These Are the Space Missions to Watch in 2016
A brief rundown of the biggest spaceflight milestones to keep an eye out for this year
Stories by SPACE.com
Don't Miss These 12 Must-See Skywatching Events of 2016
Another year of skywatching is upon us, and there's a lot to look forward to in 2016
Declassified: U.S. Military's Secret Cold War Space Project Revealed
Newly released documents describe the U.S. Air Force's secret cold war project known as the Manned Orbiting Laboratory
Bright Planets, Moon, Put on New Year's Show
At dawn on Thursday, Dec. 31, the four brightest planets outline the ecliptic, the path followed by the sun and moon. The moon visits each in turn over the next week
Rare Christmas Full Moon Will Add to Holiday Light
Keep your eyes to the night skies because this won't happen again until 2034
SpaceX Successfully Lands Rocket and Sets a Course for Mars
After several previous failures, the historic rocket landing paves the way for a new era of faster, cheaper spaceflight
SpaceX May Try Land-Based Rocket Landing This Month, NASA Official Says
Recovering and reusing rocket stages could significantly reduce launch costs
Einstein's Unfinished Dream: Marrying Relativity to the Quantum World
On the centennial of the theory of general relativity, senior Fermilab scientist Don Lincoln reflects on Einstein's quest to understand the quantum world
Could Liquid Lakes Form on Mars Today?
Water from sources such as aquifers could last long enough to pool, with larger pools remaining liquid for at least a year, according to researchers
Gigantic Ice Cloud Spotted on Saturn Moon Titan
Findings from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft suggests winter in Titan's southern hemisphere will be even colder than predicted
Birth of Planets! Formation of Alien Worlds Photographed for First Time
Scientists photograph a gas-giant exoplanet forming around a young star that lies about 450 light-years from Earth
Closest Earth-Size Exoplanet Found May Be a Venus Twin
Rocky world found orbiting nearby red dwarf star, 39 light-years from Earth
Pandemonium! Motion of Pluto's Moons Perplexes Scientists
New Horizons reveals the orbits of Pluto's four smallest moons to be even more chaotic than expected
Bad News for Terraforming: Mars's Atmosphere Is Lost in Space
New data from NASA's MAVEN mission reveals most of the Red Planet's atmosphere was stripped away
International Space Station Is 15 Years Old: First Commander Remembers
NASA astronaut Bill Shepherd recalls leading the first mission to the space station on November 2, 2000
"Halloween Asteroid" Will Fly Near Earth Saturday
Asteroid TB145 will make a near pass of our planet, offering astronomers a chance for an up-close radar view of its surface
NASA Probe to Dive Through Saturn Moon's Icy Plume
The Cassini spacecraft will zoom just 50 kilometers above Enceladus at about 1 P.M. EDT on October 28
Building Blocks of Life Follow Comet Lovejoy
Astronomers detected 21 different complex organic molecules streaming from Lovejoy during its anticipated close approach to the sun this past January
Dying Star Destroys a Dwarf Planet
Astronomers witness a white dwarf star ripping worlds to pieces in real time
20 Years on, the Future Is Bright for Exoplanet Science
Astronomers have now confirmed the existence of nearly 2,000 planets beyond our own solar system
