NASA insists Boeing Starliner crew 'not stranded' on ISS

The first astronauts to fly Boeing's troubled Starliner are definitely not "stranded" at the International Space Station, NASA insisted Friday despite having no clear timeframe for bringing them home.

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NASA astronauts will stay at the space station longer for more troubleshooting of Boeing capsule

Two NASA astronauts will stay longer at the International Space Station as engineers troubleshoot problems on Boeing's new space capsule that cropped up on the trip there.

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A harmless asteroid will whiz past Earth Saturday. Here's how to spot it

An asteroid will whiz harmlessly past Earth this weekend. With the right equipment and timing, you just might spot it.

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Tiny bright objects discovered at dawn of universe baffle scientists

A recent discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed that luminous, very red objects previously detected in the early universe upend conventional thinking about the origins and evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes.

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Mapping the red planet with the power of open science

Combining images from orbit with images from the surface, a JPL-developed tool allows researchers to zoom in to see individual boulders and zoom out to see all of Mars.

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NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter captures huge volcano, nears 100,000 orbits

NASA's longest-lived Mars robot is about to mark a new milestone on June 30: 100,000 trips around the Red Planet since launching 23 years ago. During that time, the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter has been mapping minerals and ice across the Martian surface, identifying landing sites for future missions, and relaying data to Earth from NASA's rovers and landers.

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The science behind splashdown—aerospace engineer explains how NASA and SpaceX get spacecraft safely back

For about 15 minutes on July 21, 1961, American astronaut Gus Grissom felt at the top of the world—and indeed he was.

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Gravitational wave researchers cast new light on Antikythera mechanism mystery

Techniques developed to analyze the ripples in spacetime detected by one of the 21st century's most sensitive pieces of scientific equipment have helped cast new light on the function of the oldest known analog computer.

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China calls on scientists of all nations to study lunar samples, but notes obstacle with the US

China's space officials said Thursday they welcomed scientists from around the world to apply to study the lunar rock samples that the Chang'e 6 probe brought back to Earth in a historic mission, but noted there were limits to that cooperation, specifically with the United States.

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Surprising phosphate finding in NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample

Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security—Regolith Explorer) mission since it was delivered to Earth last fall. They have hoped the material would hold secrets of the solar system's past and the prebiotic chemistry that might have led to the origin of life on Earth.

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Astrophysicists calculate the likelihood that Earth was exposed to cold harsh interstellar clouds 2 million years ago

Around two million years ago, Earth was a very different place, with our early human ancestors living alongside saber-toothed tigers, mastodons, and enormous rodents. And, depending on where they were, they may have been cold: Earth had fallen into a deep freeze, with multiple ice ages coming and going until about 12,000 years ago.

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New method could allow multi-robot teams to autonomously and reliably explore other planets

While roboticists have developed increasingly sophisticated systems over the past decades, ensuring that these systems can autonomously operate in real-world settings without mishaps often proves challenging. This is particularly difficult when these robots are designed to be deployed in complex environments, including space and other planets.

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Virgin Galactic completes final spaceflight before two-year pause

Virgin Galactic on Saturday successfully completed its last spaceflight before heading into a two-year pause on commercial operations to upgrade its fleet, as the space tourism company seeks to finally turn a profit.

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NASA considering an interstellar probe to study the heliosphere, the region of space influenced by the sun

The sun warms the Earth, making it habitable for people and animals. But that's not all it does, and it affects a much larger area of space. The heliosphere, the area of space influenced by the sun, is over a hundred times larger than the distance from the sun to the Earth.

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Virgin Galactic set for final spaceflight before two-year pause

Virgin Galactic is poised on Saturday for its last spaceflight before heading into a two-year pause on commercial operations to upgrade its fleet, as the company seeks to finally turn a profit.

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Hubble examines a barred spiral's light

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the barred spiral galaxy NGC 3059, which lies about 57 million light-years from Earth. Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 collected the data in May 2024 as part of an observing program that studied a number of galaxies. All of the observations used the same range of filters: partially transparent materials that allow only very specific wavelengths of light to pass through.

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NASA, global astronomers await rare nova explosion

Around the world this summer, professional and amateur astronomers alike will be fixed on one small constellation deep in the night sky. But it's not the seven stars of Corona Borealis, the "Northern Crown," that have sparked such fascination.

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Researcher suggests that gravity can exist without mass, mitigating the need for hypothetical dark matter

Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is implied by gravitational effects that can't be explained by general relativity unless more matter is present in the universe than can be seen. It remains virtually as mysterious as it was nearly a century ago when first suggested by Dutch astronomer Jan Oort in 1932 to explain the so-called "missing mass" necessary for things like galaxies to clump together.

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Boeing Starliner crew aboard ISS after challenging docking

A Boeing Starliner capsule carrying its first ever astronauts docked with the International Space Station on Thursday after overcoming unexpected challenges arising from thruster malfunctions and helium leaks.

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JWST discovers large variety of carbon-rich gases that serve as ingredients for future planets around very low-mass star

Planets form in disks of gas and dust, orbiting young stars. The MIRI Mid-INfrared Disk Survey (MINDS), led by Thomas Henning from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, Germany, aims to establish a representative disk sample. By exploring their chemistry and physical properties with MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) on board the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the collaboration links those disks to the properties of planets potentially forming there.

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First detection of negative ions on the moon

The first ESA instrument to land on the moon has detected the presence of negative ions on the lunar surface produced through interactions with the solar wind.

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New rare 'green bean' galaxy discovered

Astronomers from New Mexico State University (NMSU) and elsewhere report the discovery of a new galaxy of a rare class, dubbed "green bean." The finding, made with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), was presented in a research paper published May 29 on the preprint server arXiv.

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World's most powerful rocket Starship set for next launch

Starship, SpaceX's massive prototype rocket that may one day send humans to Mars, is poised for its next flight on Thursday.

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Olivine experiments provide new insights into lunar basalt formation

Olivine is the earliest mineral to crystallize from basaltic magma, and accurate knowledge of olivine/melt partition coefficients (DOl-melt ) for first-transition row elements (FTREs) Ga and Ge, is required in quantitative modeling of petrogenetic processes in planetary basalts. Numerous experimental studies have focused on this topic, but most investigations concentrated on minor elements found in olivine, and the oxygen fugacities (fO2) in many of these experiments were commonly designed to be similar to those found in Earth's mantle.

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'Weird' new planet retains atmosphere despite nearby star's relentless radiation

A rare exoplanet that should have been stripped down to bare rock by its nearby host star's intense radiation somehow grew a puffy atmosphere instead—the latest in a string of discoveries forcing scientists to rethink theories about how planets age and die in extreme environments.

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Astronomers investigate giant molecular clouds in the galaxy NGC 613

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has performed high-resolution observations of a nearby galaxy known as NGC 613. Results of the observational campaign, published May 30 on the preprint server arXiv, shed more light on the numerous giant molecular clouds in the center of this galaxy.

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Take three for Boeing Starliner crewed launch attempt

Boeing will be hoping the third time's a charm on Wednesday as they try once more to launch astronauts aboard a Starliner capsule bound for the International Space Station.

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Hubble trouble: Veteran space telescope forced to take it easy

The venerable Hubble Space Telescope, which has revolutionized astronomical discovery since its launch in 1990, will ease into retirement with a scaled-back observing schedule, NASA officials said Tuesday.

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What impact does ozone have on an exoplanet?

As we discover more and more exoplanets—and the current total is in excess of 5,200—we continue to try to learn more about them. Astrobiologists busy themselves analyzing their atmospheres searching for anything that provides a sign of life.

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Swarm satellites help aurora chasers discover Steve's long-lost twin

Ever since aurora chasers discovered Steve, a mysterious ribbon of purple light in the night sky, scientists have wondered whether it might have a secret twin. Now, thanks to a photographer's keen eye, and data from ESA's Swarm satellites, we may have found it.

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Eight new millisecond pulsars discovered with FAST

Using the Five-Hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), astronomers from the Guizhou University in China and elsewhere have discovered eight new millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster NGC 6517. The finding was reported in a research paper published May 28 on the pre-print server arXiv.

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Craft unfurls China's flag on the far side of the moon and lifts off with lunar rocks to bring home

China said its lunar spacecraft unfurled the country's red and gold flag for the first time on the far side of the moon before part of the vehicle blasted off early Tuesday with rock and soil samples to bring back to Earth.

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Researchers call for strengthening sustainability regulations in laws governing space exploration

In a new study, a team of researchers led by Dimitra Atri of the NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Center for Astrophysics and Space Science call for strengthening existing planetary protection policies beyond the space surrounding Earth to include requirements for preserving the Lunar and Martian environments. In addition to biological contamination, they argue that guidelines should be expanded to address more than orbital debris, crowding, and security issues.

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Hubble views broad and sweeping spiral galaxy NGC 4731

This new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the broad and sweeping spiral galaxy NGC 4731. It lies in the constellation Virgo and is located 43 million light-years from Earth. This highly detailed image uses data collected from six different filters.

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TOI-1685 b is a hot and rocky super-Earth exoplanet, observations find

An international team of astronomers has performed follow-up observations of a nearby alien world known as TOI-1685 b. Results of the observations, published May 21 on the pre-print server arXiv, indicate that TOI-1685 b is a hot and rocky alien world with an Earth-like density.

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Boeing's first astronaut flight called off at the last minute in latest setback

Last-minute computer trouble nixed Saturday's launch attempt for Boeing's first astronaut flight, the latest in a string of delays over the years.

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The universe's biggest explosions made elements we are composed of, but there's another mystery source out there

After its "birth" in the Big Bang, the universe consisted mainly of hydrogen and a few helium atoms. These are the lightest elements in the periodic table. More-or-less all elements heavier than helium were produced in the 13.8 billion years between the Big Bang and the present day.

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Study investigates a massive 'spider' pulsar

Astronomers from the Stanford University in California have performed joint X-ray and optical observations of a massive "spider" pulsar designated PSR J2215+5135. Results of the observational campaign, presented in a paper published May 22 on the pre-print server arXiv, provide more hints into the nature of this pulsar.

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Boeing will try to launch its first crew on Starliner, again

Troubled aerospace giant Boeing will try once more to fly its first crew to the International Space Station aboard a Starliner spaceship on Saturday, after the last attempt was scrubbed hours before liftoff.

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