Space Exploration News

Site J, the Rosetta probe’s landing site, is located on the head of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko; the inset shows a close-up of the site. Image credit: ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA.

ESA Researchers Pick Site for Rosetta Probe Landing on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Sep 15, 2014 by News Staff

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission has picked a location on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko where it aims to land the Rosetta’s lander,...

Colorized map of Triton based on Voyager 2 images. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Lunar & Planetary Institute.

U.S. Planetary Scientist Creates New Map of Triton

Aug 25, 2014 by News Staff

On August 25, 1989, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft passed within about 40,000 km of Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune. In commemoration...

Paleosols found inside Gale Crater on Mars are evidence of habitable environments, but have yielded no conclusive evidence of life. Image credit: Gregory J. Retallack.

U.S. Geologist Discovers Earth-Like Soils on Mars

Aug 22, 2014 by News Staff

Paleosols (ancient fossilized soils) filling the Yellowknife Bay geologic formation within the 3.7-billion-year-old Gale Crater on Mars are strong evidence...

$This view looks across the geyser basin of Enceladus, along fractures spewing water vapor and ice particles into space. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.$

Scientists Discover 101 Geysers on Enceladus

Jul 29, 2014 by News Staff

A team of U.S. researchers using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has discovered 101 active geysers erupting on Enceladus, the sixth-largest moon...

Artist's concept of a cryobot in the ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa. Image credit: NASA.

New Study Highlights Importance of Oceans for Exoplanet Habitability

Jul 21, 2014 by News Staff

Oceans are crucial for supporting Earth-like life on extrasolar planets, according to a study published in the journal Astrobiology. Artist’s concept...

Unlike an ordinary daytime photo, this nighttime image of Martian surface shows how warm various surface areas are: brighter tones mean warmer temperatures, which indicate areas with rockier surface materials; darker areas indicate cooler and dustier terrain. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Arizona State University.

Scientists Create Map of Martian Surface Properties

Jul 18, 2014 by News Staff

A group of planetary scientists using data from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) onboard NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter has created the most...

There are three types of ultraviolet radiation: UV-A (315-400nm), UV-B (280-315 nm) and UV-C (200-280 nm). The increased exposure to UV-B radiation has specific effects on human health, crops, terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles.

Record Level of Solar UV-B Radiation Measured in Bolivian Andes

Jul 9, 2014 by News Staff

A multinational team of researchers led by Dr Nathalie Cabrol of NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute has recorded an unprecedented level of...

Sun’s Coronal Mass Ejection Wave Reaches Voyager 1

Jul 9, 2014 by News Staff

Voyager 1 spacecraft has been hit by a ‘shock wave’ from the Sun as it travels through interstellar space, according to NASA scientists. Voyager 1....

Titan's ice shell, which overlies a very salty ocean, varies in thickness around the moon, suggesting the crust is in the process of becoming rigid. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI / University of Arizona / G. Mitri / University of Nantes.

Titan Harbors Very Salty Ocean, Say Scientists

Jul 6, 2014 by News Staff

A detailed analysis of gravity and topography data from Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, provides strong evidence that the ocean inside the moon might...

This artist's concept shows the LDSD test vehicle. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

NASA Tests Flying Saucer-Shaped Vehicle for Future Mars Landing

Jun 30, 2014 by News Staff

After several weather delays, engineers from NASA’s Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator project have successfully tested a flying saucer-shaped spacecraft...

This image is a composite of several images taken during two separate Titan flybys in 2006. The large circular feature near the center of Titan's disk may be the remnant of a very old impact basin. The mountain ranges to the southeast of the circular feature, and the long dark, linear feature to the northwest of the old impact scar may have resulted from tectonic activity on Titan caused by the energy released when the impact occurred. Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

Nitrogen in Atmosphere of Titan Might Pre-Date Saturn, Study Says

Jun 24, 2014 by News Staff

A new study provides strong evidence that the nitrogen in the atmosphere of Titan – the largest of the Saturn’s known 62 moons – originated...

Planetary Scientists Discover Mysterious Geologic Object on Titan

Jun 23, 2014 by News Staff

A team of planetary researchers, led by Jason Hofgartner of Cornell University, has announced the discovery of an anomalous, bright geologic object –...

This false-color mosaic, made from infrared data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, reveals the differences in the composition of surface materials around hydrocarbon lakes at Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Titan is the only other place in the solar system that we know has stable liquid on its surface, though its lakes are made of liquid ethane and methane rather than liquid water. While there is one large lake and a few smaller ones near Titan's south pole, almost all of Titan's lakes appear near the moon's north pole. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona / University of Idaho.

NASA Scientists Recreate Complex Chemistry of Titan’s Atmosphere

Jun 15, 2014 by News Staff

The chemistry of the smoggy atmosphere of the Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, has been successfully simulated by NASA researchers in lab experiments. This...

This artist's impression shows the surface of Pluton, Charon and the Sun. Image credit: ESO / L. Calçada.

Charon May Once Have Had Underground Ocean

Jun 14, 2014 by News Staff

Charon – the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto – may once have had a warm subterranean ocean, suggests a team of planetary scientists led...

NASA to Test Flying Saucer-Shaped Vehicle

Jun 10, 2014 by News Staff

Engineers and scientists from NASA’s Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator project are about to test a new technology for landing heavy payloads on...

This is an artist's depiction of a catastrophic collision between two celestial bodies; such an impact between the proto-Earth and Theia likely formed the Moon. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

New Evidence for Protoplanet Theia Found in Moon Rocks

Jun 6, 2014 by News Staff

A study published in the journal Science provides new evidence that the Moon formed from the catastrophic collision of the proto-Earth with a hypothetical...

A colossal CME burst off the side of the Sun on May 9, 2014. Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

IRIS Captures Huge Coronal Mass Ejection on Sun

Jun 1, 2014 by News Staff

Astronomers using NASA’s Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph have captured extraordinary footage of a colossal coronal mass ejection erupting...

HD views of Earth are now only a click away. Image credit: NASA.

NASA Launches Live HD Streaming of Earth from ISS

May 9, 2014 by Enrico de Lazaro

NASA’s High Definition Earth Viewing experiment (HDEV) is now live-streaming views of our planet from space captured by HD cameras. HDEV placed four...

This false-color image shows minor planets Ceres and Vesta, Martian moons Phobos and Deimos, planets Jupiter and Saturn, as seen by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS / Texas A&M.

Curiosity Sees Ceres, Vesta, Deimos

Apr 25, 2014 by News Staff

Scientists using the Mast Camera aboard NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover have captured a night-sky image of two minor planets Ceres and Vesta, and one...