NASA Hails “Perfect” Launch for Asteroid-Sampling Mission
OSIRIS-REx is set to scrape dirt and gravel from a space rock and return to Earth in 2023
Stories by SPACE.com
A Bus-Size Asteroid Just Gave Earth a Close Shave
Scientists spotted the space rock two days before its flyby
NASA's Dawn Mission Spies Ice Volcanoes on Ceres
"Cryovolcanism" and other curious features mark the dwarf planet as a surprisingly active and complex world
![SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Explodes on Launch Pad in Florida [Video]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/B777DE92-2E3C-4796-A458D2BD0B3CB2AE_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Explodes on Launch Pad in Florida
A massive smoke cloud billows from Cape Canaveral
Mysterious Star Signal Stokes SETI Hopes, but Could Be Earthly
Scientists are investigating a signal from 94 light-years away that could have been created by aliens, but more likely results from an Earth-orbiting satellite or other contamination
NASA’s Juno Transmits First Close Look at Jupiter
The spacecraft's closest-ever swoop over Jupiter's clouds offers a new view of the giant planet's north pole
Mock Mars Explorers Emerge from Habitat to End Year of Isolation in Hawaii
Six “astronauts” spent 12 months in a dome or wearing space suits on a barren volcano
Some “Goldilocks” Planets May Be Too Hot-Blooded for Life
A new study questions whether “habitable zone” planets can sweat off internal heat
This Weird Galaxy Is 99.99 Percent Dark Matter
Astronomers say ultradiffuse or “fluffy” Dragonfly 44 shouldn’t be able to hold itself together with so few stars
SpaceX Founder Set to Unveil Humans-to-Mars Plan in September
Challenges facing Elon Musk’s project include getting return-trip fuel from Martian resources
Hibernating-Star Explosion Provides First Evidence of Nova Cycle
Evidence of additional mini outbursts leading up to the so-called classical nova provides the first direct evidence for the nova hibernation hypothesis, which suggests a cyclical evolution of such stars...
NASA to Launch Asteroid-Sampling Mission in 3 Weeks
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is expected to return a pristine sample of the potentially hazardous space rock Bennu to Earth in September 2023
A Sixth Success! SpaceX Again Lands Rocket on a Ship at Sea
The private spaceflight company has landed its Falcon 9 rocket for the sixth time in the last eight months
NASA’s 2020 Rover Will Carry Microphones to Mars
For the first time, human beings will hear sounds from the Red Planet's surface
Astronomers Watch as Io’s Atmosphere Collapses
Jupiter's shadow makes this volcanic moon's atmosphere freeze solid once per day
Private Company Cleared for Moon Landing in 2017
Government approves robot mission for Moon Express, which wants to mine our satellite
Rosetta Mission Confirms Comets’ Antiquity
A new study of cometary geology shows the objects are relics from the primordial solar system
Is Earth Safe from Asteroid Bennu?
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission will reveal just how threatening this near-Earth asteroid could be
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot May Broil Planet's Atmosphere
Hottest temperatures ever seen on the planet found above the gigantic storm
Giant Mountains on Venus May Help Explain Bizarre Clouds
4,500-meter range pushes watery clouds upward in the strange “Fountain of Aphrodite” phenomenon
