Topic: Unmanned Space Exploration
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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Kepler epitaph? Eight most intriguing finds of troubled telescope.
Kepler, the space telescope designed to help us find other Earth-like planets, is on the fritz. Scientists hope they will be able to fix it remotely, but if they can't, its brief, brilliant career could be over. Here are eight of its most important discoveries.
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Briefing How dangerous are near-Earth asteroids? 5 key questions answered.
On Feb. 15, asteroid 2012 DA14, discovered a year ago, cleared Earth by a scant 17,200 miles. The same day, a smaller, unrelated asteroid that no one saw coming exploded 12 to 15 miles above Russia’s Chelyabinsk region. Events that day highlight the risk that near-Earth objects (NEOs) can pose – although to some extent, humans can counter them.
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Man and Mars through history
A look back over centuries at man's attempt to uncover information about the 'Red Planet.'Sources: NASA, American Museum of Natural History, and Scientific American
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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.
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In Pictures China's space program
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Unusual new planet casts doubt on how planets form
A distant, baby planet is challenging the reigning theory about how planets are made.
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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.
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Kepler epitaph? Eight most intriguing finds of troubled telescope.
Kepler, the space telescope designed to help us find other Earth-like planets, is on the fritz. Scientists hope they will be able to fix it remotely, but if they can't, its brief, brilliant career could be over. Here are eight of its most important discoveries.
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'Gravity' movie trailer stars George Clooney, Sandra Bullock (+video)
'Gravity' movie trailer: A first look at director Alfonso Cuarón's 'Gravity,' starring actors George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts.
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Record-breaking star explosion is most powerful ever seen
Two NASA space telescopes have captured what appears to be the most powerful star explosion ever detected, a cosmic event so luminous that scientists dubbed it 'eye-wateringly bright' despite being 3.6 billion light-years from Earth.
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Spring break over, Curiosity rover goes back to work
Curiosity's one-month spring vacation, caused by Mars slipping behind the sun, is now over. "Can you hear me now? Conjunction is over," tweeted Curiosity's handlers today.
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How NASA dodged a derelict Soviet spy satellite
In March 2012, NASA's Fermi space telescope could have collided with a Russian naval signals satellite, were it not for an untested maneuver.
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What's a monster hurricane doing on top of Saturn? (+video)
A monster hurricane at Saturn's north pole, spotted by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, has an eye 1,250 miles wide and inner eye wall winds of 330 miles an hour. Its energy source is a mystery.
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Curiosity hits 'pay dirt': Mars was habitable, evidence suggests (+video)
The Mars rover Curiosity analyzed the inside of a rock it drilled and found that the sample was likely formed in standing water 'so benign' you likely could have drunk it, researchers say.
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Naming Pluto's moon 'Vulcan' only logical, says William Shatner
William Shatner proposed 'Vulcan' as the name of one of Pluto's recently discovered moons, and more than 100,000 'Star Trek' fans seem to concur.
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Briefing How dangerous are near-Earth asteroids? 5 key questions answered.
On Feb. 15, asteroid 2012 DA14, discovered a year ago, cleared Earth by a scant 17,200 miles. The same day, a smaller, unrelated asteroid that no one saw coming exploded 12 to 15 miles above Russia’s Chelyabinsk region. Events that day highlight the risk that near-Earth objects (NEOs) can pose – although to some extent, humans can counter them.
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Sunspots: Huge and growing fast, says NASA
Sunspots of this size could produce major solar flares, which could disrupt communications on Earth. The latest sunspot is six Earth diameters across.
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Asteroid worth $195B, asteroid miners speculate
Asteroid worth $195B: Asteroid miners say that asteroid 2012 DA14, which will buzz past our planet on Friday could contain a jackpot of valuable metals.
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NASA's Curiosity rover taps Martian rock with its drill
Using its arm mounted drill, NASA's Curiosity rover has hammered a rock on an outcrop on Mars, in preparation for the first drilling activity on the Red Planet.
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Comet ISON: NASA releases first photos of 'comet of the century' (+video)
Comet ISON could put on a spectacular display in late November. Comet ISON could shine brighter than the moon in the night sky. Comet ISON was photographed by NASA's Deep Impact probe earlier this month.
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NASA's Curiosity ready to drill first Mars rock
NASA's Curiosity, the SUV-sized robot exploring Mars, is getting ready to spin its drill bit for the first time. Curiosity can probe an inch deep into Martian rock, deeper than any previous rover or lander.
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Russia sets its sights on the moon - again
Russia is beginning a new series of missions to the moon – likely an effort to overcome a slew of space setbacks in recent years by setting its sights on more fail-proof endeavors.
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'Curiosity': good name for a Mars rover
A Christian Science perspective.
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Man and Mars through history
A look back over centuries at man's attempt to uncover information about the 'Red Planet.'Sources: NASA, American Museum of Natural History, and Scientific American
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Cover Story The Mars mystique
After 50 years of missions to Mars, scientists are unlocking some of the mysteries surrounding a planet that has captivated mankind for millenniums. Will humans ever leave a boot print on Mars?
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Water ice found on scorching-hot Mercury
Temperatures on Mercury can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit, but around the north pole, in areas permanently shielded from the sun's heat, NASA's Messenger spacecraft found a mix of frozen water and possible organic materials.
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NASA: Astronauts could survive Mars radiation
Radiation on the surface of the Red Planet is roughly similar to that experienced by astronauts on the international space station, report NASA scientists. The findings help researchers understand the planet's capacity for supporting life and will assist NASA in preparations for future manned flights to the planet.
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Humongous, 60-million-light-year-long strand of dark matter mapped in 3-D
Since dark matter cannot be seen directly, these filaments are difficult to observe.
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Do Pluto's moons pose risks for NASA spacecraft? (+video)
Scientists are planning a new route for NASA's New Horizons space probe as it approaches a potentially perilous path toward Pluto. They aim to chart a safe, but interesting course.
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Did Mars rover photograph a broken piece of itself?
Curiosity scooped its first Mars sample using its robotic arm Sunday (Oct. 7) and used onboard cameras to snap photos of the event.
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