NASA
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Radio scans find no alien tech from the latest interstellar comet
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | The group leading the charge in the search for extraterrestrial life has given the all clear: An interstellar comet looks to be completely natural and free of any alien tech. The SETI Institute said Wednesday that extensive radio scans by its telescope in Northern California found no signs of otherworldly technology […]
Blue Origin rocket explodes on the launch pad during an engine-firing test
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. | A rocket belonging to Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin exploded during a test at the launch pad Thursday night, shaking nearby homes and briefly painting the sky orange. Blue Origin said its New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine-firing test being conducted ahead of a satellite launch planned for next week. No […]