Feb 07 Next stop Mars: 3 spacecraft arriving in quick succession By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press After hurtling hundreds of millions of miles through space since last summer, three robotic explorers are ready to hit the brakes at Mars. The stakes — and anxiety — are sky high. Continue reading
Dec 21 Jupiter, Saturn will appear to merge in night sky for the first time in centuries By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Jupiter and Saturn will merge in the night sky Monday, appearing closer to one another than they have since Galileo’s time in the 17th century. Continue reading
Dec 16 Chinese capsule returns to Earth carrying moon rocks By Associated Press A Chinese lunar capsule returned to Earth Thursday with the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years. Continue reading
Dec 09 WATCH: NASA announces 18 astronauts who will train for Artemis moon-landing By Associated Press NASA has named the 18 astronauts who will train for its Artemis moon-landing program. The first woman and next man on the moon will come from this select group. Continue reading
Dec 03 Chinese moon probe begins return to Earth with lunar samples By Associated Press Chang’e 5, the third Chinese spacecraft to land on the moon and the first to take off from it again, is the latest in a series of increasingly ambitious missions for Beijing’s space program. Continue reading
Oct 30 3 questions after the discovery of water molecules on the sunlit moon By Isabella Isaacs-Thomas A team of scientists who studied a slice of the moon aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) detected the first evidence that water molecules can exist on the unforgiving landscape of the moon's illuminated surface. Continue reading
Oct 29 Asteroid samples tucked into capsule for return to Earth By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press So much was collected that rocks got wedged in the rim of the container and jammed it open, allowing some samples to escape. Whatever is left won't arrive at Earth until 2023. Continue reading
Oct 23 Asteroid samples escaping from jammed open NASA spacecraft By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press The sample container on the end of the robot arm penetrated so deeply into the asteroid and with such force that rocks got sucked in and became wedged around the rim of the lid. Continue reading
Jul 28 How to spot Comet NEOWISE before it disappears for thousands of years By Isabella Isaacs-Thomas There’s still a little bit of time to catch a glimpse of a newly discovered comet as it blazes across the night sky, especially if you have binoculars or a telescope handy. Continue reading
Jul 01 NASA delays Mars rover launch again with 2 weeks left to fly By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press The good news is that NASA is working to eke out more time in this summer's launch opportunity, now lasting until at least Aug. 15. The chance to fly to Mars comes up only every 26 months, when Earth and… Continue reading