Space

Science

The James Webb Space Telescope is working as well as astronomers dreamed it would

7:44pm March 16, 2022

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Picture perfect: Mission managers say the telescope's mirror segments have been aligned and have focused on single stars, a critical milestone, and the telescope is working flawlessly.

This artist's sketch provided by Spaceport Camden shows the launch pad complex of the proposed Spaceport Camden in Camden County, Ga. A special election on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 gives voters a chance to block county commissioners from purchasing 4,000 ac

Voters reject spaceport plan long pursued by Georgia county

11:37pm March 08, 2022

by The Associated Press

Critics, including the National Park Service, said exploding rockets after launch could rain fiery debris onto surrounding land, including a federally protected wilderness.

Astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt is seen in the Lunar Roving Vehicle during NASA's Apollo 17 mission on Dec. 13, 1972. A lunar soil sample collected on the mission has remained sealed until now.

Science

NASA is just now opening a vacuum-sealed sample it took from the moon 50 years ago

6:53pm March 08, 2022

by Laurel Wamsley

Astronauts hammered collection tubes into the lunar surface on the last Apollo mission to the moon. Now a sample is being carefully pierced open — to be analyzed by today's latest tech.

The U.S.-Russia space partnership historically has transcended political tension

5:01am March 07, 2022

Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, rising tensions between Russia and the U.S. could have implications for the two nations' partnerships in space — particularly aboard the International Space Station.

This composite image created with data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the far side of the moon. A mysterious piece of space junk is set to crash into the far side Friday morning.

Science

In a first, a mysterious rocket part is about to slam into the moon — by accident

8:53pm March 03, 2022

by Brendan Byrne

A rocket part set to slam into the far side of the moon Friday morning highlights the growing issue of space junk in orbit around Earth, experts say

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World News

The rocket part hurtling toward the moon is far from the only junk littering the sky

4:25pm March 03, 2022

by Brendan Byrne

A mysterious rocket booster is about to crash into the moon, highlighting the ever-growing issue of space debris.

3 tons of space junk are expected to hit the moon and carve out a crater

6:58am March 03, 2022

The debris has been floating in space for the past decade and experts believe it came from a Chinese rocket test. The impact is expected to leave a crater anywhere from about 30 to 60 feet wide.

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The prototype rover Amalia is a copy of rover Rosalind Franklin that is set to explore Mars in the next ExoMars mission that searches for signs of life on the planet. The mission was set for 2022, but as Russia pushes ahead with its invasion of Ukraine, t

World News

A joint Europe-Russia mission to Mars is likely to be delayed because of sanctions

5:08pm March 02, 2022

by Rina Torchinsky

The mission, which had been set for this year, is a part of the ExoMars program to search for signs of life on Mars. It's likely to be delayed by nations' response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Perseverance takes a selfie with its helicopter companion Ingenuity in the background.

Science

NASA's Perseverance rover marks its first year hunting for past life on Mars

5:11am February 18, 2022

by Brendan Byrne

Since touching down in Jezero Crater, NASA's Perseverance rover has already cached 6 samples that could one day be brought back to Earth. Astrobiologists hope they hold signs of past microbial life.

The moon rises on Tuesday behind people standing on The Edge, the outdoor observation deck in Manhattan.

World News

Photos: February's 'Snow Moon' rises full and bright

3:01pm February 16, 2022

by Laurel Wamsley

While you're sky-gazing, look to the western horizon. Jupiter will be setting there as evening twilight ends. And that bright star? That's Regulus, part of the Leo constellation.