Space Exploration

A study published this week in the journal Science summarizes the types of surface changes — including the growing fractures, collapsing cliffs, rolling boulders and moving material — observed during Rosetta’s two years at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Showcase of the different types of changes identified in high-resolution images of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko during more …

According to new research reported in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the 10-mile- (16 km) high Martian shield volcano called Arsia Mons produced one new lava flow at its summit every 1 to 3 million years during the final peak of activity; the last volcanic activity there ceased …

Kirby Runyon, a PhD candidate in planetary geology at the Johns Hopkins University, and co-authors are proposing to rewrite the textbooks to say that the Solar System has 110 planets. Every discovered planet in the Solar System under 10,000 km in diameter, to scale. The geophysical definition of planet includes …

This mosaic of Mimas, the smallest and innermost of Saturn’s main moons, was constructed from images taken by the narrow-angle camera onboard NASA’s Cassini orbiter on Jan. 30, 2017, during its final close approach to the icy moon. This mosaic image taken by the Cassini spacecraft is one of the …

SpaceX was supposed to launch its Falcon 9 on a satellite deployment mission earlier this week, but the launch was scrubbed doe to wind. The second attempt in the wee hours of Thursday morning was a success, though. Not long after, SpaceX reported that EchoStar XXIII had been safely deposited …

Cassini found cryovolcanoes at the south pole of Enceladus, the sixth-largest moon of Saturn, back in 2005. These jets originate from the “tiger stripes,” four warm fractures in the moon’s icy surface. The chemical composition of the geysers points to a briny underground ocean that might extend the whole way …

A new study, based on microwave observations by NASA’s Cassini orbiter, shows that the south polar region of Saturn’s frozen moon Enceladus is warmer than expected just a few feet below its surface. This suggests that Enceladus’ subsurface sea might be lurking only a few miles beneath — closer to …

As NASA puts the finishing touches on the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule, partner Lockheed Martin is proposing an ambitious project that would make use of them. Tony Antonelli, a former NASA shuttle pilot and current head of advanced civil space programs for Lockheed Martin, says a manned …

A great deal of our future in space is going to rely upon private space firms, but NASA isn’t sitting on the sidelines when it comes to human spaceflight. It’s working on the powerful Space Launch System and associated Orion crew capsule for long-range space missions. The agency recently conducted …

Astronomers have been puzzling over fast radio bursts (FRB) for the last decade, but there’s not yet any good explanation of these high-energy radio blips. Less that two dozen FRBs have been observed since then, all of which come from outside the Milky Way galaxy. Now that fast radio bursts …