STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
Space News & Blog Articles
SpaceX's new Starship video animation is Tron meets Blade Runner in space
A stunning SpaceX animation released Thursday (Feb. 10) shows the Starship system on a future voyage to Mars.
We Might Know Why Mars Lost its Magnetic Field
Mars is a parched planet ruled by global dust storms. It’s also a frigid world, where night-time winter temperatures fall to -140 C (-220 F) at the poles. But it wasn’t always a dry, barren, freezing, inhospitable wasteland. It used to be a warm, wet, almost inviting place, where liquid water flowed across the surface, filling up lakes, carving channels, and leaving sediment deltas.
Astronomers Measure the Layers of an Exoplanet's Atmosphere
The number of planets discovered beyond our Solar System has grown exponentially in the past twenty years, with 4,919 confirmed exoplanets (and another 8,493 awaiting confirmation)! Combined with improved instruments and data analysis, the field of study is entering into an exciting new phase. In short, the focus is shifting from discovery to characterization, where astronomers can place greater constraints on potential habitability.
Want a free trip to suborbital space? Apply by Feb. 15 to become a 'citizen astronaut'
The nonprofit Space for Humanity is accepting applications through Feb. 15 for its Citizen Astronaut Program, which trains folks for spaceflight and will foot the bill for their trip to the final frontier.
The James Webb Space Telescope's first images have scientists excited (and a bit relieved)
Excitement runs high as NASA scientists capture the first images and spot their first starlight with the agency's James Webb Space Telescope.
Best free VR experiences: Free VR games for Oculus Quest 2 and more
Save money with these free VR experiences for the Oculus Quest and other VR headsets.
How many stars are in the universe?
Exactly how many stars are in the universe is impossible to know because we aren't sure of its scale.
Behold the 1st images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope!
The team behind NASA's James Webb Space Telescope released some of the first images from the much-anticipated observatory on Friday (Feb. 11).
Solar Tsunami Hit Earth 9,200 Years Ago
Scientists examining ancient ice cores have found radioactive evidence of an extreme solar storm that took place in 7,176 BCE.
Photons received: Webb sees its first star – 18 times
The James Webb Space Telescope is nearing completion of the first phase of the months-long process of aligning the observatory’s primary mirror using the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument.
UAE’s Mars Hope Team Publishes ‘Mars Atlas’
The United Arab Emirates Space Agency releases a unique comprehensive Mars Atlas of the Red Planet.
Astronomy Jargon 101: Neutrinos
The neutrino is perhaps one of the most annoying kinds of particles in all of physics. The physicist Wolfgang Pauli first proposed the existence of the neutrino to explain why the nuclear beta decay reaction appeared to violate conservation of energy and momentum. He thought that a tiny, invisible particle may carry off the extra energy and momentum.
Elon Musk shows off fully-stacked SpaceX Starship as 1st orbital launch nears
Elon Musk took to the stage to deliver what his company, SpaceX, billed as an "update on the design, development and testing of Starship." Musk described it as "really some some wild stuff."
ESA’s Vega rocket marks ten years with countdown to more powerful successor
Ten years ago today, ESA opened a new era of independent access to space with the inaugural flight of its small launcher Vega. Flying from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, Vega has gone on to earn a reputation for precision and versatility in anticipation of a more capable version, Vega-C.
Space geoengineering: Can we control the weather?
Geoengineering is the use of technology to alter Earth's climate. This can take place on Earth or in space.
Deep interior of Mars might have led to the loss of the planet's atmosphere
A new study gives potential insights into how the Red Planet's magnetic field, which protected its atmosphere, faded away.
NASA space telescope spots most powerful light ever seen on Jupiter, helps solve 30-year-old mystery
NASA has detected the most energetic light ever seen on Jupiter and, in the process, solved a 30-year-old mystery.
Russia aims to rekindle moon program with lunar lander launch this July
Russia is ready to reactivate its moon exploration agenda, a former Soviet Union enterprise that ended decades ago, with the launch of the Luna 25 mission this summer.