NASA: Three new planets could host life
(CNN) -- In the midst of chaos here on Earth, scientists are finding hope for life on other planets.Scientists announced Thursday the discovery of three planets that are some of the best candidates so far for habitable worlds outside our own solar system -- and they're very far away.NASA's Kepler satellite, which is keeping an eye on more than 150,000 stars in hopes of identifying Earth-like planets, found the trio.Two of the planets -- Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f -- are described in a study released Thursday in the journal Science.
(CNN) -- In the midst of chaos here on Earth, scientists are finding hope for life on other planets.Scientists announced Thursday the discovery of three planets that are some of the best candidates so far for habitable worlds outside our own solar system -- and they're very far away.NASA's Kepler satellite, which is keeping an eye on more than 150,000 stars in hopes of identifying Earth-like planets, found the trio.Two of the planets -- Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f -- are described in a study released Thursday in the journal Science.
NASA shoots for new human missions by 2017
(CNN) -- NASA plans to capture an asteroid and start sending astronauts aloft again by 2017, even with a tighter budget, the U.S. space agency announced Wednesday.The Obama administration is asking Congress for just more than $17.7 billion in 2014, down a little more than 1% from the nearly $17.9 billion currently devoted to space exploration, aeronautics and other science.The request includes $105 million to boost the study of asteroids, both to reduce the risk of one hitting Earth and to start planning for a mission to "identify, capture, redirect, and sample" a small one."This mission allows us to better develop our technology and systems to explore farther than we ever have before ...
(CNN) -- NASA plans to capture an asteroid and start sending astronauts aloft again by 2017, even with a tighter budget, the U.S. space agency announced Wednesday.The Obama administration is asking Congress for just more than $17.7 billion in 2014, down a little more than 1% from the nearly $17.9 billion currently devoted to space exploration, aeronautics and other science.The request includes $105 million to boost the study of asteroids, both to reduce the risk of one hitting Earth and to start planning for a mission to "identify, capture, redirect, and sample" a small one."This mission allows us to better develop our technology and systems to explore farther than we ever have before ...
Forget falling stars: NASA plans to catch an asteroid
(CNN) -- NASA is planning to catch an asteroid and place it in orbit around the moon.Seriously.What sounds like something from science fiction is actually a part of President Barack Obama's proposed federal budget for the next fiscal year, according to a Florida senator.The budget is expected to be unveiled this week."In a nutshell, the plan in NASA's hands calls for catching an asteroid with a robotic spacecraft and towing it back toward Earth, where it would then be placed in a stable orbit around the moon," read a statement from the office of Florida Sen.
(CNN) -- NASA is planning to catch an asteroid and place it in orbit around the moon.Seriously.What sounds like something from science fiction is actually a part of President Barack Obama's proposed federal budget for the next fiscal year, according to a Florida senator.The budget is expected to be unveiled this week."In a nutshell, the plan in NASA's hands calls for catching an asteroid with a robotic spacecraft and towing it back toward Earth, where it would then be placed in a stable orbit around the moon," read a statement from the office of Florida Sen.
Space station detector finds first clues to 'dark matter'
(CNN) -- Nearly two years after it was sent up to the International Space Station, a giant particle physics detector has provided its first results in the search for the mysterious "dark matter" believed to be a major component of the universe.The international team running the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer released its initial findings Wednesday at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, in Switzerland.The scientists are studying flux in cosmic rays, the charged high-energy particles that permeate space, for evidence of the invisible dark matter particles colliding with each other, leading to what is termed "annihilation."A result of this would be a higher presence of the charged particles known as positrons, the antimatter counterpart of electrons.According to a CERN statement, the results announced Wednesday "are consistent with the positrons originating from the annihilation of dark matter particles in space, but not yet sufficiently conclusive to rule out other explanations."Over the last few decades, scientists have come to the conclusion that the universe's composition is only about 5% atoms -- in other words, the stuff that we see and know around us.
(CNN) -- Nearly two years after it was sent up to the International Space Station, a giant particle physics detector has provided its first results in the search for the mysterious "dark matter" believed to be a major component of the universe.The international team running the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer released its initial findings Wednesday at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, in Switzerland.The scientists are studying flux in cosmic rays, the charged high-energy particles that permeate space, for evidence of the invisible dark matter particles colliding with each other, leading to what is termed "annihilation."A result of this would be a higher presence of the charged particles known as positrons, the antimatter counterpart of electrons.According to a CERN statement, the results announced Wednesday "are consistent with the positrons originating from the annihilation of dark matter particles in space, but not yet sufficiently conclusive to rule out other explanations."Over the last few decades, scientists have come to the conclusion that the universe's composition is only about 5% atoms -- in other words, the stuff that we see and know around us.
SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashes down after mission to ISS
(CNN) -- SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule splashed into the Pacific Tuesday after reaching the International Space Station this month.Recovery boats met the Dragon, loaded with more than 3,000 pounds of cargo and packaging from the ISS, according SpaceX's Twitter feed.The unmanned Dragon had delivered more than 1,200 pounds of supplies to the ISS crew.The Dragons splashed down at 9:34 a.m. Pacific (12:34 p.m. ET).
(CNN) -- SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule splashed into the Pacific Tuesday after reaching the International Space Station this month.Recovery boats met the Dragon, loaded with more than 3,000 pounds of cargo and packaging from the ISS, according SpaceX's Twitter feed.The unmanned Dragon had delivered more than 1,200 pounds of supplies to the ISS crew.The Dragons splashed down at 9:34 a.m. Pacific (12:34 p.m. ET).
Mars may have once supported life, NASA says
(CNN) -- Dusty and desolate Mars once had conditions favorable for microbial life, NASA scientists announced Tuesday.The conclusion was based on the Curiosity rover's analysis of a rock sample drawn from an ancient stream bed on the Red Planet.The sample contained sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon -- "some of the key chemical ingredients for life," NASA said."We have characterized a very ancient, but strangely new 'gray Mars' where conditions once were favorable for life," said John Grotzinger, Mars Science Laboratory project scientist at the California Institute of Technology.
(CNN) -- Dusty and desolate Mars once had conditions favorable for microbial life, NASA scientists announced Tuesday.The conclusion was based on the Curiosity rover's analysis of a rock sample drawn from an ancient stream bed on the Red Planet.The sample contained sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon -- "some of the key chemical ingredients for life," NASA said."We have characterized a very ancient, but strangely new 'gray Mars' where conditions once were favorable for life," said John Grotzinger, Mars Science Laboratory project scientist at the California Institute of Technology.
501 days in space with your spouse: Could you handle it?
(CNN) -- One man.
(CNN) -- One man.
SpaceX 'Dragon' capsule reaches Intl. Space Station
(CNN) -- After a technical hiccup, SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule reached the International Space Station on Sunday.The unmanned Dragon is carrying more than 1,200 pounds of supplies for the crew and the crew's experiments.
(CNN) -- After a technical hiccup, SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule reached the International Space Station on Sunday.The unmanned Dragon is carrying more than 1,200 pounds of supplies for the crew and the crew's experiments.
SpaceX launches supply capsule to International Space Station
(CNN) -- SpaceX launched its unmanned Dragon cargo capsule from Florida on Friday morning, starting the company's second NASA-contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station.The company was working on a technical difficulty shortly after the capsule separated from its Falcon 9 rocket.
(CNN) -- SpaceX launched its unmanned Dragon cargo capsule from Florida on Friday morning, starting the company's second NASA-contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station.The company was working on a technical difficulty shortly after the capsule separated from its Falcon 9 rocket.
Space telescope spots smallest planet beyond our Sun
(CNN) -- It's not the kind of place you'd call home: an airless, rocky planet so close to its sun that some metals will melt on its surface.But it's a big little discovery for NASA's space observatory Kepler.
(CNN) -- It's not the kind of place you'd call home: an airless, rocky planet so close to its sun that some metals will melt on its surface.But it's a big little discovery for NASA's space observatory Kepler.
NASA restores communication with Intl. Space Station
(CNN) -- NASA restored communication with the International Space Station on Tuesday after connections went dark following a routine computer software update.Before the fix, the space agency said the craft was able to communicate only every 90 minutes when it passed over ground stations in Russia."This is the same way they used to do it in the 1960s, with Gemini and Apollo," NASA spokesman Josh Byerly said.The station, which is carrying two American astronauts, three Russian cosmonauts and a Canadian astronaut, did not appear to be in danger."It's not a panicked mood that takes over mission control," Byerly said before communications were fixed. "Anybody's who's been here has seen that."Aboard the station, Commander Kevin Ford told mission control during a pass over a Russian ground station that the craft was "still flying straight" and that everybody was "in good shape."The loss in communications was not considered unprecedented, though it was thought to be a cause for concern, officials said.The station is the product of a partnership among 16 nations and carries six laboratories for space research.
(CNN) -- NASA restored communication with the International Space Station on Tuesday after connections went dark following a routine computer software update.Before the fix, the space agency said the craft was able to communicate only every 90 minutes when it passed over ground stations in Russia."This is the same way they used to do it in the 1960s, with Gemini and Apollo," NASA spokesman Josh Byerly said.The station, which is carrying two American astronauts, three Russian cosmonauts and a Canadian astronaut, did not appear to be in danger."It's not a panicked mood that takes over mission control," Byerly said before communications were fixed. "Anybody's who's been here has seen that."Aboard the station, Commander Kevin Ford told mission control during a pass over a Russian ground station that the craft was "still flying straight" and that everybody was "in good shape."The loss in communications was not considered unprecedented, though it was thought to be a cause for concern, officials said.The station is the product of a partnership among 16 nations and carries six laboratories for space research.
Mars rover driver leaves the steering wheel
(CNN) -- NASA's Mars rover driver Scott Maxwell shared all kinds of amazing things about himself when we last spoke in August.
(CNN) -- NASA's Mars rover driver Scott Maxwell shared all kinds of amazing things about himself when we last spoke in August.
NASA puts newest Landsat satellite into orbit Monday
(CNN) -- NASA put its newest Landsat satellite into orbit on Monday, extending a long-running program that has been beaming back dramatic images of Earth for more than 40 years.The Landsat Data Continuity Mission -- to be designated Landsat 8, once it's up and running -- lifted off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base atop an Atlas V booster.The $855 million platform, about the size of a sport-utility vehicle, has been in the works for years amid concerns about maintaining the U.S. suite of geoscience satellites.The first Landsat mission went into orbit in 1972; the last working mission, Landsat 7, was launched in 1999.
(CNN) -- NASA put its newest Landsat satellite into orbit on Monday, extending a long-running program that has been beaming back dramatic images of Earth for more than 40 years.The Landsat Data Continuity Mission -- to be designated Landsat 8, once it's up and running -- lifted off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base atop an Atlas V booster.The $855 million platform, about the size of a sport-utility vehicle, has been in the works for years amid concerns about maintaining the U.S. suite of geoscience satellites.The first Landsat mission went into orbit in 1972; the last working mission, Landsat 7, was launched in 1999.
NASA marks 10th anniversary of shuttle Columbia disaster
(CNN) -- It started as a dot -- a bright, white star that raced across the Southwest.
(CNN) -- It started as a dot -- a bright, white star that raced across the Southwest.
What's happening on the space station?
(CNN) -- High above us, beyond the skies, is the International Space Station, which weighs nearly 1 million pounds and has a wingspan the length of a football field.
(CNN) -- High above us, beyond the skies, is the International Space Station, which weighs nearly 1 million pounds and has a wingspan the length of a football field.
Phew! Asteroid to miss Earth in 2040, NASA says
(CNN) -- On a day when global doomsday predictions failed to pan out, NASA had more good news for the Earth: An asteroid feared to be on a collision course with our planet no longer poses a threat.
(CNN) -- On a day when global doomsday predictions failed to pan out, NASA had more good news for the Earth: An asteroid feared to be on a collision course with our planet no longer poses a threat.
'So long, Ebb and Flow:' NASA crashes probes into moon
(CNN) -- A pair of robotic twins that have been diligently mapping the moon this year went out with a bang Monday.
(CNN) -- A pair of robotic twins that have been diligently mapping the moon this year went out with a bang Monday.
Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak Thursday night
(CNN) -- Look to the heavens this week and you may see something no earthling has seen before -- meteors from the comet Wirtanen.
(CNN) -- Look to the heavens this week and you may see something no earthling has seen before -- meteors from the comet Wirtanen.
Mars rover Curiosity: No surprise in 1st soil test
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Mars rover Curiosity has completed its first chemical test of soil from the red planet, and scientists say there are no surprises so far.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Mars rover Curiosity has completed its first chemical test of soil from the red planet, and scientists say there are no surprises so far.
NASA: Longest space mission for U.S. astronaut set for 2015
(CNN) -- Capt.
(CNN) -- Capt.