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South Korea Launches Space Rocket
South Korea Launches
Space Rocket

South Korea Launches Space Rocket

First attempt from own soil; satellite aboard fails to reach orbit

(Newser) - South Korea's first rocket blasted off into space today following an aborted attempt last week and just months after its rival North Korea drew international ire for its own launch. A problem quickly surfaced, however, when the satellite the rocket was carrying apparently failed to enter its intended orbit. ...

Saturn's Rings Vanish Today
 Saturn's Rings 
 Vanish Today 

Saturn's Rings Vanish Today

They'll be out of sight for three months

(Newser) - Saturn's rings will disappear from sight for three months starting today, Space.com reports. The rings, 170,000 miles long but only 30 feet thick, are visible because they reflect sunlight. But they vanish once every 15 years as equinoxes occur in its 30-year orbit and the rings are directly...

Monster Black Hole Sucking Up Space

(Newser) - A monstrous black hole near the center of a distant galaxy is sucking up stars, gas and dust, and spitting out baby stars, NASA scientists have discovered. The black hole is 100 million times the mass of the sun, reports the Telegraph. It lies at the center of a galaxy...

Moon Landing Pulled Plug on Russian Space Pride

(Newser) - Russia is still smarting over America’s moon landing 40 years ago—so much so that a recent state TV report gave credence to dubious NASA-faked-it conspiracy theories, the AP reports. Before the moon landing, Moscow dominated the space race, laying claim to the first craft in space, the first...

'Giant Leap' Was a 'Knee in NASA's Groin'
 'Giant Leap' Was a 
 'Knee in NASA's Groin'
OPINION

'Giant Leap' Was a 'Knee in NASA's Groin'

Ever since 1969, hope for a 'bridge to the stars' has faded

(Newser) - The US took a “giant leap” landing on the moon in 1969, but NASA's greatest moment of triumph was also "a real knee in the groin" for the space agency, writes Tom Wolfe in the New York Times. At the time, we thought we’d build “a...

Sex Would Lift Flaccid Space Travel: Expert

Hanky panky, champagne would boost funding: historian

(Newser) - Why should flight attendants have all the fun? A respected NASA historian is proposing that astronauts too should join the mile-high club, Bloomberg reports. “Sex in space, now there’s an experiment scientists certainly want to conduct,” James Hansen declared in a lecture at the 100th Paris Air...

UFO Saved Earth in Suicide Mission: Russian Scientist

He points to mysterious crystals as proof

(Newser) - Alien spacecraft crashed into a giant meteor 100 years ago to stop it from hitting Earth, according to a Russian scientist. Most scientists say an exploding meteorite caused 1908’s Tunguska event, which flattened 80 million trees across 100 miles. But researcher Yuri Labvin says crystals found in sparsely populated...

Weather Delays Shuttle's Return Until Tomorrow

Have one more shot today; supplies will last weekend

(Newser) - Stormy weather in Florida prevented space shuttle Atlantis and its crew from landing today, and the crew will try again tomorrow. The news isn't a huge surprise to the seven astronauts, who are wrapping up a successful mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. The weather outlook has been grim...

Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

Pricey telescope enhances our understanding of space

(Newser) - The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our knowledge of black holes, so it’s ironic that critics complain the $9.6 billion device is sucking up money and energy that could be shifted to other programs. But, on CNET, Don Reisinger defends the telescope as earthlings’ best shot at unlocking...

Last Tweaks Will Rocket Hubble to Final Frontier

$10b telescope snapped many of space's mysteries

(Newser) - Today's launch of the Atlantis shuttle marks the beginning of the end for Hubble. The space telescope is scheduled to get its final set of repairs, extending its life and giving it greater abilities than ever before. "Everything we have done up to this point has been in preparation...

NASA Space Flight Review Worries Workers

Thousands of jobs at stake when shuttle retires next year

(Newser) - A NASA review of manned space-flight plans has Kennedy Space Center workers and contractors fearing for their jobs, the Orlando Sentinel reports. A panel will investigate whether rockets set to carry humans into space after the shuttle fleet is retired next year are really NASA’s best bets. Some worry...

After 4 Decades, Physicist Solves Mystery of Moon Dust

After decades of wondering, Aussie explains its stickiness

(Newser) - Moon dust has been a “bloody nuisance” to NASA for decades, says a physicist: it sticks to spacesuits, clogs instruments, and could be a health risk for future colonists. Scientists believe the stickiness is due to a positive charge from the sun’s rays, NASA says. Now the physicist,...

Space Blob Stumps Scientists
 Space Blob Stumps Scientists

Space Blob Stumps Scientists

Cosmic blob from the dawn of time confounds theories on early universe

(Newser) - A gigantic blob at the edge of the universe is forcing scientists to rethink their ideas on how galaxies form, reports the BBC. The radiation-emitting object 12.9 billion light years away is one of the most distant—and consequently oldest—things ever seen by astronomers, and is much bigger...

Dim Sun Is Cold Comfort to Scientists

(Newser) - The sun may be heading for one of its dimmest periods in history, but that doesn't mean the big star is joining the battle against global warming, according to scientists. The sun hit a 100-year low in sunspot activity last year, reports the Telegraph.

Calif. Utility Aims to Buy Power From Space

Orbiting solar farm planned for 2016

(Newser) - California’s Pacific Gas and Electric is seeking approval for its commitment to buy electricity from an innovative source, the San Francisco Chronicle reports: an orbiting solar power array that would beam electricity back to Earth. Solaren Corp. plans to deploy the satellite sometime before 2016; PG&E has signaled...

Discovery Heads for Home
 Discovery Heads for Home 

Discovery Heads for Home

(Newser) - The space shuttle Discovery and its seven-astronaut crew undocked from the International Space Station today after an eight-day mission, Space.com reports. Before heading toward earth, the shuttle flew around the station to get the first photos of its handiwork—the installation of a final set of solar panels that...

Astros Fire Up Thrusters to Dodge Trash

Space junk becomes increasing concern

(Newser) - Discovery's astronauts fired thrusters yesterday to maneuver the million-pound International Space Station out of the path of approaching space junk, the third such threat to the orbiting lab in two weeks, reports Space.com. The four-inch chunk of debris—from a Chinese rocket that broke apart in 2000—was heading...

Astronauts Install Last Pair of Solar Panels

(Newser) - The International Space Station is about to get full power for the first time. Two astronauts today installed the last pair of solar panels for the station in a six-hour spacewalk, reports Space.com. The station, which now has a total of eight solar panels, will unfurl the newly installed...

Colbert Vies to Be Namesake of NASA Module

But Joss Whedon's devoted nerd army may spoil comedian's plans

(Newser) - Again proving that his love for self-promotion knows no bounds, Stephen Colbert is urging fans to vote for his write-in suggestion for the name of the new observation deck attachment to the International Space Station, Space.com reports. In two days, Colbert nation has pushed his name to the top...

NASA to Reboot Mars Orbiter
 NASA to Reboot Mars Orbiter 

NASA to Reboot Mars Orbiter

Orbiter's systems vulnerable to space radiation exposure

(Newser) - The Odyssey, NASA’s Mars orbiter, must reboot its computer systems, a risky move necessary to ensure continued functionality, Space.com reports. The reboot, slated for next week, should clear out the damaging effects of continued exposure to space radiation on the Odyssey’s memory system. The orbiter’s last...

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