Space & Physics
U.S. to Launch Space Force in 2020, Pence Says
The Vice President provided more details on the Trump administration’s controversial plans to create a new space-focused military branch
Stories by SPACE.com
Natural Disasters
Space Station Crew Photographs Raging California Wildfires
The Golden State’s fiery woes are clearly visible all the way from low-Earth orbit
Space & Physics
Planet-Hunting Kepler Telescope Wakes Up, Phones Home
Nearing the end of its life, the spectacularly successful mission is still churning out new observations
Space & Physics
NASA Introduces 9 Astronauts for First Commercial Flights
The “Commercial Crew Nine” will fly to space in hardware made by Boeing and SpaceX
Space & Physics
To Fight Fake News, SETI Researchers Update Alien-Detection Scale
Dubbed Rio 2.0, the scale seeks to measure how important any potential signal from aliens might be
Space & Physics
Blue Meteorite Crystals Reveal the Sun’s Wild Youth
Ancient relics confirm our solar system’s tempestuous origins
Space & Physics
What to Expect for Friday’s Record-Breaking Lunar Eclipse
The upcoming total eclipse of the moon will be the longest of the 21st century
Space & Physics
Scientists Definitely Have Not Found Life on the Moon
Earth’s Moon may have once been habitable—but that does not mean it was ever inhabited
Space & Physics
Signs of Life on Europa May Be Just beneath the Surface
New maps suggest evidence of alien life in the icy moon’s buried ocean could be surprisingly easy to find
Space & Physics
Watch a Baby Exoplanet Being Born
New observations reveal an infant alien world coalescing from gas and dust around a young star
Space & Physics
Breezes Could Help Power Landers on Mars
Wind turbines could produce significant amounts of electricity for robots exploring the Red Planet’s surface
Space & Physics
How Theoretical Physicists Can Help Find Aliens
To be successful, scientists searching for extraterrestrial beings may need to revisit some fundamental assumptions about the nature of life itself
Space & Physics
NASA Defers Launch of James Webb Space Telescope Again—This Time to 2021
The postponement brings the project's total estimated lifetime cost to $9.66 billion—and further delays are possible
Space & Physics
Ingredients for Life Found on Saturn's Moon Enceladus
A new look at old data from NASA’s Cassini orbiter shows complex organic molecules are gushing from the tiny moon
Engineering
Could the Self-Repairing Star Wars Droid L3-37 Come to Life?
We're not that close to making self-modifying robots, expert says
Space & Physics
Massive Dust Storm Engulfs Mars
The sunlight-sapping global storm has taken NASA’s Opportunity rover offline, perhaps forever
Space & Physics
NASA Offers New Plan to Detect and Destroy Dangerous Asteroids
The federal government's five-point strategy is a roadmap for dealing with threatening near-Earth objects
Space & Physics
Gravitational “Echoes” Could Reveal Colliding Wormholes
A unique signature in gravitational wave observations could show that hypothetical tunnels through space-time actually exist
Policy
Trump Orders “Space Force,” Signs Space-Traffic Policy
The President’s proposal could create a new branch of the armed services meant to assure “American dominance” in space
Space & Physics
Weird Low-Light Bacteria Could Potentially Thrive on Mars
The photosynthetic organisms subsist on redder, lower-energy light than other species, and could be a new source of fuel and air for interplanetary outposts
