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NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | Scientists have discovered a crater on the moon that’s bigger than the Roman Colosseum and is the result of a powerful impact two years ago that initially went undetected. The steep-sided hole — about 728 feet (222 meters) across and up to 141 feet (43 meters) deep — is the solar […]

5 mins read

NASA’s newest space telescope launches on a quest to explore the hidden universe

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | NASA’s newest crown jewel blasted off Sunday to hunt for planets around other stars, explore secret dark energy and survey the cosmos like never before. SpaceX launched the $4.3 billion Roman Space Telescope shortly after daybreak aboard a triple-the-fire-power Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. Roman blazed toward an observation […]

2 mins read

Before-and-after NASA images show crater carved by a SpaceX rocket that slammed into the moon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | A NASA spacecraft circling the moon is providing the sharpest views yet of the crater carved by a crashing SpaceX rocket. The space agency released before-and-after photos of the impact area on Tuesday. The Falcon rocket’s upper stage plowed into the moon at 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) on Aug. 5 after […]

3 mins read

How to spot the Perseid meteor shower, a summer light show that promises to dazzle

NEW YORK | The Perseid summer light show is back — and viewing conditions are especially promising for the Northern Hemisphere. The meteor shower’s peak Wednesday night into Thursday morning coincides with a total solar eclipse across Spain, Iceland and Greenland and a six-planet parade — though the best time to view the fireballs will […]

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Musk likely to face tough questions during SpaceX’s first earnings call as a public company

NEW YORK | Investors in Elon Musk’s space company get a chance to question him Tuesday after SpaceX issues its first quarterly earnings since going public. SpaceX shares are down by half from their June peak as investors worry Musk may have oversold them on its future prospects. They’re also bracing for volatile trading as […]

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Faint new planet is revealed around a young star after a decade in hiding

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | Astronomers have discovered a faint, elusive planet orbiting a young star after more than a decade of cosmic hide-and-seek. In an unusual twist, two groups working independently detected the cold gas giant a few days apart late last year using different telescopes. It’s the dimmest planet ever directly imaged from Earth, […]

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Wally Funk, aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87

GRAPEVINE, Texas | Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to launch into space, has died. She was 87. Funk died Wednesday at her apartment in an assisted living facility in the Dallas and Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine, Texas, Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O’Dell said Thursday. O’Dell, who described herself as […]

2 mins read

Rescue mission launches to save NASA telescope that’s falling back to Earth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | A three-armed spacecraft rocketed into orbit Friday to rescue a NASA telescope that’s in danger of crashing back to Earth. Northrop Grumman launched Katalyst Space Technologies’ Link spacecraft from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. The Pegasus rocket blasted off from the belly of a modified airplane, putting Link on course […]

5 mins read

NASA races to save Swift telescope from falling back to Earth with daring rescue mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | NASA is racing to save an aging telescope from falling back to Earth with a daring rescue mission. The $30 million salvage operation gets underway as soon as this week with the planned launch of a robotic lifesaver. NASA hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies to boost the Swift Observatory to a […]

3 mins read

Elon Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire with SpaceX’s IPO

NEW YORK | Elon Musk may never colonize Mars as promised, but enough investors consider the SpaceX founder to be a sort of miracle man that they’ll help him reach another fantastic goal Friday when he takes the rocket company public. The world’s richest man is set to become its first trillionaire. Known for his […]