Space

The Chinese flag is seen in front of a view of the moon at Beijing's Tiananmen Square in December, when China's first moon rover touched the lunar surface. That feat was widely celebrated — but observers believe the rover has now run into serious troubl

China's Jade Rabbit Rover May Be Doomed On The Moon

6:55pm January 28, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

Chinese officials recently announced the rover was experiencing mechanical difficulties, and now observers believe its done for. But the thirst for more moon missions may be spreading in China.

Queue Listen Now

Tracks from NASA's Opportunity rover disappear toward the horizon on the Meridiani Plains of Mars. The rover has been on the planet since 2004.

Science

Mars Or Bust: Putting Humans On The Red Planet

6:42pm January 19, 2014

by NPR Staff

Some of the earliest science fiction imagined voyages to Mars. We now have the space-faring technology to make reaching the Red Planet possible. It would involve massive resources and many potential dangers, but some believe the rewards would be massive.

Queue Listen Now

The most abundant meteorites found in Antarctica are called chondrites. They are some of the oldest objects known in the solar system.

The Hunt For Meteorites Begins In Antarctica

10:07am December 29, 2013

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Each winter, a team of scientists sets out on a search for those rare shooting stars that make it to the ground instead of burning up in the sky. There aren't many better places to look for these space rocks than Antarctica, often in areas where no human has set foot before.

Queue Listen Now

Astronauts On Spacewalk Begin Space Station Repair

10:28pm December 21, 2013

Saturday morning, astronauts on the International Space Station carried out the first of three urgent spacewalks to repair a cooling line. They finished the work early, but there's still more to be done.

Queue Listen Now

National

55 Years Later: Commemorating First Space Broadcast

10:28pm December 21, 2013

On Dec. 19, 1958, a pre-recorded message from President Dwight D. Eisenhower was sent out from a satellite via short wave. It offered hopes for peace on earth and goodwill toward men everywhere. Of course, it also let the Soviets know the U.S. was catching up in the space race.

Queue Listen Now

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy performs a spacewalk in May to inspect and replace a pump controller box on the International Space Station. On Saturday, two astronauts will perform the first in a series of similar spacewalks to fix a broken cooling line on

Science

Astronauts Ready For Marathon Spacewalks

6:46pm December 21, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

NASA astronauts will be heading out to conduct critical repairs on the International Space Station early Saturday morning. The 6 1/2-hour spacewalk, the first in a series, will replace a faulty piece of cooling equipment.

Queue Listen Now

The average temperature in winter is about -72 degrees Faharenheit. The IceCube Lab is illuminated in the moonlight.

Science

'Ghost Particles' In Antarctica Offer Glimpse Of Deep Space

6:54pm November 21, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

By putting light sensors inside a giant ice cube that's a mile beneath the South Pole, scientists detected 28 neutrinos from beyond the solar system. It's just a start – but researchers hope the work could eventually yield a way to see through debris clouds to the core of exploding stars.

Queue Listen Now

Olympic Torch On Its Way To International Space Station

7:00am November 07, 2013

The Olympic torch was launched into space on Wednesday night. It will accompany astronauts on a spacewalk before returning to Earth on Nov. 10.

Queue Listen Now

Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping aboard the Tiangong-1 space module in June. China is leading what some see as a space race among Asian countries: It has worked on a lunar rover, a space station and an unmanned mission to Mars.

World News

China Sets Ambitious Agenda In 'Asian Space Race'

8:57pm November 05, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

India launched its Mars mission on Tuesday. But China is still leading what some see as a space competition among Asian countries. It has worked on a lunar rover, a space station as well as its own unmanned mission to Mars.

Queue Listen Now

Study Says 40 Billion Planets In Our Galaxy Could Support Life

6:19pm November 05, 2013

A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that roughly 1 in 5 stars, like our own sun, have an Earth-like planet orbiting around it. That's about 40 billion planets that could support life in the Milky Way galaxy. Melissa Block talks to co-author Geoff Marcy, an astronomy professor at the University of California-Berkeley, about the latest numbers.

Queue Listen Now