Pentagon launches task force to investigate UFOs

The Pentagon has created a task force to investigate UFOs following several unexplained incidents that have been observed by the U.S. military.

Astronauts gear up for final leg of SpaceX test flight: coming home

A pair of NASA astronauts face the final and most important part of their SpaceX test flight: returning to Earth with a rare splashdown.

US astronauts pack up for rare splashdown in SpaceX capsule

SpaceX and NASA plan to bring Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken back Sunday afternoon in the company's Dragon capsule.

Astronauts squeeze in last spacewalk before SpaceX departure

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronauts squeezed in one last spacewalk Tuesday before turning their attention to the all-important end to SpaceX’s first crew flight.NASA’s Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy floated out of the International Space Station on their fourth and final spacewalk in under a month.

NASA set to release closest ever images of the sun on Thursday morning

WASHINGTON -- NASA and the European Space Agency are set to release the first close-up images of the sun from their joint Solar Orbiter mission.“In mid-June, Solar Orbiter made its first close pass of the Sun following its Feb. 9 launch, turning on all 10 of its instruments together for the first time,” said NASA, in a statement on its website. “This flyby captured the closest images ever taken of the sun.”NASA will reveal the images, along with the first data from the Solar Orbiter mission, during a briefing at 7 a.m. CDT on Thursday.“During the briefing, mission experts will discuss what these closeup images reveal about our star, including what we can learn from Solar Orbiter’s new measurements of particles and magnetic fields flowing from the sun,” NASA added in its statement.In another project, NASA recently released a stunning 61-minute time-lapse video that shows a decade in the life of the sun.The video was created from images taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.Earth’s star continues to reveal its secrets.

Dazzling comet will make closest approach to Earth in July — here’s how to watch

Stargazers, grab your binoculars: A newly-discovered comet is approaching Earth, and it’s likely to make for the best comet sighting from our planet in years.

Firm to offer balloon rides from Alaska to the edge of space

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A company wants to use an advanced balloon to fly customers from Earth's surface in Alaska to the highest reaches of the planet's atmosphere.Florida-based startup firm Space Perspective plans to use the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak to serve as one of the launch sites for the vehicle, called the Spaceship Neptune, The Anchorage Daily News reported.

NASA releases mesmerizing 10-year timelapse footage of sun

HOUSTON -- NASA released timelapse footage of the sun over the past 10 years to celebrate its Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which has monitored the sun for over a decade, according to their YouTube account.“From its orbit in space around Earth, SDO has gathered 425 million high-resolution images of the sun, amassing 20 million gigabytes of data over the past 10 years,” NASA said.The information gathered from the constant observation of the sun has enabled many new discoveries and how this life-giving star works, according to NASA.“The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument alone captures images every 12 seconds at 10 different wavelengths of light,” NASA continued. “This 10-year time lapse showcases photos taken at a wavelength of 17.1 nanometers, which is an extreme ultraviolet wavelength that shows the sun’s outermost atmospheric layer — the corona.

NASA pushes back Mars rover again, citing 'launch vehicle processing delays'

WASHINGTON -- Nearly three weeks after it delayed the launch of its next Mars rover, NASA has pushed it back again, citing "launch vehicle processing delays."

Spacewalking astronaut loses mirror, newest space junk

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A spacewalking astronaut added to the millions of pieces of junk orbiting the Earth on Friday, losing a small mirror on his sleeve as soon as he emerged from the International Space Station for battery work.Commander Chris Cassidy said the mirror quickly floated away.

Astronauts: Falcon 9 rocket was 'totally different' ride than the space shuttle

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was a “pure flying machine” compared to the space shuttle, according to the astronauts who rode it into space.Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken piloted the first manned flight of the Falcon 9 on May 30.

Asteroid larger than Empire State Building set to whiz by Earth this weekend

LOS ANGELES - An asteroid which NASA estimates may be larger than the Empire State Building is headed in Earth’s direction and expected to pass near our planet on Saturday.While NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) may have labeled asteroid, named 163348 (2002 NN4), a “potentially hazardous asteroid” due to its predicted proximity to Earth, the celestial planet killer will actually keep a distance of over 3.1 million miles when it passes.

SpaceX opens era of amateur astronauts, cosmic movie sets

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX’s debut astronaut launch is the biggest, most visible opening shot yet in NASA’s grand plan for commercializing Earth’s backyard.Amateur astronauts, private space stations, flying factories, out-of-this-world movie sets — this is the future the space agency is striving to shape as it eases out of low-Earth orbit and aims for the moon and Mars.It doesn’t quite reach the fantasized heights of George Jetson and Iron Man, but still promises plenty of thrills.“I’m still waiting for my personal jetpack.