NASA

Read the latest NASA news today on Newser.com

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Waiting for an Ocean Pickup, Astronauts Made 'Prank Calls'

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken had a satellite phone after all

(Newser) - When astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, they had time to burn before their pickup boat arrived. Luckily, they had a satellite phone. "Five hours ago we were in a spaceship bobbing around making prank satellite phone calls to whoever...

SpaceX Capsule Returns Home
SpaceX Capsule Hits Water
Aug 2, 2020 1:40 PM CDT

SpaceX Capsule Hits Water

NASA astronauts make first aquatic landing since 1975

(Newser) - Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX company, the AP reports. It was the first splashdown by US astronauts in 45 years, with the...

Rare Splashdown Nears
Rare Splashdown Nears
Jul 31, 2020 5:30 PM CDT

Rare Splashdown Nears

Crew expects to bob in the water off Florida for a while before being picked up

(Newser) - Two US astronauts about to make the first splashdown return in 45 years said Friday they'll have seasick bags ready if needed. SpaceX and NASA plan to bring Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken back Sunday afternoon in the company's Dragon capsule, aiming for the Gulf of Mexico just...

NASA Just Launched Its Biggest-Ever Mars Rover

Perseverance will seek signs of ancient life

(Newser) - The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built—a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills, and lasers—blasted off Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life. NASA’s Perseverance rode...

Rock From Mars Continues Its Strange Journey

NASA is bringing the small meteorite back to the red planet

(Newser) - Somewhere around 700,000 years ago, an asteroid or comet slammed into Mars and sent debris flying everywhere. And perhaps 1,000 years ago, one small piece of rock finally ended up on Earth. Now that same bit of basalt is going back to Mars, reports the BBC . As the...

These Are the Closest Images of the Sun Yet

'Campfires' might explain why the sun's outer atmosphere burns hotter than the surface

(Newser) - Fly dangerously close to the sun, and what do you see? "Campfires." That's what scientists have dubbed the small solar flares seen in new NASA photos —the closest ever taken of the sun's surface, the Guardian reports. "The campfires are little relatives of the...

A Newly Found Comet Is Here
A Newly
Found Comet
Is Here
Jul 10, 2020 1:19 PM CDT

A Newly Found Comet Is Here

Neowise could be visible into August

(Newser) - A newly discovered comet is streaking past Earth, providing a stunning show for skywatchers, per the AP . Comet Neowise swept within Mercury’s orbit a week ago, and its close proximity to the sun caused dust and gas to burn off its surface and create an even bigger debris tail....

Here Comes the Sun—10 Years of It, in One Hour

NASA releases hypnotizing film showing a decade of our resident star

(Newser) - You're not supposed to stare at the sun, but a new NASA film lets you safely do so for an entire hour. Per the Guardian , the space agency has released a decade's worth of "mesmerizing" footage of our resident star, taken from February 2010 all the way...

After 4 Years, NASA Scientist Held in Turkey Returns Home

Serkan Golge was convicted of involvement in 2016 coup against Erdogan

(Newser) - Former NASA scientist Serkan Golge, detained on terrorism charges in Turkey, is back on American soil for the first time in four years. The Turkish-American arrived with his family in Washington early Tuesday, some seven months after President Trump said he'd secured a deal for his release, per the...

For When You Go to the Moon, and You've Got to Go

NASA offers prize money for a better toilet design

(Newser) - We don't know where or when NASA does its best thinking, but at some point recently, the agency decided there might be a better idea for a toilet to use in space. One that works on the surface of the moon would be especially helpful. So it's asking...

NASA HQ Now Bears the Name of a 'Hidden Figure'

Mary Jackson was the agency's first black female engineer

(Newser) - NASA's Washington, DC, headquarters now bears the name of the agency's first black female engineer. The Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building appropriately sits on a street renamed Hidden Figures Way in 2019. Jackson—portrayed by Janelle Monáe in the 2016 film Hidden Figures, based on the...

SpaceX Captures the Flag
SpaceX Captures the Flag
Jun 2, 2020 3:17 AM CDT

SpaceX Captures the Flag

Beats Boeing to flag left at International Space Station

(Newser) - The first astronauts launched by SpaceX declared victory Monday in NASA’s cosmic capture-the-flag game, the AP reports. They quickly claimed the prize left behind at the International Space Station nearly a decade ago by the last crew to launch from the US. “Congratulations, SpaceX, you got the flag,...

Liftoff! SpaceX Rocket Ship Takes Flight
Liftoff! SpaceX
Rocket Ship
Takes Flight
updated
May 30, 2020 2:34 PM CDT

Liftoff! SpaceX Rocket Ship Takes Flight

'Let's light this candle,' said commander Doug Hurley

(Newser) - A rocket ship built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company thundered away from Earth with two Americans on Saturday, ushering in a new era in commercial space travel and putting the United States back in the business of launching astronauts into orbit from home soil for the first time in...

Launch Again in Doubt, With Astronaut Safety Top Priority

Cape Canaveral forecast is slightly better Sunday for historic SpaceX mission

(Newser) - SpaceX pressed ahead Friday with planning for its second attempt to launch astronauts for NASA, but more stormy weather threatened more delays. Elon Musk's company came within 17 minutes Wednesday of launching a pair of NASA astronauts for the first time in nearly a decade from the US, before...

Historic Launch Called Off With 16 Minutes to Go

After bad weather, they will try again on Saturday

(Newser) - NASA has been waiting almost a decade for astronauts to be launched into space from American soil—and they're going to have to wait at least another three days. The historic SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral was called off Wednesday with just 16 minutes to go, the AP reports....

Day of SpaceX's Historic Launch Has Arrived

Wednesday could mark the return of human spaceflight to US soil, and a big first

(Newser) - On Wednesday, Elon Musk's SpaceX will carry out a mission called Demo-2: an attempt to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station. If it succeeds, it will be the first time humans have been carried into orbit by a commercial aerospace company, CNN reports. It also marks a...

SpaceX Gives Mission a New Look
SpaceX Gives
Mission a New Look
May 24, 2020 9:42 AM CDT

SpaceX Gives Mission a New Look

Color-coordinated launch will include a trip in a white Tesla

(Newser) - The first astronauts launched by SpaceX are breaking new ground for style with hip spacesuits, gull-wing Teslas and a sleek rocket ship—all of it white with black trim. The color coordinating is thanks to Elon Musk, the driving force behind both SpaceX and Tesla, and a big fan of...

NASA Wants You for a 'Unique Adventure'

You can get paid to live for 8 months in social isolation as study for future moon, Mars missions

(Newser) - When astronauts venture to the International Space Station, they may be socially isolated from everyone else on Earth for months on end, but they're able to spread out and take part in activities that can keep them occupied during downtime. But, as BGR.com notes, with a manned mission...

Countdown to Historic Flight: Astronauts Arrive in Florida

One of them piloted Space Shuttle's final flight

(Newser) - The two astronauts who will end a nine-year launch drought for NASA arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, exactly one week before their historic SpaceX flight. It will be the first time a private company, rather than a national government, sends astronauts into orbit, the AP...

Days Before Historic Launch, an Abrupt NASA Resignation

Head of human spaceflight steps down suddenly

(Newser) - NASA’s chief of human exploration has resigned just days before the first astronaut launch in nearly a decade from Kennedy Space Center, the AP reports. The space agency notified employees of the news Tuesday. Douglas Loverro, whose resignation took effect Monday, joined NASA last October. He is a former...

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