Off-World(Page 19)

Latest in Off-World

Astronomers just got their first complete observation of a star outside of our solar system erupting plasma out into the cosmos.

A Star Just Coughed Something Up and Scientists Want to Know Why

By Dan Robitzski

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took a break from studying the surface of Mars to look at the clouds floating in the Red Planet's atmosphere.

See Pics of Martian Clouds Snapped From the Planet’s Surface

By Kristin Houser

The universe is speckled with voids that are totally empty, except for the dark energy that's pushing galaxies apart. That's where scientists should look.

Dark Energy Could Be Hiding In The “Cosmic Void” Between Galaxies

By Dan Robitzski

The buyer of a $85 million penthouse in Manhattan will get a slew of perks to go with it, including a Hamptons mansion, a yacht, and two tickets to space.

This Luxury Apartment Comes With Two Free Tickets to Space

By Kristin Houser

NASA scientists report that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is shrinking and that it could totally dissipate within the next 20 years.

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Is Dying

By Dan Robitzski

For the first time ever, astronomers have discovered a "forbidden planet" in an orbit previously thought to be impossible.

Astronomers Find Distant “Forbidden Planet” In “Neptunian Desert”

By Victor Tangermann

Next-Gen Spacesuit Helmet Has an “Iron Man” Heads Up Display

Next-Gen Spacesuit Helmet Has an “Iron Man” Heads Up Display

By Dan Robitzski

Astronauts aboard the ISS used CRISPR in space for the first time, making edits in yeast's genome to mimic radiation-caused damage.

Astronauts Use CRISPR in Space for the First Time Ever

By Kristin Houser

About 10 second after launch, a massive bolt of lightning struck a Russian Soyuz 2-1b rocket — a remarkable sight captured on video by numerous spectators.

Watch Lightning Strike a Rocket as It Launches

By Kristin Houser

New York Times: Navy Pilots Baffled by UFO Encounters

New York Times: Navy Pilots Baffled by UFO Encounters

By Victor Tangermann

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' idea for giant off-world space colonies "makes no sense."

Elon Musk Ridicules Jeff Bezos’ Plan For Space Colonies

By Jon Christian

A Chinese rocket failed to successful launch a satellite into orbit Thursday morning, marking the second failed rocket launch in the nation this year.

Chinese Rocket Fails Spectacularly, Raining Debris Back to Earth

By Kristin Houser

Harvard professor Avi Loeb thinks finding signs of dead aliens could help humanity know what not to do if it wants to survive indefinitely.

Harvard Prof: Finding Dead Alien Civilizations Could Save Humans

By Kristin Houser

A team of students from the University of Southern California just successfully launched a 13-foot tall rocket called Traveler IV to past the Kármán line.

For the First Time, a Student-Built Rocket Just Reached Space

By Victor Tangermann

Scientists now know that subjecting people to microgravity affects eyesight and perception. A new study will attempt to uncover the extent of the effects.

A Zero-G Jungle Gym Will Test How Microgravity Affects the Brain

By Dan Robitzski

A new study found that liquid-water subsurface oceans on Pluto are kept from freezing over thanks to an insulating layer of gas hydrates.

Scientists: Pluto May be Hiding Alien Life in Buried Oceans

By Victor Tangermann

China's lunar rover just analyzed samples of the Moon's mantle, revealing new information about how the Moon may have formed.

China’s Rover Collects First-Ever Samples From Under Lunar Crust

By Dan Robitzski

During a Senate hearing, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) argued that a Space Force is necessary to ward off space pirates and protect exploration efforts.

This US Congressman Is Seriously Worried About Space Pirates

By Victor Tangermann

If any humans are alive in 5 billion years, they'll see the dying Sun engulf the Earth. Space Engineer Matteo Ceriotti suggests some possible escape plans.

Space Engineer: We Could Move Earth’s Orbit to Escape a Dying Sun

By Dan Robitzski

Small, densely-packed exoplanets are most likely to survive when their stars die. The findings give astronomers new places to look for new planets.

These Are the Planets That Survive the Deaths of Their Stars

By Dan Robitzski

Something punched gigantic holes through the Milky Way. There's little evidence at the cosmic crime scene, but scientists suspect it was dark matter.

A “Dense Bullet of Something” Blasted Holes in the Milky Way

By Dan Robitzski

The U.S. Navy is working on new guidelines for its personnel to report UFO sightings and other mysterious aerial phenomena.

The U.S. Navy Will Start Taking UFO Sightings Much More Seriously

By Victor Tangermann

Scientists suspect that one of the stars in the Big Dipper isn't native to the Milky Way. Instead, it likely got sucked up in a galactic collision,

This Star Drifted Into the Milky Way From Another Galaxy

By Dan Robitzski

The ISS is about to test a new algae bioreactor that turns carbon dioxide to food and breathable oxygen. If it works, it could allow deep space missions.

The ISS Now Has an “Algae Bioreactor” Generating Oxygen and Food

By Dan Robitzski

Hubble scientists just assembled a dizzying composite image made of 16 years of Hubble Space Telescope observations that includes 265,000 galaxies.

Tiny Specks Zoom Into Beautiful Galaxies In Amazing Hubble Image

By Dan Robitzski

Asteroid samples gathered by the Japanese space probe Hayabusa contain water-rich minerals, suggesting that asteroid impacts could bring water to planets.

A Japanese Probe Just Found Water on an Asteroid

By Dan Robitzski

In 2024, China may launch a robotic space probe to gather and return samples from a nearby asteroid. The mission aims to learn how asteroids form.

China Is Planning a Mission to Deep Space

By Dan Robitzski

It's about to be Winter on Pluto. When it is, scientists predict that Pluto's entire atmosphere will condense into a layer of frost.

In 11 Years, Pluto’s Atmosphere Will Be Completely Frozen Solid

By Dan Robitzski

In 2029, the asteroid 99942 Apophis will fly past Earth close enough to look like a shooting star. NASA is planning ahead to learn as much as possible.

When This Asteroid Zips by Earth, Scientists May Hitch a Ride

By Dan Robitzski

Scientists Plan to 3D Print Muscular Tissue on the Space Station

Scientists Plan to 3D Print Muscular Tissue on the Space Station

By Dan Robitzski

To reconcile the recently-confirmed, faster rate of universal expansion, researchers suggest that the cosmos may be younger than they previously assumed.

The Universe Might Be a Billion Years Younger Than We Thought

By Dan Robitzski

A scientist argues that the sheer volume of potentially habitable planets and moons coupled with the existence of water in space makes life inevitable.

Scientist: “Alien Life Now Seems Inevitable and Possibly Imminent”

By Dan Robitzski

Next week, the European Space Agency will live-tweet an exercise where volunteers play out how a hypothetical asteroid impact might unfold.

The European Space Agency Will Live-Tweet a Mock Asteroid Impact

By Dan Robitzski

New data from the Hubble Space Telescope all-but confirms past findings that the rate of the universe's expansion has accelerated over time.

Hubble Data: The Universe Is Expanding Faster and Faster

By Dan Robitzski

A lawyer argues that we should set up international agreements that would let us nuke an incoming asteroid before it's too late.

Lawyer: Make a Rule Saying We Can Nuke Apocalyptic Asteroids

By Dan Robitzski

DARPA announced plans to invest in space-traveling droids that could repair high-altitude satellites, which would drive down the cost of new satellites.

The Pentagon Wants to Build Satellite-Repairing Droids

By Dan Robitzski

A cat named Pikachu, who died and was cremated in January, will be the first cat to have its ashes launched out into space.

A Dead Cat Named Pikachu Is Getting Launched Into Space

By Dan Robitzski

The European Space Agency just greenlit a UK aerospace manufacturer's tests of a novel air-breathing rocket engine that sucks up atmospheric oxygen.

Amazing New Rocket Engine Sucks up Atmospheric Oxygen for Fuel

By Victor Tangermann

When India blew up a satellite, it introduced a lot of debris into orbit. Lockheed Martin's experimental Space Fence is keeping an eye on it.

India Blew up a Satellite. Now A “Space Fence” Is Tracking Its Debris

By Dan Robitzski

Harvard astronomers found evidence that 'Oumuamua isn't the only interstellar visitor we've had in recent years. Others may have crashed into the Earth.

An Interstellar Rock Like ‘Oumuamua May Have Hit Earth In 2014

By Dan Robitzski

After an outpouring of anger about the project on social media, PepsiCo no longer says it plans to launch a space billboard.

After Backlash, Pepsi Says It Never Planned a Space Billboard

By Jon Christian

In a rare find, scientists found what they think are fragments of a comet sealed away deep inside of a meteorite that struck Antarctica.

Scientists Found a Chunk of a Comet Inside a Meteorite

By Dan Robitzski

A video of mice in microgravity reveals that the animals quickly adapted to their off-world conditions, running, eating, and cleaning themselves.

Space Station Mice Learned to Propel Themselves in Zero Gravity

By Kristin Houser

New research shows that metallic asteroids may have once been home to volcanoes, as molten metal trapped beneath the surface erupted outward.

Explosive Research: Some Asteroids May Have Had Volcanoes

By Dan Robitzski

The leader of Asgardia warns that world leaders must do more to prepare for a potentially life-threatening asteroid impact.

The “Space Nation” Warns That an Asteroid Could Wipe out Humanity

By Kristin Houser

A distant asteroid named 6478 Gault likely fell prey to the YORP effect — sunlight caused it to spin so fast that it's ripping apart.

Astronomers Just Spotted an Asteroid Ripping Itself Apart

By Dan Robitzski

India Just Shot Down a Satellite With a Missile

India Just Shot Down a Satellite With a Missile

By Victor Tangermann

Organisms Survived on the Outside of the Space Station

Organisms Survived on the Outside of the Space Station

By Victor Tangermann

To save money on future missions, Japan's space agency is working to develop remote-controlled robots that can handle menial or dangerous tasks in space.

Japan Wants to Send Telepresence Robots to Space

By Dan Robitzski

This ultra-high-definition 360 degree visualization comes courtesy of data collected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and NASA's Ames supercomputer.

360-Degree Video Puts You in the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy

By Victor Tangermann

A new antimicrobial coating kept bacteria from growing on the International Space Station's door, which could protect immune-compromised astronauts.

Scientists’ New Goal: Make the ISS Bathroom Less Disgusting

By Dan Robitzski

Leaders from 25 nations, including China, Russia, and the U.S. are currently meeting in Geneva to draft laws that would prevent a space arms race.

25 Governments Are Meeting Right Now to Prevent a Space Arms Race

By Dan Robitzski

The Japanese Space Agency just announced that Hayabusa2, the same robotic probe that landed on an asteroid, will drop a bomb on it and mine the fragments.

Japan Announces Plan to Bomb Asteroid

By Dan Robitzski

A team at Japanese space agency JAXA is preparing to shoot a metallic bullet at the surface of Ryugu, a tiny 1km asteroid.

A Japanese Spacecraft Is About to Shoot an Asteroid With a Bullet

By Victor Tangermann

The Pentagon Wants an Orbital Space Weapon to Blast Enemy Missiles

The Pentagon Wants an Orbital Space Weapon to Blast Enemy Missiles

By Jon Christian

A new scientific hypothesis posits that interstellar rocks like 'Oumuamua could have helped form planets throughout the galaxy.

Interstellar Visitor Like ‘Oumuamua May Have Formed Earth’s Core

By Dan Robitzski

See the Most Breathtaking Views of the Martian Surface Yet

See the Most Breathtaking Views of the Martian Surface Yet

By Victor Tangermann

Every picture of the solar system shows Venus as our closest neighbor. Sure, it comes closer to Earth than any planet, but on average Mercury is closer.

Mercury Is Every Planet in the Solar System’s Closest Neighbor

By Dan Robitzski

A planned space hotel will import its own water from Earth, so that guests won't be forced to drink recycled urine like on the International Space Station.

Luxurious Space Hotel Will Import Water Instead of Recycling Pee

By Jon Christian

China has announced the "imminent launch" of the first mission to build its new orbital space station, according to state and local media.

China Announces “Imminent Launch” of New Space Station

By Jon Christian

JAXA releases a video of its Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully landing on tiny asteroid Ryugu and shooting it with a bullet.

New Video Shows Japanese Probe Shooting Asteroid With Bullet

By Victor Tangermann

Virgin Galactic released some incredible high-definition footage of its space plane VSS Unity's second flight into space.

Check Out This Stunning Footage of Virgin Galactic’s Space Plane

By Victor Tangermann

A new space imaging system could prevent satellite collisions by monitoring the sky with unprecedented resolution during daylight hours.

“Game-Changing” Camera Could Prevent Satellite Collisions

By Kristin Houser

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos thinks humanity will "live in giant O'Neal-style space colonies," according to a recent interview rather than settling on planets.

Jeff Bezos: In the Future, We’ll Live In “Giant Space Colonies”

By Victor Tangermann