Space & Physics
Kickstarter Project Seeks to Resurrect Pioneer Plaques
The crowdsourced effort intends to build replicas of the famed "galactic greeting cards," which are traveling out of the solar system on the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes
Stories by SPACE.com
Space & Physics
Astronomers Find Water and Weird Clouds on Extrasolar "Warm Neptune"
Two space telescopes reveal the distant exoplanet HAT-P-26b has an atmosphere rich with hydrogen, helium and water vapor
Space & Physics
Could "Planetary Protection" Scuttle Otherworldly Exploration?
Scientists are grappling with the problem of biological cross-contamination between Earth and other worlds
Space & Physics
Scientists Push to Orbit Pluto
After New Horizons’ 2015 encounter with the dwarf planet, researchers are hoping to go back—to stay
Space & Physics
World's Biggest Space Telescope Heads West on Path to Launchpad
With its testing at Goddard Space Flight Center completed, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope embarks for further testing in Texas before its 2018 launch
Space & Physics
NASA's Next Big Observatory to Go under the Microscope
An independent review panel will scrutinize the space agency’s in-progress Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope to ensure the project is on track
Space & Physics
Earth-Mass "Ice Ball" Planet Found 13,000 Light-Years Away
The chilly, distant world is the smallest yet found via the “microlensing” planet-hunting technique
Space & Physics
Cassini Survives Closest-Ever Encounter with Saturn, Snaps Stunning Images
First images from an epic dive through Saturn’s rings reveal a giant hurricane and turbulent storm clouds
Space & Physics
"Dragonfly'" Drone Could Fly across Saturn's Moon Titan
The quadcopter-style lander could explore some of the moon’s most promising sites for habitability and life
Space & Physics
NASA's Cassini Mission Conducts Daring Dive through Saturn's Rings
The maneuver marks the final phase of Cassini’s mission, and promises the closest-ever investigation of Saturn
Space & Physics
Meet “Steve,” a Strange New Sky Phenomenon
Citizen scientists and space-agency satellites come together to discover a new variety of aurora
Space & Physics
NASA Funds 22 Futuristic Ideas for Space Exploration
The research grants provide funding for new studies of spacecraft propulsion, synthetic biology and more
Space & Physics
Big, Shiny Asteroid to Buzz Past Earth on April 19
Approach of the 2,000-foot space rock is closest for such a large object since 2004
Space & Physics
Russia Could Stay with the International Space Station to 2028
The orbital outpost is presently slated to be retired as early as 2024
Space & Physics
Only One of TRAPPIST-1's Rocky Planets May Be Right for Life
A new climate model suggests six of the nearby star's seven worlds are uninhabitable
Space & Physics
Astronomers Struggle to Explain Mysterious X-Ray Burst
The brief flash of light from a far-distant galaxy is unlike any seen before
Space & Physics
Citizen Scientists Spot Candidates for Planet Nine
A crowdsourced science project to find the hypothetical new world has turned up four curious candidates
Space & Physics
Used SpaceX Rocket Launches Satellite, Then Lands in Historic First Reflight
Elon Musk says reusing expensive orbit-class boosters will mean “a huge revolution in spaceflight”
Space & Physics
New Supply Could Prevent Deep-Space Plutonium Shortage
Public-private partnerships may boost available nuclear fuel for space exploration
Evolution
Life Bounced Back Fast after Dino-Killing Impact
A new study finds organisms only took 30,000 years to repopulate a region devastated by the impact
