Biden administration appoints Steve Jurczyk acting NASA chief By Meghan Bartels After NASA's chief Jim Bridenstine's resigned yesterday (Jan. 20), President Joe Biden's administration has appointed Steve Jurczyk to serve as acting administrator.
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance lands on the Red Planet in less than a month! By Mike Wall The car-size Perseverance rover, the core of NASA's $2.7 billion Mars 2020 mission, will land Feb. 18, kicking off a new era of Red Planet exploration.
A galactic sideswipe 3 billion years ago warped our Milky Way galaxy By Elizabeth Howell New data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Europe's Gaia spacecraft suggest that a brush with another galaxy caused the strange, potato chip-like "warp" in our Milky Way galaxy.
This tiny comet photobombed the total solar eclipse of 2020 By Kasandra Brabaw Looking closely at eclipse images, stargazers can spot a newfound Kreutz sungrazer comet that zoomed by the Sun during Chile and Argentina's solar eclipse.
Outgoing NASA chief Jim Bridenstine calls for unity in space exploration pursuits By Mike Wall Like its parent nation, NASA needs to prioritize bridging divides, the agency's outgoing chief said.
China kicks off a busy 2021 in space with communications satellite launch By Andrew Jones The launch of the Tiantong 1-03 communications satellite on Tuesday (Jan. 19) marked the start of a very busy year in space for China.
Out of space, NASA is demolishing Apollo and space shuttle launch platform By Robert Z. Pearlman One of the three large steel platforms that supported the launch of NASA's Apollo and space shuttle missions is being demolished — due to a lack of space.
'Sun Science' postage stamps will feature NASA solar observatory images By Robert Z. Pearlman A new set of postage stamps will shine light on a NASA mission exploring our nearest star.
Space Chat with Space.com: Tune in Fridays for science, space and more! By Chelsea Gohd This Friday (Jan. 22), "Space Chat" will explore brown dwarfs.
SpaceX rocket launches on record 8th flight carrying 60 Starlink satellites, nails landing By Amy Thompson A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on a record 8th flight to send a new fleet of the company's Starlink internet satellites into orbit on Wednesday (Jan.20) and then nailed a landing at sea.
Trump signs Space Policy Directive-7 on improving GPS cybersecurity By Samantha Mathewson A new space policy highlights the fundamental role of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in securing the United States' safety and economic growth.
Humans could move to this floating asteroid belt colony in the next 15 years, astrophysicist says By Brandon Specktor A new paper proposes building a 'megasatellite' of human habitats around the dwarf planet Ceres.
The 'mole' on Mars will dig no more, NASA says By Elizabeth Howell A Martian "mole" will stop its valiant attempts to dig on the Red Planet.
The planet is dying faster than we thought By Brandon Specktor Humanity is barreling toward a "ghastly future" of mass extinctions, health crises and constant climate-induced disruptions to society.
Rocket Lab launches microsatellite to orbit in its 1st mission of 2021 By Mike Wall A two-stage Electron booster lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand launch site today (Jan. 20) at 2:26 a.m. EST (0726 GMT), carrying a single microsatellite to orbit.
Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin gets COVID-19 vaccine By Chelsea Gohd Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, who landed on the moon over 51 years ago, received his first COVID-19 vaccine yesterday (Jan. 18).
Earth is hotter than ever — So what happens next? By Chelsea Gohd This week, NASA revealed that 2020 tied with 2016 as the hottest year on record. So what does this mean for the future of our planet and life on Earth?
Space photo app 'spelfie' lets you attend President-elect Biden's inauguration virtually By Mike Wall You can put yourself on the scene virtually for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday (Jan. 20), thanks to the space-photo app Spelfie.
NASA knows what caused the early engine shutdown of its 1st SLS moon rocket during major test By Mike Wall The core stage of NASA's giant Space Launch System moon rocket is in good shape despite its early shutdown during a crucial test this past weekend, agency officials said.
NASA Parker Solar Probe nails close flyby of sun as its space weather cycle ramps up By Meghan Bartels NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft kicked off the new year with another close approach to the sun on Sunday (Jan. 17) as the sun's activity picks up from a lull when the probe launched.
