Outer Space

Mars’ Super-Thin Atmosphere May Mean that Flowing Water Was the Exception, Not the Rule

A new analysis suggests that Mars' atmosphere was often too thin to support liquid water

The bright spot on the lower left of Saturn's A ring is not Peggy, but rather the visible sign of Peggy's gravitation distortion of the ring structure.

Saturn’s Rings May Be Shredding One of Its Moons to Bits

Or giving birth to a new one

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This Skydiver Was Almost Hit by a Meteorite in Mid-Air

No one's ever filmed a meteorite in dark flight

Enceladus as seen by Cassini.

Saturn’s Icy Moon Enceladus May Have a Giant Liquid Water Lake

New proof that Enceladus is a watery world

Felix Baumgartner's full-pressure suit and helmet were designed to provide protection from extreme temperatures and served as the sky diver's only protection until he reached the lower atmosphere.

Felix Baumgartner's Spacesuit From His Death-Defying Stratospheric Jump Joins the Smithsonian Collections

The pressurized suit, parachute and the balloon gondola that allowed Baumgartner to break records goes on view at the Air and Space Museum

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Astronomers Just Discovered an Asteroid With Rings

They aren't supposed to be there, but...there they are.

One small chunk of one small slice of one portion of the absolutely massive photo of the Milky Way captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

This 6 GB Photo of the Milky Way Is As Stunning As It Is Massive

Over the past 10 years the Spitzer Space Telescope captured this gorgeous infrared panorama of the Milky Way

An artist's rendering of Kepler-34b, an exoplanet believed to orbit two stars.

How Do Astronomers Actually Find Exoplanets?

A handful of ingenious methods have been used to detect the planets too far away for us to see

A venture capital firm plans to launch hundreds of miniature satellites—capable of beaming websites to the world's most remote areas for free—into space by 2015.

Could Mini Satellites Provide Free Internet to All?

A venture capital firm plans to make the World Wide Web available to anyone with a WiFi-enabled device

Atlas V Rocket Launch

Next Stop: Gas Stations In Space

MIT scientists have a new plan for refueling stations in space

Jupiter's moon Europa, potentially home to a liquid water ocean, is considered one of the likeliest locales for extraterrestrial life.

Where in the Solar System Are We Most Likely to Find Life?

A number of interplanetary destinations could harbor extraterrestrial life—finding it could be just a space mission away

The planet Kepler-22b, shown in this artwork, is the right size and distance from its star to support liquid water, and perhaps life.

The Search for Life Across the Universe

Smithsonian astrophysicist Jeremy Drake explains how the question changed from "if" life will be found elsewhere to "when" and "where"

It is time that we drop Hollywood’s humanoid view of extraterrestrials. In reality, David Aguilar says, “We are going to find bizarre adaptations.”

What Will Extraterrestrial Life Look Like?

Illustrator David Aguilar melds art and science to imagine how alien creatures might adapt to their environments

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This Documentary Explores the Lives of Five People Willing to Go on a One-Way Trip to Mars

What drives a person to give it all up and set off into the unknown?

Space

Sub-Orbital Travel Is Going to Make the World Feel Really, Really Small

Our small world is about to get even smaller—for those who can afford to fly sub-orbitally

Europa as seen by NASA's Galileo spacecraft.

NASA Wants to Take a Closer Look at the Water on Jupiter’s Moon

Part of NASA's tentative 2015 budget includes planning for a mission to Europa

There is a lot of debris in orbit right now. Note, the debris is not shown to scale.

This Japanese Space Net Could Lower the Odds of 'Gravity' Happening in Real Life

Space is littered with debris, and we really should start getting some of it out of there

North Korea from Space

That Dark Spot? It's North Korea

In images taken on the International Space Station, the country of North Korea is barely visible at all

Which Animal is the Smartest, How Did Fingernails Evolve and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

ISEE-3 undergoing testing at the Goddard Space Flight Center, November 6, 1976.

This Satellite Just Returned From Circling the Sun, But NASA’s Lost the Ability to Talk to It

The style of transmitters that would let NASA talk to the spacecraft were taken out of commission

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