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Mars heist: Red Planet was robbed of most of its atmosphere billions of years ago

Two papers report that Mars’s atmosphere was lost in cataclysmic events some 4 billion years ago, leaving the planet with too thin an atmosphere to support life.
NASA terminates spacewalk following leak into astronaut's helmet

NASA aborted the walk about an hour into what was supposed to be a six-hour mission outside the International Space Station.
Neptune moon: Astronomer spots tiny moon orbiting eighth planet

Neptune moon: Archival images from the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a tiny, faint moon orbiting Neptune, bringing the distant gas giant's known moons to 14.
Alien planet's mysterious blue color leaves scientists wondering

The Hubble Space Telescope helped scientists to identify the blue color of an exoplanet, giving researchers another piece in their understanding of the distant world. The alien planet has fierce winds and high temperatures, which turn rain into glass.
NASA's IBEX maps solar system's tail for the first time

NASA has provided the first ever map of our solar system's tail, called the heliotail.
NASA findings reveal solar system's tail

The bubble created by the solar wind and magnetism that surrounds the solar system is larger and more interesting that previously thought, NASA scientists said Wednesday. The researchers used data collected by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer to make their discovery.
Mars 2020: NASA's going bold – on a budget

Mars 2020: NASA's next rover will search for signs of ancient life on Mars and stockpile the evidence for an eventual return to Earth. To save money, NASA will borrow hardware and designs from the successful Mars Curiosity rover.
NASA, Reddit encourage 7-year-old Dexter Walters to seek space

Dexter Walters, a science-hungry young boy, wrote NASA that he was too young to apply for a trip to colonize Mars. NASA responded. His mother, surprised, posted it to Reddit where users offered their advice on how to encourage Dexter's appetite.
Astronauts to perform cleaning chores outside International Space Station

Two astronauts, NASA’s Chris Cassidy and the European Space Agency's Luca Parmitano, will work for six and a half hours outside the International Space Station on Tuesday.
A space shuttle's final mission: Atlantis opens to the public (+video)

The much-anticipated Atlantis exhibit - showcasing the last space shuttle to make a mission - will open at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on Saturday.
PayPal plans for interplanetary banking system

PayPal and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) announced plans for an interplanetary banking system.
Hipster Mars had oxygen before it was cool

Four billion years ago called, and they want their oxygen-rich atmosphere back, finds new research from Oxford University.
Go big or go home: NASA's 1.3 billion-pixel panorama from Mars

NASA researchers have composed an interactive, panoramic view of Mars created with more than 900 exposures taken from the Curiosity rover.
NASA wants your help lassoing an asteroid (+video)

NASA has issued The Asteroid Grand Challenge, an effort to solicit ideas for how to capture an asteroid and, later, send humans to asteroids.
NASA's new astronaut class marks changing of guard for US spaceflight (+video)

NASA named its first new astronauts in four years Monday. Of the eight new recruits, four are women, and all are members of the 'space shuttle generation.'
NASA chooses eight new astronauts, four of them women

The eight new astronauts are expected to man some of NASA's boldest, most anticipated new missions, including travel to Mars.
First woman in space: Miserable cosmonaut or triumphant space flyer?

Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, flew 50 years ago today. After her problem-plagued flight, it took almost two decades for another woman to go into space.
'Bonanza' of black holes has party, doesn't invite us

Poring over 13 years worth of X-ray telescope data, scientists have discovered 26 black holes in a neighboring galaxy.
Old NASA rover shows off new tricks

Almost 10 years into what was originally supposed to be a 90-day mission, NASA's Mars Opportunity Rover is doubling down on its recent triumph, beaming home 'some of the most important findings of our entire mission.'
Fires have burned 3 percent of Amazon rainforest in 12 years, NASA says

Scientists find that hard-to-track fires in forest ‘understory’ have done even greater damage to rainforest than traditional deforestation
Mars discovery: Rock reveals science of planet’s watery past

A rock analyzed by the rover Opportunity has signs of clay-mineral composition, hinting at abundant fresh water – perhaps a habitable environment – in Mars’ past.
How to shave your head in space: astronaut video

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy recently demonstrated the fine art of shaving your head in space. It's more complicated than you might think.
Tiny helicopter powered and steered by mental power

A tiny helicopter responds to the pilot's whims and impulses. Imagine lifting your right hand and the plane banks to the right.
Tiny telescope's big discovery: Saturn-like planet orbiting an unlikely star

The Saturn-like planet has a well-studied cousin – the first alien planet found using the transit approach – to which it can be compared, right down to the makeup of its atmosphere.
Asteroid nearly two miles wide sails past Earth (+video)

Asteroid fly-by didn't pose a risk of striking Earth, but NASA is working to catalog space rocks that could pose a threat – and be ready to deflect them.