Halloween, ghosts and ghouls excluded in many nations’ October attractions, the cosmos appears to be celebrating a bit early, and everyone’s dressing up. It appears that this Halloween we’re going back to the basics, and all of your favorite planets will be there. Mars will be Plymouth Rock, Earth will be a ball of fire, the moon has opted for a blood red werewolf, and the sun will apparently be a jack-o-lantern

Blood Moon May Bring Weird Phenomenon Researchers Say

Early in the morning of Wednesday Oct. 8, onlookers in the northern hemisphere will be able to catch a glimpse at the fading “Blood Moon” at sunrise, as we witness the final total lunar eclipse for 2014. And though the total lunar eclipse is quite a rare occasion, only happening once or twice a year, this eclipse may bring with it theoretically impossible situations.

New Satellite Map Reveals Mountains Beneath the Sea

Seven-tenths of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans, and until now much of what lies below the surface has not been seen by human eyes. But using some of technology’s greatest advancements on-board the European Space Agency’s CryoSat-2 satellite and NASA’s Jason-1 satellite, researchers of the University of California, San Diego have created an underwater map revealing mountains and ridges along the seafloor thanks to precise gravity measurements.

A Perfect Space Model—Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and Rosetta Mission

In a short few months, the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission has achieved new heights since it reached the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Once entering orbit, it took the first cosmic selfie, analyzed the surface of the comet, and even reported unexpected temperature and composition anomalies that have astronomers perplexed as to why this comet is not simply made of cosmic ice. But now Rosetta may have provided everyone on Earth with a recipe for creating a life-like comet like Churyumov-Gerasimenko: assuming you have a 3D printer.

Will Pluto Be A Planet Again? What Happened to the Ninth Planet

For some of us, the shock has still never quite settled in. That distant ball of ice Pluto is still tightly woven in our minds as a true planet and even has its very own place within our planetary moniker: “My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas”. But back in 2006, the international Astronomical Union (IAU) stripped Pluto of its planetary status declaring the relatively small compact of ice much closer to a satellite in its new second-tier title as “dwarf planet”.

Hell Hasn’t Frozen Over, But Titan May Have

Two years ago, a viscous cloud was seen over Titan’s south pole, and planetary scientists mistakenly made the assumption that the anomaly was ordinary gases floating 300 km above Titan’s surface. However, a new study reveals that the cloud is actually composed of hydrogen cyanide ice, and it’s leading researchers to think that the pole is much colder than they once thought.
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