Space

How Jupiter's Red Spot Makes Things High Above It Hot, Hot, Hot

4:07pm July 27, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Think summer's hot on Earth? Space physicists tracking weather on Jupiter say the roar of the raging storm we call the Great Red Spot heats the outer atmosphere above it by more than 1,000 degrees F.

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Neil deGrasse Tyson, the famous astrophysicist, is also a great oenophile and lover of food.

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Arts

Astrophysicist, Wine Lover, Foodie: The Neil deGrasse Tyson You Didn't Know

7:00am July 22, 2016

by Beth Lebwohl

He's the man with a seemingly endless stream of science fun facts at his command. He's also a great gourmet. We talk to the famed scientist about how his two great passions collide in the kitchen.

Members of the New Horizons team celebrated last year with a blown up image of the postage stamp when the probe made its closest approach to Pluto.

Spacefaring Stamp Sets World Record

7:59pm July 18, 2016

by Jason Slotkin

The "Pluto: Not Yet Explored" stamp has traveled farther than any other stamp, hitching a ride on the New Horizons space probe, which accomplished its closest flyby of the dwarf planet last summer.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft lift off on the CRS-9 mission to bring a new docking adapter and other cargo to the International Space Station.

SpaceX Rocket Sends A New Door To Space Station

12:55pm July 18, 2016

by Bill Chappell

A new standardized docking port is bound for the International Space Station, in a mission that caused a sonic boom over Central Florida early Monday morning.

An illustration of NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter.

NASA's Jupiter Probe Sends First Pics Of Planet From Orbit

4:11pm July 13, 2016

by Joe Palca

The color image shows Jupiter's giant red spot and three of its moons: Io, Europa and Ganymede.

Science

NASA's Juno Probe Enters Jupiter's Orbit

4:30pm July 05, 2016

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Fran Bagenal, a member of the science team on NASA's historic Juno mission to Jupiter.

NASA's Juno Space Probe Tweets Followers On Earth

7:27am July 05, 2016

Early Tuesday morning, the probe reached Jupiter's obit after a 540-mile journey. One of its tweets read: I'm ready to unlock your secrets, #Jupiter. Deal with it.

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When it named this mission, NASA acknowledged its difficulty. Juno was a Roman goddess, the agency notes, "who was Jupiter's wife, and who could also see through clouds."

By Jove: NASA Set To Put Juno Craft Into Jupiter's Orbit Monday Night

2:54pm July 04, 2016

by Bill Chappell

"It's getting very real," says a leader of the mission to put a spacecraft into orbit around the large planet whose radiation and dust particles pose dangerous challenges.

This illustration show's NASA's Juno mission approaching Jupiter. Juno used distant stars to chart its course across the void.

'Star Trackers' Help Juno Find Its Way

8:05am July 03, 2016

by Joe Palca

Space navigation is tricky. There's no up or down, no left or right, and no road signs. This device uses stars to help determine if a spacecraft is off course. It takes nifty pictures, too.

Juno Space Probe Is Set To Enter Jupiter's Orbit On Monday

7:00am July 03, 2016

by Joe Palca

The craft is designed to glean data from Jupiter that could also help us learn how Earth formed. But first, Juno has to get into orbit — determined by a crucial half-hour of firing by its main engine.