Space & Physics
Details in Death of Yuri Gagarin, First Man in Space, Revealed 45 Years Later
An accident is revealed as the true cause of Gagarin's crash during a test flight in 1968
Stories by SPACE.com
Space & Physics
NASA's Grand Challenge: Stop Asteroids from Destroying Earth
NASA reaches out to the public for ideas on how to prevent dangerous asteroid impacts
Space & Physics
Trifecta of Celestial Wonders in Next Week's Night Sky
Even stargazers without telescopes will be able to see Saturn and the bright star Spica as they join the moon in the night sky next week
Space & Physics
New Project Will Send Your Messages to Potential Exoplanets
The Lone Signal project is taking a different approach to discovering extraterrestrials: sending messages into deep space
Space & Physics
China Launches Fifth Manned Mission into Orbit
A crew of three Chinese astronauts have entered space to practice orbital docking techniques and perform research
Space & Physics
Hunt for Closest Exoplanet Gets Boost from Rare Stellar Alignment
Upcoming cosmic alignments will give planet hunters an opportunity to intensify the search for potential exoplanets
Space & Physics
Asteroid to Fly within Moon's Orbit Tomorrow
A "garbage truck-size" but harmless asteroid will fly within the moon's orbit tomorrow
Space & Physics
New Telescope Strategy Could Resolve Dark Matter Mystery
A call for NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope to focus on the center of the galaxy could clear up the identity of dark matter
Space & Physics
Donated Spy Satellite Could Be Used for Dark Energy and Exoplanet Mission
One of two donated National Reconnaissance Office telescopes could help NASA explore space while easing budget woes, according to the American Astronomical Society
Space & Physics
Minor Lunar Eclipse Tonight: How to Watch It Online
Catch a live webcast of the moon as it grazes the outermost layer of Earth's shadow
Space & Physics
Rare View of Ancient Galaxy Crash Revealed
Astronomers caught a glimpse of two star-forming galaxies as they collided 11 billion light-years away. The smashup could eventually produce one giant elliptical galaxy, researchers say
Space & Physics
Mystery of Moon's Magnetic Field Deepens
The moon generated a surprisingly intense magnetic field until at least 3.56 billion years ago, 160 years longer than previously thought, a new study reports
Space & Physics
Mars Rover Breaks U.S. Record for Off-Planet Driving
The Opportunity rover passed the Apollo 17 moon buggy, which covered 22.21 miles back in 1972, but the Soviet Union still holds the international record
Space & Physics
Best Time to See Moon Mountains in May Is Now
The mountains of the moon, formed mainly by asteroid impacts in the distant past, are visible for those that wish to see them this month
Space & Physics
Meteor Shower from Halley's Comet Peaks This Weekend
Sunday (May 5), some of the remnants of the most famous of comets will briefly light up the early morning sky
Evolution
Did Asteroid Impacts Spark Life's "Left-Handed" Molecules?
The mysterious bias of life on Earth toward molecules that skew one way and not the other could be due to how light shines in star- and planet-forming clouds, researchers say
Space & Physics
Meteor Shower and Eclipses of Sun to Grace May Sky
A meteor shower and a cosmic "ring of fire" will dominate the night sky this month
Space & Physics
World's Largest Infrared Space Telescope Shuts Down Forever
The Herschel Space Observatory has reached the end of its life after nearly four years mapping the "hidden universe"
Policy
Obama Praises Mars Rovers, U.S. Science in Speech
In his address to the National Academy of Sciences on their 150th anniversary, Pres. Obama expressed his support for the sciences as a fundamental part of American life in today's world
Space & Physics
Cosmonauts Take Spacewalk Outside Space Station
The six-hour spacewalk involves upgrading the orbiting lab with new experiments to measure charged particle interactions and the effects of microbes on spacecraft materials
