Long-distance trip: NASA opening space station to visitors
NEW YORK — NASA announced Friday that it will open the International Space Station to private astronauts, with the first visit as early as next year.The round-trip ticket will cost an estimated $58 million.
NEW YORK — NASA announced Friday that it will open the International Space Station to private astronauts, with the first visit as early as next year.The round-trip ticket will cost an estimated $58 million.
SpaceX launches supplies to space station after power delays
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched a load of supplies to the International Space Station on Saturday following a pair of unusual power delays.A Falcon rocket raced into the pre-dawn darkness, carrying a Dragon capsule with 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms) of goods.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched a load of supplies to the International Space Station on Saturday following a pair of unusual power delays.A Falcon rocket raced into the pre-dawn darkness, carrying a Dragon capsule with 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms) of goods.
New study says universe expanding faster and is younger
WASHINGTON — A new study by a Nobel-winning astronomer says the universe is expanding faster than it used to, meaning it's about a billion years younger than we thought.And that's sending a shudder through the world of physics, making astronomers re-think some of their most basic concepts.At issue is a number called the Hubble constant, a calculation for how fast the universe is expanding.Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Johns Hopkins University astronomer Adam Riess concluded in a scientific journal this week that the figure is 9% higher than the previous calculation.The trouble is, Riess and others think both calculations are correct.Confused?
WASHINGTON — A new study by a Nobel-winning astronomer says the universe is expanding faster than it used to, meaning it's about a billion years younger than we thought.And that's sending a shudder through the world of physics, making astronomers re-think some of their most basic concepts.At issue is a number called the Hubble constant, a calculation for how fast the universe is expanding.Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Johns Hopkins University astronomer Adam Riess concluded in a scientific journal this week that the figure is 9% higher than the previous calculation.The trouble is, Riess and others think both calculations are correct.Confused?
SpaceX suffers serious setback with crew capsule accident
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX has suffered a serious setback in its effort to launch NASA astronauts into orbit this year, with the fiery loss of its first crew capsule.Over the weekend, the Dragon crew capsule that flew to the International Space Station last month was engulfed in smoke and flames on an engine test stand.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX has suffered a serious setback in its effort to launch NASA astronauts into orbit this year, with the fiery loss of its first crew capsule.Over the weekend, the Dragon crew capsule that flew to the International Space Station last month was engulfed in smoke and flames on an engine test stand.
America's 1st female astronaut candidate, Jerrie Cobb, dies
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — America's first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, has died.Cobb died in Florida at age 88 on March 18 following a brief illness.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — America's first female astronaut candidate, pilot Jerrie Cobb, who pushed for equality in space but never reached its heights, has died.Cobb died in Florida at age 88 on March 18 following a brief illness.
SpaceX launches mega rocket, lands all 3 boosters
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched its second supersized rocket and for the first time landed all three boosters Thursday, a year after sending up a sports car on the initial test flight.The new and improved Falcon Heavy thundered into the early evening sky with a communication satellite called Arabsat, the rocket's first paying customer.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched its second supersized rocket and for the first time landed all three boosters Thursday, a year after sending up a sports car on the initial test flight.The new and improved Falcon Heavy thundered into the early evening sky with a communication satellite called Arabsat, the rocket's first paying customer.
Scientists reveal 1st image ever made of a black hole
WASHINGTON — Scientists on Wednesday revealed the first image ever made of a black hole, depicting its hot, shadowy edges where light bends around itself in a cosmic funhouse effect.Assembling data gathered by eight radio telescopes around the world, astronomers created the picture showing the violent neighborhood around a supermassive black hole, the light-sucking monsters of the universe theorized by Einstein more than a century ago and confirmed by observations for decades.It looked like a flaming orange, yellow and black ring.
WASHINGTON — Scientists on Wednesday revealed the first image ever made of a black hole, depicting its hot, shadowy edges where light bends around itself in a cosmic funhouse effect.Assembling data gathered by eight radio telescopes around the world, astronomers created the picture showing the violent neighborhood around a supermassive black hole, the light-sucking monsters of the universe theorized by Einstein more than a century ago and confirmed by observations for decades.It looked like a flaming orange, yellow and black ring.
SpaceX crew capsule ends test flight with ocean splashdown
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX's swanky new crew capsule returned from the International Space Station to an old-fashioned splashdown in the Atlantic on Friday, successfully ending a test flight that could lead to astronaut rides later this year.The Dragon capsule undocked from the orbiting lab early Friday.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX's swanky new crew capsule returned from the International Space Station to an old-fashioned splashdown in the Atlantic on Friday, successfully ending a test flight that could lead to astronaut rides later this year.The Dragon capsule undocked from the orbiting lab early Friday.
SpaceX debuts new crew capsule in crucial test flight
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX is closing in on human spaceflight with this weekend's debut of a new capsule designed for astronauts.The six-day test flight will be real in every regard, beginning with a Florida liftoff Saturday and a docking the next day with the International Space Station.But the Dragon capsule won't carry humans, rather a test dummy in the same white SpaceX spacesuit that astronauts will wear.NASA doesn't expect this crucial shakedown cruise to go perfectly.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX is closing in on human spaceflight with this weekend's debut of a new capsule designed for astronauts.The six-day test flight will be real in every regard, beginning with a Florida liftoff Saturday and a docking the next day with the International Space Station.But the Dragon capsule won't carry humans, rather a test dummy in the same white SpaceX spacesuit that astronauts will wear.NASA doesn't expect this crucial shakedown cruise to go perfectly.
NASA rover finally bites the dust on Mars after 15 years
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's Opportunity, the Mars rover that was built to operate for just three months but kept going and going, rolling across the rocky red soil, was pronounced dead Wednesday, 15 years after it landed on the planet.The six-wheeled vehicle that helped gather critical evidence that ancient Mars might have been hospitable to life was remarkably spry up until eight months ago, when it was finally doomed by a ferocious dust storm.Flight controllers tried numerous times to make contact, and sent one final series of recovery commands Tuesday night, along with one last wake-up song, Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You," in a somber exercise that brought tears to team members' eyes.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's Opportunity, the Mars rover that was built to operate for just three months but kept going and going, rolling across the rocky red soil, was pronounced dead Wednesday, 15 years after it landed on the planet.The six-wheeled vehicle that helped gather critical evidence that ancient Mars might have been hospitable to life was remarkably spry up until eight months ago, when it was finally doomed by a ferocious dust storm.Flight controllers tried numerous times to make contact, and sent one final series of recovery commands Tuesday night, along with one last wake-up song, Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You," in a somber exercise that brought tears to team members' eyes.
Faraway space snowman is pitted and has bright 'collar'
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The space snowman visited by NASA on New Year's Day is pitted all over.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The space snowman visited by NASA on New Year's Day is pitted all over.
Hubble Telescope camera back in action after 1-week shutdown
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Hubble Space Telescope's premier camera is back in action, after a shutdown of just over a week.The Space Telescope Science Institute says the camera resumed observations Thursday.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Hubble Space Telescope's premier camera is back in action, after a shutdown of just over a week.The Space Telescope Science Institute says the camera resumed observations Thursday.
SpaceX to lay off 10 percent of workforce
HAWTHORNE, Calif. — SpaceX is laying off 10 percent of its roughly 6,000 workers, saying it needs to get leaner so it can succeed in enormous projects such as creating an interplanetary spacecraft.The Los Angeles Times reports that the cuts were announced Friday in an email to employees of the Hawthorne, California-based company.In a statement, Elon Musk's firm says it needs to trim costs in order to take on ambitious projects that would have bankrupted other organizations.SpaceX has a healthy business launching government and commercial satellites into orbit — including a launch Friday from California — and delivering supplies to the International Space Station.But SpaceX estimates it will need billions to build a spaceship capable of sending astronauts to Mars and a satellite system for global internet service.
HAWTHORNE, Calif. — SpaceX is laying off 10 percent of its roughly 6,000 workers, saying it needs to get leaner so it can succeed in enormous projects such as creating an interplanetary spacecraft.The Los Angeles Times reports that the cuts were announced Friday in an email to employees of the Hawthorne, California-based company.In a statement, Elon Musk's firm says it needs to trim costs in order to take on ambitious projects that would have bankrupted other organizations.SpaceX has a healthy business launching government and commercial satellites into orbit — including a launch Friday from California — and delivering supplies to the International Space Station.But SpaceX estimates it will need billions to build a spaceship capable of sending astronauts to Mars and a satellite system for global internet service.
SpaceX launches 10 more Iridium Communications satellites
VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- A SpaceX rocket delivered 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit on Friday, completing a two-year campaign by Iridium Communications Inc.
VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. -- A SpaceX rocket delivered 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit on Friday, completing a two-year campaign by Iridium Communications Inc.
NASA spacecraft hurtles toward tiny, icy world beyond Pluto
LAUREL, Md. — NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is set to fly past a mysterious object nicknamed Ultima Thule at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday.
LAUREL, Md. — NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is set to fly past a mysterious object nicknamed Ultima Thule at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday.
Mars lander sets quake monitor on planet's red surface
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's new Mars lander has placed a quake monitor on the planet's dusty red surface.The milestone occurred less than a month after Mars InSight's touchdown.InSight's robotic arm removed the seismometer from the spacecraft deck and set it on the ground Wednesday to monitor Mars quakes.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's new Mars lander has placed a quake monitor on the planet's dusty red surface.The milestone occurred less than a month after Mars InSight's touchdown.InSight's robotic arm removed the seismometer from the spacecraft deck and set it on the ground Wednesday to monitor Mars quakes.
'Christmas comet' – the year's brightest – to pass by Earth this weekend
MILWAUKEE -- The night sky will come alive this weekend when a green comet streaks by Earth on the heels of the Geminid meteor shower's display of green fireballs.Comet 46P/Wirtanen began brightening in November, but it will make its closest approach to Earth on Sunday, Dec. 16 and be visible with the naked eye.
MILWAUKEE -- The night sky will come alive this weekend when a green comet streaks by Earth on the heels of the Geminid meteor shower's display of green fireballs.Comet 46P/Wirtanen began brightening in November, but it will make its closest approach to Earth on Sunday, Dec. 16 and be visible with the naked eye.
NASA's 1st look: Tiny asteroid is studded with boulders
WASHINGTON — NASA's first look at a tiny asteroid shows the space rock is more moist and studded with boulders than originally thought.Scientists on Monday released the first morsels of data collected since their spacecraft Osiris-Rex hooked up last week with the asteroid Bennu, which is only about three blocks wide and weighs about 80 million tons (73 million metric tons).
WASHINGTON — NASA's first look at a tiny asteroid shows the space rock is more moist and studded with boulders than originally thought.Scientists on Monday released the first morsels of data collected since their spacecraft Osiris-Rex hooked up last week with the asteroid Bennu, which is only about three blocks wide and weighs about 80 million tons (73 million metric tons).
Strange 'shiny' object found on Mars by NASA rover
A strange, shiny object was discovered on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover, the Curiosity team said in an an update to its missing blog last week.The team has nicknamed the object “Little Colonsay.”"The planning team thinks it might be a meteorite because it is so shiny," the team wrote. "But looks can deceive, and proof will only come from the chemistry."Curiosity has a tool called ChemCam, which will be used to study the object.The rover has been on the Martian surface since Aug. 6, 2012.NASA’s InSight lander touched down on Mars last week.InSight, or Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is going to explore a part of Mars that we know the least about: its deep interior.
A strange, shiny object was discovered on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover, the Curiosity team said in an an update to its missing blog last week.The team has nicknamed the object “Little Colonsay.”"The planning team thinks it might be a meteorite because it is so shiny," the team wrote. "But looks can deceive, and proof will only come from the chemistry."Curiosity has a tool called ChemCam, which will be used to study the object.The rover has been on the Martian surface since Aug. 6, 2012.NASA’s InSight lander touched down on Mars last week.InSight, or Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is going to explore a part of Mars that we know the least about: its deep interior.
NASA InSight spacecraft lands on Mars to dig deep
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft has landed on Mars to explore the planet's interior.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft has landed on Mars to explore the planet's interior.