New Neptune Moon Spotted, Spacewalk Aborted & More
Last week a never-before-seen moon was spotted in orbit around Neptune, NASA aborted a planned six-hour spacewalk and NASA granted funding to a dozen imaginative tech concepts. See the top stories of the last week here.
FIRST STOP: Tiny New Moon Discovered Around Neptune
Tiny New Moon Discovered Around Neptune
A never-before-seen moon has been spotted in orbit around Neptune. A scientist using NASA and the European Space Agency's Hubble Space Telescope found the tiny moon — called S/2004 N 1 — on July 1. The 14th moon found orbiting Neptune, S/2004 N 1 is estimated to be no more than 12 miles (19 kilometers) in diameter. [Full Story]
NEXT: Incredible Technology: How to Find Life on Mars
Incredible Technology: How to Find Life on Mars
What kind of tools would we need to find life on Mars? Can they be sent to the Red Planet on a rover, or do we need people on the ground to find signs of life? Scientists weigh in. [Full Story]
NEXT: NASA Cuts Spacewalk Short After Water Leak Inside Astronaut's Spacesuit
NASA Cuts Spacewalk Short After Water Leak Inside Astronaut's Spacesuit
NASA aborted a planned six-hour spacewalk by two astronauts outside the International Space Station today (July 16) when a one of the spacewalkers reported "a lot of water" inside his spacesuit helmet, a potentially scary situation. [Full Story]
NEXT: Comet of the Century? Comet ISON Faces Risky Road
Comet of the Century? Comet ISON Faces Risky Road
Scientists have since recognized ISON as a possible "comet of the century," but to live up to its promise, it will have to survive its dangerous perihelion, or closest approach to the sun. [Full Story]
NEXT: Earth's Gold May Come From Collisions of Dead Stars
Earth's Gold May Come From Collisions of Dead Stars
Collisions of stars in the deep recesses of the universe are responsible for producing gold. [Full Story]
NEXT: 3D-Printed Rocket Engine Part Passes Key NASA Test
3D-Printed Rocket Engine Part Passes Key NASA Test
A 3D-printed rocket engine injector has passed a major NASA test and may herald a new age of rocket engine manufacturing, space agency officials say. [Full Story]
NEXT: Space Gets Slimed: Tiny Satellite Will Grow Mold In Orbit
Space Gets Slimed: Tiny Satellite Will Grow Mold In Orbit
University students in Japan are building a slime-mold–housing micro-satellite that will orbit the Earth and send back photos of the creature's growth. The small satellite will transmit the pictures to Earth using amateur radio. [Full Story]
NEXT: Mars Rover Curiosity Rolls Past Mileage Milestone
Mars Rover Curiosity Rolls Past Mileage Milestone
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has notched a mileage milestone, reaching 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of total driving distance as it heads toward a huge and mysterious Red Planet mountain. [Full Story]
NEXT: Next Stop: Zero Gravity with UCSD Microgravity Team
Next Stop: Zero Gravity with UCSD Microgravity Team
I just might defy gravity today. I'm sitting with a team of aerospace and mechanical engineering students from the University of California, San Diego, that are counting down to their first chance to fly on a ZERO-G aircraft to perform a weightless fire experiment under NASA's Microgravity University Program. [Full Story]
NEXT: Proposed NASA Budget Cuts Spark Bitter Debate in Congress
Proposed NASA Budget Cuts Spark Bitter Debate in Congress
Representatives on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology debated a proposed NASA authorization bill that would reduce the space agency's funding to $16.6 billion for 2014. [Full Story]
NEXT: Virgin Galactic's Private Spaceship Offers Enticing Science Opportunities
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