Infographics

Ceres, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, has almost no gravity, warmth or atmosphere.

Mars would not be an easy home for human colonists. See how its lower gravity, thin atmosphere and lack of a magnetic field could make it challenging for a colonist in this Space.com infographic.

Life on the moon would be very different for explorers than life on Earth. See how in this Space.com infographic.

ESA's tiny suborbital testbed vehicle could pave the way for later orbital space planes.

Crushing atmospheric pressure and temperatures of hundreds of degrees make survival on Venus rather challenging. Find out why in our infographic.

Conditions on the planet Mercury would make living there a challenge. See what the days and nights might be like on the closest planet to the sun in our infographic.

SMAP, or the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite, will measure groundwater content and frozen/thawed state, all over the world every three days.

In a first for space flight, SpaceX will attempt to fly its Falcon 9 booster rocket to a safe landing aboard an offshore platform.

Although methane had been discovered before from space, NASA's Curiosity rover made the first in-situ discovery of rapid changes in methane concentration from the surface of Mars.