nasa

A photographer looks at the night sky to see the annual Geminid meteor shower in northern Italy in December 2015. This year's shower coincides with a close-range visit by its parent asteroid.

An Asteroid Gets Its Close-Up As Geminids Light Up The Sky

6:50pm December 12, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

The Earth's encounter with asteroid 3200 Phaethon on Saturday will be its closest since 1974 — and the closest it will be until 2093. The flyby means good gazing for amateur astronomers.

President Trump Is Sending NASA Back To The Moon

4:23pm December 11, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

"Space Policy Directive 1," which Trump signed Monday, sees Mars as the ultimate destination. But analysts wonder whether money will follow to support the plan.

A virtual reality program developed by NASA could help scientists visualize the magnetic fields around the earth.

Science

NASA Taps Young People To Help Develop Virtual Reality Technology

8:02am November 24, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

Scientists at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center are hoping to use virtual reality technology to study space, and Earth, without leaving their offices. Talented high school students are helping.

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Mike Hughes stands beside his steam-powered rocket, which he built from salvaged parts.

National

'I Don't Believe In Science,' Says Flat-Earther Set To Launch Himself In Own Rocket

4:54pm November 22, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

"Mad" Mike Hughes plans to take the rocket built from salvaged metal on a flight across the Mojave Desert on Saturday. His stated mission: to overturn two millennia of scientific understanding.

A technician examines the mirror on the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. Scientists at two national laboratories are currently building the components for an enormous digital camera that will capture images from the telescope.

The Largest Digital Camera In The World Takes Shape

5:00am November 17, 2017

by Joe Palca

A two-story tall, digital camera is taking shape in California. It will ultimately go on a telescope in Chile where it will survey the sky, looking for things that appear suddenly or change over time.

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A NASA visualization shows hurricanes in the Atlantic in 2017 through their impact on aerosols in the atmosphere.

Science

WATCH: The Hurricane Season, As Shown By Salt, Smoke And Dust

6:41pm November 15, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

A NASA visualization uses computer models to show how recent hurricanes shifted salt from the Atlantic, dust from the Sahara and smoke from fires in Portugal and the Pacific Northwest.

The unmanned Antares rocket launched from Wallops Island, Va. Sunday, carrying with it a Cygnus capsule containing some 7,400 pounds of supplies for astronauts at the International Space Station.

Science

3-Plus Tons Of Supplies Headed To International Space Station After Virginia Liftoff

10:19am November 12, 2017

by Jason Slotkin

The Sunday launch of an Antares rocket from Wallop Islands has some 7,400 pounds aboard. The rocket was developed by private firm Orbital ATK, which conducts supply missions for NASA.

Astronaut Dick Gordon, a member of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, attends a 2009 event at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

National

NASA Astronaut Dick Gordon Has Died At Age 88

7:06pm November 07, 2017

by Russell Lewis

As a child in the Great Depression, he never dreamed of being a pilot — let alone an astronaut who would be one of just 24 people to fly to the moon. He had two of the early spacewalks.

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Hurricane Harvey delivered record rainfall to East Texas. Many scientists believe that climate change helped to make the storm wetter.

Massive Government Report Says Climate Is Warming And Humans Are The Cause

6:53pm November 02, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

The U.S. government's most comprehensive climate report to date is at odds with the statements made by President Trump and his Cabinet.

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American astronaut Paul J. Weitz, right, with Joseph P. Kerwin, left and Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr., center. The crew of the first manned Skylab mission is shown in May 1973.

Science

Astronaut Paul Weitz Dies At 85; Veteran Of Skylab And Shuttle Missions

10:40am October 24, 2017

by Scott Neuman

Selected by NASA in 1966, Weitz went on to fly on the first manned Skylab mission and performed vital space walks to fix the stricken station. He later commanded the maiden flight of Challenger.