Space

An artist's concept portrays a NASA rover exploring the surface of Mars.

Science

Waiting For Opportunity To Get In Touch

11:07am November 02, 2018

by Joe Palca

NASA mission managers haven't heard from the Martian rover Opportunity since June. A dust storm interfered with communication but the storm is over now and engineers hope to hear from the rover soon.

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Telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island. Some native Hawaiians consider Mauna Kea sacred and object to construction of a new giant telescope there.

Hawaii's Supreme Court OKs Construction Of Giant Telescope Despite Native Objections

3:53am November 01, 2018

by Ruben Kimmelman

The massive telescope with a nearly 100-foot mirror is set to be built atop 13,800-foot Mauna Kea, considered sacred land by some of the project's opponents.

This October 2008 photo shows Mercury during the Messenger spacecraft's second flyby of the planet. The European Space Agency's BepiColombo will take seven years to reach the innermost planet in our solar system.

Science

A Slow Trip To A Hot Planet: Spacecraft Launches For Mission To Mercury

11:27pm October 19, 2018

by Joe Palca

The European Space Agency's BepiColombo will take seven years to reach the innermost planet in our solar system, where temperatures at the surface can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Physicist Stephen Hawking on Oct. 10, 1979, in Princeton, New Jersey.

'Brief Answers To The Big Questions' Is Stephen Hawking's Parting Gift To Humanity

4:16pm October 16, 2018

by Marcelo Gleiser

The physicist's posthumous book highlights his belief in the rationality of nature and in our ability to uncover its secrets — and a faith in science's ability to solve humanity's biggest problems.

A 12-pound lunar meteorite discovered in Northwest Africa in 2017 rests on a table, in Amherst, N.H.

Science

For Sale! Certified Lunar Meteorite — Weight 12 Pounds — Mileage 250,000

10:27pm October 11, 2018

by Ruben Kimmelman

Ever look at the moon and say, "Yeah, I want a piece of that"? Well, an online auction house has one for sale.

U.S. And Russian Astronauts Safe Following Rocket Malfunction After Launch

5:28pm October 11, 2018

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield about Thursday's failed launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a U.S.-Russian crew to the International Space Station.

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Smoke rises as first-stage boosters separate from a Soyuz rocket with a Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft carrying a NASA astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut. The mission was aborted shortly after launch, and the pair returned to Earth safely in an emergency landing.

Rocket Headed For International Space Station Fails, Makes Emergency Landing

5:09pm October 11, 2018

by Bill Chappell

Astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin were on board when their Soyuz MS-10's booster malfunctioned. The two made it out safely.

World News

Booster On Soyuz Rocket Malfunctions, Trip To Space Delayed

8:35am October 11, 2018

Rachel Martin talks to reporter Matthew Bodner, who's in Moscow, about crew members who were forced to abort the launch of a Soyuz rocket — abandoning a mission to the International Space Station.

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For 30 Years, Michigan Man Has Been Using Meteorite As A Doorstop

5:13am October 08, 2018

A recent check determined that the rock that weighed more than 22 pounds was the sixth-largest meteorite found in Michigan, and could be worth as much as $1,000.00.

(Top row, from left) Titan, Earth's moon, Europa and Enceladus. (Bottom row, from left) Callisto, Charon, Ariel and lo.

Science

Scientists Find What Could Be A History-Making Moon

5:19pm October 03, 2018

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists have detected plenty of planets outside our solar system. Now, they say, they've found the first moon circling one of them.

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