Vote Now! Best Space Stories of the Week – Dec. 1, 2013

ISON Gets Roasted, Zero-G Thanksgiving and More

NASA Ames

Last week comet ISON got roasted by the sun and vanished, engineers might have found a way to restore much of Kepler’s lost pointing ability, and astronauts celebrated Thanksgiving aboard the ISS.

FIRST STOP: Comet ISON Gets Roasted by Sun and Vanishes, But Did It Survive?

Comet ISON Gets Roasted by Sun and Vanishes, But Did It Survive?

ESA/NASA/SOHO/SDO/GSFC

The much-anticipated Comet ISON appears to have survived its Thanksgiving Day roasting by the sun during a Nov. 28, 2013 solar encounter. See the latest news of Comet ISON here. [Full Story]

NEXT: China Will Launch Its 1st Moon Rover, 'Jade Rabbit,' On Sunday

China Will Launch Its 1st Moon Rover, 'Jade Rabbit,' On Sunday

Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering

China will launch its first moon rover Yutu (Jade Rabbit) on Sunday (Dec. 1) at 12:30 p.m. ET on the Chang'e 3 moon landing mission. See what it means for moon exploration. [Full Story]

NEXT: SpaceX Aborts Thanksgiving Rocket Launch Due to Engine Trouble

SpaceX Aborts Thanksgiving Rocket Launch Due to Engine Trouble

SpaceX

The private spaceflight company SpaceX aborted its planned Thanksgiving rocket launch Thursday (Nov. 28) due to engine trouble. [Full Story]

NEXT: Space Shuttle Replica Vandalized with Graffiti in Houston

Space Shuttle Replica Vandalized with Graffiti in Houston

collectSPACE.com

A replica of a NASA space shuttle on display in Houston was defaced Wednesday (Nov. 27), when vandals sprayed racial and political graffiti on the side of the full-size mockup. The offending markings were quickly covered over within hours of their being found. [Full Story]

NEXT: Thanksgiving in Space: How to Cook a Zero-G Turkey Dinner

Thanksgiving in Space: How to Cook a Zero-G Turkey Dinner

NASA

Earthlings in America will celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday (Nov. 28) while astronauts flying on the International Space Station do the same. [Full Story]

NEXT: Did Falling Meteorites Injure 7-Year-Old Florida Boy?

Did Falling Meteorites Injure 7-Year-Old Florida Boy?

Screengrab from WKMG

A seven-year-old boy in Florida may have been injured by meteorite fragments that hit him on the head. [Full Story]

NEXT: Weird Black Hole's Incredible Brightness Perplexes Scientists

Weird Black Hole's Incredible Brightness Perplexes Scientists

Jingchuan Yu

A black hole thought to be a medium-class black hole is actually smaller than thought, scientists say. [Find Out Why Here ]

NEXT: NASA's Ailing Kepler Spacecraft Could Hunt Alien Planets Once More with New Mission

NASA's Ailing Kepler Spacecraft Could Hunt Alien Planets Once More with New Mission

NASA Ames

Engineers may have found a way to restore much of the space telescope's lost pointing ability, suggesting that a proposed mission called K2 could indeed be doable for Kepler. [Full Story]

NEXT: Why Jupiter's Great Red Spot Has Lasted So Long

Why Jupiter's Great Red Spot Has Lasted So Long

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Jupiter's Great Red Spot has been furiously swirling across the planet for hundreds of years, confounding theories that suggest it should have died out long ago. Researchers now think they know the secret of the huge storm's longevity. [Full Story]

NEXT: How Cameras Reveal the Northern Lights' True Colors (Op-Ed)

How Cameras Reveal the Northern Lights' True Colors (Op-Ed)

Image copyright Mike Taylor - Taylor Photography

Due to the limitations of people's night vision, only a camera can capture the true colors displayed during a display of the Northern Lights. [Full Story]

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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.