Space

SpaceX Cargo Craft Is Now In Space Station's Grip, One Day After Aborted Docking

1:18pm February 23, 2017

by Bill Chappell

NASA had originally planned for the Dragon craft to reach the space station three days ago. It's carrying crew supplies and a range of scientific experiments.

Mamoru Mohri and Mae Jemison walk together after arriving with the rest of the STS-47 crew on Sept. 9, 1992, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After Making History In Space, Mae Jemison Works To Prime Future Scientists

10:00am February 23, 2017

by NPR Staff

For the first African-American woman in space, her path to spaceflight and beyond includes trying to pave the way for more girls of color to follow in her footsteps.

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This artist's rendering shows what one of the seven planets, TRAPPIST-1f, might look like.

Astronomers Find 7 Earth-Size Planets Around A Nearby Star

4:28pm February 22, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Some of the planets could be home to liquid water, but it remains unclear whether life could exist on such strange worlds.

Apollo 11 Space Capsule Is Going On Another Mission

2:20pm February 22, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The capsule called Columbia hasn't left the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., since 1976. It's heading out on tour to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

This is what failed to happen on Wednesday morning. In this image from April 17, 2015, a robotic arm on the International Space Station grasps a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship during docking.

SpaceX Cargo Craft Fails To Dock With Space Station, Will Try Again

10:47am February 22, 2017

by Rebecca Hersher

The private spaceflight company launched its Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday, only to have the rocket's cargo capsule encounter an error in its navigation system on Wednesday during a docking attempt.

Science

NASA Announces Winners In 'Space Poop Challenge'

10:34am February 19, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

Even astronauts have to go number two. NASA recently asked the public for suggestions on how to better deal with poop in spacesuits.

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SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket sits on the launch pad Saturday at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX scrubbed the Saturday launch due to a technical issue. The company is tried again — and succeeded — on Sunday.

On Second Attempt, SpaceX Launches Rocket At NASA's Historic Pad

10:02am February 19, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

SpaceX scrubbed a launch attempt Saturday at NASA's Launch Complex 39A, site of the shuttle program and the mission that first sent humans to the moon. Their second try succeeded Sunday.

Science

Why NASA Is Exploring An Alien World In Antarctica

7:58am February 19, 2017

Covered in ice and filled with bubbling lava, the Antarctic volcano Mount Erebus is the perfect proxy for an alien world. That's why NASA's Aaron Curtis travels there to test space exploration robots.

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA17254.jpg

Science

Have Spare Time? Try To Discover A Planet

5:38pm February 18, 2017

by Joe Palca

Astronomers think there's an undiscovered planet lurking in the far reaches of the solar system, and they're asking the public's help to find it.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is prepared Friday for a launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch Pad 39A, one of the renovated space shuttle launch pads that SpaceX leases from NASA, has been the site of many of NASA's most famous liftoffs.

A Liftoff Deferred: SpaceX Mission From NASA's Historic Launch Pad Delayed

10:29am February 18, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Launch Complex 39A, the site of the Apollo 11 mission, has quite a storied past. Now, it's on the brink of a new era — but it'll have to wait a bit, after Saturday's launch was scrubbed for 24 hours.