space

China launches latest Shenzhou mission with 1 of 3 astronauts preparing for a yearlong stay

By Han Guan Ng, The Associated Press

NASA launches spacecraft on mission to explore metal-rich asteroid

NASA spacecraft to swing past Mars as it chases rare metal asteroid

Named Psyche like the asteroid it’s after, the robotic explorer will slingshot past the red planet at 12,333 mph (19,848 kph) on Friday.

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

Astronomers believe they've detected an atmosphere around a tiny, icy world beyond Pluto

Just 300 miles or so across, this mini Pluto is thought to be the solar system's smallest object.

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

U.S. President Donald Trump meets Artemis II astronauts in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington

WATCH: Trump talks about Putin call, Comey indictment as he welcomes Artemis II astronauts to the White House

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Russia's Vladimir Putin offered to help the U.S. handle Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a potential nuclear deal.

By Associated Press

NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II mission commander, exits the Orion crew module to join the three other crew in a raft

NASA sets its sights on Artemis III following astronauts' historic moon flyby

Now that the first lunar travelers in more than a half-century are safely back in Houston with their families, NASA has Artemis III in its sights.

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

Cheers welcome Artemis II astronauts home after record-breaking trip

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center and Mission Control, flying in from San Diego, where they splashed down just offshore the evening before.

How will NASA get the Artemis II crew safely back on Earth? Here's the science behind splashdown

By Marcos Fernandez Tous, The Conversation

While splashdown can be harrowing – the spacecraft will hurdle through the atmosphere faster than the speed of sound and reach temperatures in the thousands of degrees – NASA has been doing it for decades.

WATCH: Artemis II crew splashes down on Earth after historic trip around the moon

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

Artemis II’s astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than a half-century.

Artemis II astronauts make long-distance call to space station on the way home from the moon

By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press

Still aglow from their triumphant lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts made more history Tuesday: calling their friends aboard the International Space Station hundreds of thousands of miles away as they headed home from the moon.