Hubble Hibernates After Minor Breakdown
A failure of a gyroscope used to point and stabilize the Hubble telescope caused the observatory to safely shut down while engineers determine a fix. The post Hubble Hibernates After Minor Breakdown...
View ArticleVoyager 2 Approaches Interstellar Space
An increase in cosmic rays indicates that Voyager 2 is approaching the heliopause, where the solar wind gives way to the interstellar medium. The post Voyager 2 Approaches Interstellar Space appeared...
View ArticleObserving Earth from the Moon
Ever wondered what it would be like to see the Earth from the Moon? Join Bob King as he explores this from the perspective of the Apollo 17 astronauts. The post Observing Earth from the Moon appeared...
View ArticleMission to Mercury Launches
The BepiColombo spacecraft, Europe's first mission to Mercury, rocketed away from Earth to begin its seven-year trek to the innermost planet. The post Mission to Mercury Launches appeared first on Sky...
View ArticleAfter Brief Shutdown, Hubble Goes Back to Work
Following three weeks of downtime, engineers have cleared out a mechanical blockage in one of Hubble's gyroscopes and returned the observatory to full science operations. The post After Brief Shutdown,...
View ArticleThe Kepler Space Telescope Comes to an End
NASA's planet-hunting telescope has run out of fuel after a nine-year mission that found more than 2,600 planets orbiting other stars along with thousands more worlds yet to be confirmed. The post The...
View ArticleDusk for Dawn: NASA’s Groundbreaking Mission Comes to an End
After 11 Years, NASA's Dawn mission to explore Vesta and Ceres is about to come to an end. The post Dusk for Dawn: NASA’s Groundbreaking Mission Comes to an End appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
View ArticleNew Horizons On Approach to the First Exploration of a Kuiper Belt Object
Take a look behind the scenes as the New Horizons team gears up for the historic first flyby of a body in the remote Kuiper Belt, in this first of a four-part series from the mission's Principal...
View ArticleJezero Crater Selected as Landing Site for Mars 2020 Rover
NASA's next Mars rover will explore a geologically diverse crater that may once have been flooded with water, a crucial ingredient for the mission's search for evidence of past life. The post Jezero...
View ArticleInsight Lander Touches Down on Mars
After a safe landing, NASA's first dedicated geophysical mission to Mars will spend the next two years studying the deep interior of the Red Planet. The post Insight Lander Touches Down on Mars...
View ArticleOsiris-REX Arrives at Asteroid Bennu
NASA's ambitious Osiris-REX mission will now spend the next couple years surveying Bennu before attempting to return a sample to Earth. The post Osiris-REX Arrives at Asteroid Bennu appeared first on...
View ArticlePlanning the New Horizons Exploration of Ultima Thule
Alan Stern, principal investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission, gives a detailed preview of what the spacecraft will be doing in the days up to, during, and after the impending flyby of the Kuiper...
View ArticleSpaceX Launches Orbiting “Sculpture in the Sky” / Comet Update
An art sculpture achieves orbit, 46P/Wirtanen becomes a naked-eye comet, and C/2018 V1 makes one last good pass. The post SpaceX Launches Orbiting “Sculpture in the Sky” / Comet Update appeared first...
View ArticleChang’e 4 Probe Heads to the Lunar Farside
China's latest lunar mission will drop a lander and rover in one of the oldest terrains on the Moon, becoming the first craft to intentionally land on and explore the farside. The post Chang’e 4 Probe...
View ArticleVoyager 2 Enters Interstellar Space
More than 18 billion kilometers from home, Voyager 2 has become the second probe to break through the heliopause, a tenuous boundary between the solar system and the rest of the Galaxy. The post...
View ArticleOsiris-REX Finds Hints of Past Water on Asteroid Bennu
The NASA spacecraft detected signs of hydrated minerals on Bennu's surface, suggesting that the asteroid's larger parent body once hosted liquid water. The post Osiris-REX Finds Hints of Past Water on...
View ArticleAmateurs Help Decide Juno’s Path
Ahead of a decision on whether to fly the NASA spacecraft over Jupiter's Great Red Spot, hobbyists back on Earth provided crucial intel about the effects of an intruding disturbance. The post Amateurs...
View ArticleFuture Planetary Probes Can Learn from Cassini
An unusual water composition at Saturn’s moon Phoebe means that future spacecraft will have to be on the lookout for different water ratios than we are used to on Earth. The post Future Planetary...
View ArticleSpace Missions to Watch in 2019
Multiple trips to the Moon, physics satellites, and Europe's long-awaited exoplanet explorer are among the space missions on tap for 2019. The post Space Missions to Watch in 2019 appeared first on Sky...
View ArticleNew Horizons Reaches Far-flung “Ultima Thule”
NASA's outward-bound explorer rings in the new year with the most distant flyby in space-exploration history. The post New Horizons Reaches Far-flung “Ultima Thule” appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
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