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Outer Space

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off on NASA's final space shuttle mission from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 8, 2011.

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Many of NASA’s Recent Successes Actually Date Back to the Bush Administration

Some leaps, launches and grand plans for the future

The new dwarf planet—too small to join the ranks of our solar system's eight planets—orbits the sun roughly twice as far away as Pluto.

New Research

Say Hello to Our Solar System’s Newest Dwarf Planet

Spotting the dwarf planet could help in the search for Planet Nine

Two 2001 images from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter show a dramatic change in the planet's appearance when haze raised by dust-storm activity in the south became globally distributed. The images were taken about a month apart.

New Research

Major Martian Dust Storms Might Soon Envelope the Red Planet

A plus for meteorologists but perhaps bad news for rovers

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October Skies Herald Meteor Showers Throughout the Month

The Draconid and Orionid meteor showers will streak across night skies this month

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Mission Complete: Rosetta’s 12 Year Journey Is Over

In the early hours of the morning, Rosetta crashed into comet 67P in style

Our part of the Milky Way is more impressive than anyone thought.

New Research

Our Galactic Neighborhood Is Bigger Than Scientists Once Thought

Goodbye spur, hello spiral arm

Mercury still has a molten core, like Earth does. As Mercury's core slowly cools, the density of that core increases and it gets slightly smaller.

Mercury Is Tectonically Active, Making It Uniquely Like Earth

A whole new picture of Mercury’s geologic history emerges, showing its crust is being thrust up and its surface is changing over time

Trending Today

Sorry, Stargazers: There’s No Way to See This Weekend’s Black Moon

It’s just a trumped-up nickname for a new moon

This composite image shows suspected plumes of water vapor erupting at the 7 o’clock position off of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

New Research

Evidence Stacks Up for Icy Geysers Erupting on Europa

Possible water plumes could give researchers a way to study Jupiter’s moon without drilling

The Evpatoria radio telescope RT-70 and the Long Range Space Communications Center, which were used for one of the most ambitious efforts at extraterrestrial communication.

How a Couple of Guys Built the Most Ambitious Alien Outreach Project Ever

You might think it takes vast governmental resources to launch an extraterrestrial communication effort. Nope

A 19th century illustration of the zodiacal constellation Ophiuchus.

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NASA Didn’t Change Your Astrological Sign, Blame It on Earth’s Wobbly Rotation

Astrology is not a science

Carmel Johnston (left), crew commander, enjoys her first meal outside the dome.

Space Hub

Astronauts Tell All About Their One Year on “Mars”

In an unprecedented simulation, NASA learned that its astronauts are a bunch of overachievers

Ramazzottius varieornatus, the tardigrade examined in the study

New Research

Water Bear Genes Could Help Protect Space Explorers From Radiation

A protein produced by tardigrades, a group of microscopic but hardy creatures, protects and repairs DNA damaged by X-rays

The forces that formed Pluto's heart may not be romantic, but the feature was love at first sight for scientists.

New Research

Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Pluto Has That Icy Heart

The dwarf planet’s geography, atmosphere and chemistry helped form its most famous feature

Produced by the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite, this three-dimensional view of the Milky Way Galaxy is the first of its kind.

Behold a Billion Stars in This Stunning New Map of the Milky Way

Generated from Gaia satellite data, this stellar new map is the most complete chart of our galaxy to date

As more countries and companies send spacecraft to other worlds, scientists are worried about potential contamination risks. Here, NASA's Curiosity rover takes a self-portrait on Mars.

Think Big

Can We Save Mars From Ourselves?

When we travel to Earth-like worlds, contamination may be inevitable

OSRIS-REx

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Watch OSIRIS-REx Head to the Cosmos to Grab a Scoop of Asteroid Dust

Today, NASA will launch the spacecraft which will travel to the nearby asteroid Bennu

Delayed InSight Mission to Mars Slated to Launch in 2018

With redesigned equipment, scientists hope to unearth how the Red Planet came to be

Mario Livio

Think Big

Astrophysicist Mario Livio on the Intersection of Art and Science

The scientist considers both a response to the vastness of the universe

Philae's final resting spot on the comet. If you look closely the robotic lander's raised leg can be seen in the middle of the image's right edge.

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After Two Years of Searching, Comet Lander Philae Finally Found

Photographs of the small probe come just weeks before the mission ends with Rosetta’s comet touchdown

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