Space

Science

Failed Strut Likely Caused SpaceX Rocket To Explode, Elon Musk Says

6:55am July 21, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The Falcon 9 rocket was carrying supplies to the International Space Station when it exploded June 28. Musk, the SpaceX CEO, said that going forward, the company will individually test each strut.

Science

Russian Billionaire Donates $100 Million In Search For E.T.

6:37pm July 20, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Russian billionaire, Yuri Milner, has donated $100 million to the search for E.T. or extraterrestrial life.

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A close-up of a region near Pluto's equator taken by the New Horizons spacecraft.

Science

Photos Of Pluto Reveal A 'Toy Store' Of Surprises

10:33am July 18, 2015

by Scott Simon

New Horizons has provided us with our first close look at Pluto. The images are blowing the minds of scientists. NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the joy of these new discoveries.

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In the center left of Pluto's vast heart-shaped feature – informally named "Tombaugh Regio" — lies a vast, craterless plain that appears to be no more than 100 million years old, and is possibly still being shaped by geologic processes.

Science

NASA's New Pluto Images Point To Geologically Active World

3:26pm July 17, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The latest photos show ice plains that appear to be only 100 million years old and a hilly region that could be what is left when surrounding material is eroded away.

Pamela Moore/iStockphoto/Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Webcast: Sports And Health In America

3:05pm July 17, 2015

What are the obstacles that keep adults off the field? How can sports help keep kids and adults in good health? What are the best ways to encourage more widespread and enduring participation?

Science

On The Cold, Dead Fringes Of The Solar System, Pluto Looks Shockingly Lively

12:36pm July 17, 2015

New Horizons team scientist Carly Howett says no one expected the kind of geologic activity that the spacecraft appears to have found on the dwarf planet and its moon.

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Pluto Discoverer's Hometown Throws Big Bash For (Non-Dwarf!) Planet

2:23pm July 16, 2015

by Jenna Dooley

Clyde Tombaugh, the man who discovered Pluto, grew up under the dark, open skies of the rural Midwest. Streator, Ill., where he once lived, has been full of celebration during NASA's flyby this week.

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New details of Pluto's largest moon, Charon, are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager.

Strange Worlds At The Edge Of Our Solar System Finally Come Into Focus

4:22pm July 15, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has beamed back its best photos of Pluto and its moons. Scientists will puzzle over them for years to come.

Science

NASA Spacecraft Flies Past Pluto After 10-Year Journey

12:38am July 15, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

On Tuesday morning, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft swooped past the surface of Pluto. The vast distance between Earth and Pluto means they're still waiting to hear what happened.

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An image of Pluto that was taken by New Horizons shortly before its flyby Tuesday shows a heart-shaped pattern on the planet's surface. NASA says Pluto "sent a love note back to Earth."

NASA Zooms In On Pluto, For Closest Views Yet

9:50pm July 14, 2015

by Bill Chappell

New images of Pluto are beginning to arrive from NASA's space probe, and they're already allowing scientists to update what we know about the dwarf planet.

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