Topic: NASA

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Beyond SpaceX: Five companies seeking to change space travel

During the past 10 years, Presidents George W. Bush and Obama have directed NASA to turn the job of transporting cargo and crew to the space station over to the private sector. As that process gathers pace, here is a list of the key players.
What makes a planet livable? Five things scientists look for.

Scientists have so far detected at least 550 planets outside the solar system – and another 2,000-plus await confirmation. But how to pick out the ones that may be Earth-like havens for life? Here's what one team looks for in assessing any planet's potential habitability and its similarity to Earth's properties.
What can be done to create jobs? Six leading ideas.

The job market has shown some very welcome signs of improvement lately, but it still has a long way to go before approaching something Americans would call normal. Here’s a look at some of the proposed solutions out there.
Five reasons the world won't end in 2012

Pointing to the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar on Dec. 21, 2012, many doomsday believers think that life as we know it on Earth has entered it's final year. NASA begs to differ.
Quadrantid meteors and 11 other big skywatching events of 2012

What lies ahead sky-wise for 2012? Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist, selected what he considers to be the top 12 "skylights" for this coming year,

All Content

Southern Great Plains could run out of groundwater in 30 years, study finds

A new study looking at key aquifers beneath the Great Plains and California's Central Valley suggests that areas of Texas and Kansas are drawing groundwater at an unsustainable rate.
Horizons
SpaceX Dragon capsule will soon be earthbound again

The SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station. Now, it heads back to earth. 
Venus to have its final day in the sun for the 21st century

The planet Venus is due to pass in front of the sun on June 5th and 6th. It won't do so again until 2117.
Decoder Wire
Mitt Romney's other Vegas meeting: why Sheldon Adelson trumps The Donald

The most important meeting for Mitt Romney Tuesday may not be with Donald Trump, but with billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who had previously backed Newt Gingrich. 
NASA asks future moon explorers to keep away from Apollo landing site

NASA has asked that any future astronauts or rovers visiting the moon refrain from disturbing the artifacts left behind by past US lunar missions.
Forget 'Men in Black 3': Why aliens won't attack Earth

SETI hunter Jill Tarter says Sir Stephen Hawking is wrong about aliens coming to attack or colonize Earth. If aliens can get here, Tarter reasons, they'll be advanced enough not to need slaves, food or other planets,
SpaceX: Space Station crew likes what it sees in new transport vehicle

The crew of the International Space Station got its first look at the inside of its newest visitor – SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship – Saturday morning. For the next several years it'll be carrying cargo and astronauts to the space station.
NASA: SpaceX docking ranks near top of space-age 'firsts' (+video)

The successful docking of the SpaceX Dragon capsule with the International Space Station Friday is a landmark moment in opening space to wider use, NASA officials say.
SpaceX: Historic space station rendezvous at over 17,000 mph (+video)

The gleaming white Dragon was snared after a few hours of extra checks and maneuvers. The two vessels came together while sailing above Australia at 17,500 mph.
How you can watch SpaceX's Dragon dock with the space station

You can have a ringside seat to witness the space station's robotic arm pull in Dragon, the first commercial spacecraft to visit the outpost. Time to watch is between 10 a.m. and noon EDT.
SpaceX's Dragon craft is a star performer, so far (+video)

The Dragon spacecraft passed the underside of the space station and correctly calculated the distance between the two – two tests it cleared with flying colors on Thursday. The craft, owned by SpaceX, is set to dock on Friday.
SpaceX flyby of space station an historic first

The SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully made its first burn to approach the space station at 3:58 a.m Thursday. It was the final test before the SpaceX capsule docks at the ISS.
Mars Opportunity rover sees its own shadow in crater

Opportunity just started moving again two weeks ago, after spending more than four months at a site along Endeavour's rim called Greeley Haven. The rover sat out the harsh Martian winter at the site, whose tilt allowed Opportunity to angle its solar panels toward the low-hanging sun.
Horizons
SpaceX launch, a strong start for commercial spaceflight

With Tuesday's launch of the Dragon space capsule aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX made a strong case for the viability of commercial spaceflight. But the craft still has quite a few tests to pass for its mission to be a success.
SpaceX rocket on its way to outer space (+video)

This is the first privately-funded spaceflight to the International Space Station; it launched Tuesday after a scrubbed mission over the weekend.
SpaceX launch to space station: humanity finds new wings

If all goes well, the first private capsule will dock at the space station Thursday, marking a historic turning point in the use of private space companies. This will help free up NASA for riskier space exploration.
SpaceX takes Star Trek's 'Scotty' to the Final Frontier

SpaceX: The ashes of the actor James Doohan, who played Scotty on 'Star Trek' were launched to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The price? $2,995 to launch 1 gram of ashes into Earth orbit.
SpaceX launch: private industry inspires new generation of rocketeers (+video)

SpaceX launch a reminder that NASA isn't the only game in town anymore. Aspiring engineers, rocket designers, space geeks look to 'New Space' companies to boldly go where only governments used to go.
With SpaceX launch, more than cargo is riding on space station mission (+video)

The Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon capsule are the bread and butter of SpaceX, which hopes for more contracts with NASA and others to ferry things – and people – to and from space.
SpaceX will try private launch again on Tuesday

The rocket—the first private mission to the International Space Station—scrubbed its planned launch on Saturday.
SpaceX mission to space station scrubbed for now

SpaceX's first attempt to send its Dragon cargo capsule to the International Space Station ended abruptly Saturday morning when computers aboard the company's Falcon 9 rocket shut off the craft's engines just after ignition.
Why historic SpaceX mission to space station will be so difficult

When SpaceX launches its Falcon 9 rocket Saturday, it will be the beginning of a complex rendezvous with the space station that attempts to test several capabilities in one mission.
SpaceX private rocket to make history on Saturday (+video)

The unmanned Dragon space capsule, built by commercial firm SpaceX, is slated to lift off atop the company's Falcon 9 rocket early Saturday from here at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
4,700 asteroids capable of catastrophic damage lurk near Earth

The survey found there are likely 4,700 potentially hazardous asteroids in orbits that occasionally bring them close enough to Earth to pose a concern.
Beyond SpaceX: Five companies seeking to change space travel

During the past 10 years, Presidents George W. Bush and Obama have directed NASA to turn the job of transporting cargo and crew to the space station over to the private sector. As that process gathers pace, here is a list of the key players.