NASA

Read the latest NASA news today on Newser.com

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NASA May Have Torched 'Building Blocks of Life' on Mars in 1976

New study suggests organic matter was discovered, but ruined by heat

(Newser) - Much was made of NASA's announcement last month that "building blocks of life" had been found on Mars. But new research suggests the same organic molecules may actually have been discovered by Viking landers NASA sent to Mars in 1976—and then accidentally burned, New Scientist reports. The...

Martian Storm Unlike Any Seen This Decade

It now encircles the whole Red Planet

(Newser) - The oldest operating rover on Mars will have to hunker down a bit longer. The dust storm whomping the Red Planet since May 30, which covered a quarter of its surface a week ago, now circles the entire sphere. NASA's solar-powered Opportunity rover powered down in Mars' Perseverance Valley...

Woman Preemptively Sues NASA to Keep Her Treasure

Owner of presumed lunar material says space agency has history of seizing such items

(Newser) - Call it one small step for lunar dust owners. A Tennessee woman is suing NASA preemptively to keep a vial of what she believes is moon dust that was given to the family by Neil Armstrong. Filed in federal court, the suit is an attempt to prevent NASA—which says...

Why NASA Is Closely Watching a Gargantuan Dust Storm

The Opportunity rover is stuck in it on Mars

(Newser) - To call the Martian dust storm gargantuan wouldn't be an overstatement: As of Tuesday, it covered a quarter of the planet, making it the size of North America and Russia combined, per Space.com . And the Opportunity rover is in the middle of it. That's of concern. The...

'Building Blocks of Life' Found on Mars

Latest discoveries are the best evidence yet of life on the red planet

(Newser) - New Mars discoveries are advancing the case for possible life on the red planet, past or even present. Scientists reported Thursday that NASA's Curiosity rover has found potential building blocks of life in an ancient Martian lakebed. Hints have been found before, but this is the best evidence yet,...

4th Person to Walk on Moon Dies in Texas at Age 86

Alan Bean also dedicated himself to painting for 40 years

(Newser) - Astronaut Alan Bean, who was the fourth person to walk on the moon, has died. A statement released by NASA and family members says Bean died Saturday in Houston after a short illness, the AP reports. He was 86. Bean was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 12, which made...

NASA Warns SpaceX Practice Could Put Lives at Risk

A dangerous method for loading fuel has government safety experts raising alarms

(Newser) - NASA safety experts are warning SpaceX that its rocket technology has the potential to put lives at risk. Per the Washington Post , Elon Musk's company was looking for a way to supercharge rockets when engineers realized they could pack in more fuel by super-cooling it before takeoff. In order...

NASA Will Soon Get Unprecedented Look at Mars

InSight lander will explore the planet's interior

(Newser) - NASA launched another spacecraft toward Mars on Saturday, and this one is designed to provide an unprecedented look at the planet's interior. You can watch the liftoff the InSight lander, a 790-pound probe, here . The spacecraft won't reach Mars until November, but when it does, it will fill...

Black, Female Teens Run for NASA Award; Enter the Hackers

The trio of high school students developed an innovative water filtration system

(Newser) - Three Washington, DC, high school juniors were thrilled when their idea for removing lead from drinking water landed them a finalist position in a NASA-sponsored high school science competition, reports the Washington Post . The high-achieving team had developed a filter that could purify water in older school buildings. The team...

Inside NASA&#39;s Plan to Maybe Nuke an Asteroid
NASA May Go
Armageddon
on Asteroid
Mar 21, 2018 5:03 PM CDT

NASA May Go Armageddon on Asteroid

Plan to maybe nuke asteroid called Bennu that might hit Earth in 2135

(Newser) - Operation HAMMER may sound like the villain's master scheme from a Roger Moore-era James Bond film, but it's actually NASA's plan to deal with asteroids threatening the Earth—such as one the size of the Empire State Building that could crash into the planet in 2135, Staten...

They Had the Same DNA. Then One Spent a Year in Space

A fascinating look at the case of identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly

(Newser) - NASA is pointing to the "stresses of space travel" as the factor behind a fascinating phenomenon involving the only pair of identical twin astronauts in history. Per Live Science , even though Scott and Mark Kelly once boasted the same DNA makeup, Scott's nearly yearlong trip on the International...

NASA Offers Next Best Thing to Touching the Sun

Fly your name to our star instead

(Newser) - NASA will fly you to the sun—or at least your name. From now until April 27, NASA is accepting online submissions for this hottest ticket in town, which is free. The names—including that of pitchman William Shatner —will be included on a microchip to be sent on...

NASA&#39;s $1B Tower Is Leaning
NASA's $1B Tower
Is Leaning
Feb 21, 2018 11:56 AM CST

NASA's $1B Tower Is Leaning

Agency says SLS launcher remains 'structurally sound' but it may send off only one mission

(Newser) - Since 2011, NASA has been upgrading a mobile launcher originally built for the Ares I vehicle to fit its massive Space Launch System rocket. The project is well over budget—when all is said and done, the revamp of the $234 million tower is expected to cost an additional $678...

NASA May Turn Space Station Over to Private Sector

Document suggests some kind of commercial venture in 2025

(Newser) - The space industry is buzzing with rumors that the White House plans to phase out funding for the International Space Station. Now the Washington Post and SpaceNews have gotten a look at a NASA document that fills in some of the details: The US would fund the ISS through 2024,...

Farthest Photos Ever Taken, From Nearly 4B Miles Away

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft snapped the pics in December

(Newser) - The NASA spacecraft that gave us close-ups of Pluto has set a record for the farthest photos ever taken, the AP reports. In December—while 3.79 billion miles from Earth—the New Horizons spacecraft snapped a picture of a star cluster. The photo surpassed the "Pale Blue Dot"...

Blue, Super, Eclipse: The Moon Hits the Trifecta

Triple lineup on Wednesday hasn't happened since 1982

(Newser) - The moon is providing a rare triple treat this week. On Wednesday, much of the world will get to see not only a blue moon and a supermoon, but also a total lunar eclipse, all rolled into one. There hasn't been a triple lineup like this since 1982, and...

White House Eyes End of Funding for Space Station

Draft budget proposal gives 2025 end date, reports The Verge

(Newser) - The Trump administration looks poised to deliver bad news to advocates of the International Space Station. The White House plans to end NASA's funding for ISS by 2025, according to a draft 2019 budget proposal seen by the Verge . NASA supplies ISS with up to $4 billion annually, and...

Astronaut Was to Make History—Until NASA Intervened

Jeanette Epps was to be the first African American on the ISS

(Newser) - Jeanette Epps was to make history when she set foot on the International Space Station in June, as the first African-American astronaut to do so. Emphasis on "was." NASA on Thursday announced a shake-up to its crew assignments, stating Serena Auñón-Chancellor would be bumped from her...

Huge Glaciers Found Hiding Beneath Mars Surface
Huge Glaciers Found Hiding
Beneath Mars Surface
NEW STUDY
Jan 12, 2018 9:54 AM CST

Huge Glaciers Found Hiding Beneath Mars Surface

Scientists already knew they were there, but they've just seen them in a whole new light

(Newser) - Scientists already knew that water ice lurked below Mars' surface. But a new study published in the journal Science sheds new light on what Space.com calls "apparent glaciers," seen anew thanks to high-res imagery from the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Using this data,...

Astronaut Who Made History With Spacewalk Dies at 80

Bruce McCandless 'encouraged all of us to reach new heights'

(Newser) - NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly freely and untethered in space, has died, the AP reports. He was 80. McCandless was famously photographed in 1984 flying with a hefty spacewalker's jetpack, alone in the cosmic blackness above a blue Earth. He traveled more than 300 feet...

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