Space

A June ad for campsites in the small town of Madras, Ore., anticipates the influx of tourists expected in the prime viewing location for the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse.

A Total Eclipse Will Sweep The U.S. In August, And People Are Going Nuts For It

7:05pm June 30, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

NASA says a partial eclipse will be visible throughout the country. But within a "path of totality" from Oregon to South Carolina, an eclipse industry is booming.

The Apollo 11 capsule in in sore need of restoration, conservation specialists say, if it's to last another 50 years. Even the adhesive that holds pieces of velcro in place is losing its stickiness, and some objects inside are starting to pop off.

Moonwalkers' Apollo 11 Capsule Gets Needed Primping For Its Star Turn On Earth

5:13am June 26, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

In 1969 it was the orbiting home and refuge for the first astronauts who walked on the moon. Today, after decades on display in a Smithsonian museum, the module is being restored for a national tour.

Congressman Proposes A Military 'Space Corps'

8:06am June 25, 2017

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama about a bipartisan bill that would create a new part of the military for space operations, called Space Corps.

Inside Mars Simulator, IKEA Designers Learn How To Live In Close Quarters

5:19pm June 15, 2017

by Anjuli Sastry

IKEA exiled designers to a research station in Utah modeled after a living situation on the planet Mars. They hope the experience will inspire them to create similar spaces around the world.

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NASA's 2017 astronaut candidates round up for a group photo on Tuesday at Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center. The 12 pictured are, front row, left to right, Zena Cardman, Jasmin Moghbeli, Robb Kulin, Jessica Watkins, Loral O'Hara; back row, left to

Meet Your Lucky Stars: NASA Announces A New Class Of Astronaut Candidates

8:26am June 11, 2017

by Emma Bowman

This year was one of the most competitive applicant pools in the agency's history. One of the candidates explains what it takes to earn a coveted spot — and why so many want to be an astronaut today.

An artist's conception of the KELT-9 system, which has a host star (left) that's almost twice as hot as our sun. The hot star blasts its nearby planet KELT-9b, leading to a dayside surface temperature of around 7,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Scientists Discover A Scorched Planet With A Comet-Like Tail

5:43pm June 05, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The planet called KELT-9b is around three times more massive than Jupiter. It orbits a blue star about 650 light-years away from Earth that's nearly twice as hot as our own sun.

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A brown dwarf can give off some light, allowing scientists — professional or volunteer — to search for the object as it moves across the sky.

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Citizen Scientists Comb Images To Find An 'Overexcited Planet'

6:18pm June 01, 2017

by Joe Palca

In a crowdsourced search for celestial objects, four volunteers helped scientists identify a brown dwarf by studying images taken over the years by a NASA satellite.

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An artist's rendering of the newly named Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun.

NASA Plans To Launch A Probe Next Year To 'Touch The Sun'

4:41pm May 31, 2017

The small spacecraft is set to hurtle toward the sun at about 450,000 miles per hour. Scientists hope it will clear up some big mysteries, such as why the sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface.

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NASA Spacecraft Finds Storms On Jupiter

8:09am May 28, 2017

Raging cyclones and an uneven magnetic field: NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to NASA scientist Jack Connerney about the surprising findings made by a spacecraft orbiting Jupiter.

This image shows Jupiter's south pole, as seen by NASA's Juno spacecraft from an altitude of 32,000 miles. The oval features are cyclones, up to 600 miles in diameter.

Juno Spacecraft Reveals Spectacular Cyclones At Jupiter's Poles

6:19pm May 25, 2017

by Joe Palca

The NASA has spotted enormous cyclones at the gas giant's north and south poles. The probe has also returned other data that have project scientists scratching their heads.

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