Space: Final Frontier

Atlantis Heads Home

Space.com  |  Jun 19, 07 7:10 PM CDT

(Newser) - Space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station today and set out on the final leg of its 13-day mission. The seven astronauts' final preparations for landing included making sure the craft's heat shield was ready to re-enter the atmosphere before landing Thursday—or later if the weather doesn't cooperate—at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. More »

Space Station Computers Fail, Air Supply Threatened

Associated Press  |  Jun 14, 07 7:03 AM CDT

(Newser) - The Russian computers that control the international space station's air supply, water and orientation are down, the AP reports. The unprecedented failure could lengthen the current shuttle mission, or, at worst, force the crew to come home early, but there is no immediate danger. "We have plenty of resources, so we have plenty of time to sort this out," says a NASA manager. More »

Shuttle Docks at Space Station

Associated Press  |  Jun 11, 07 5:31 AM CDT

(Newser) - The Atlantis docked with the international space station today, bringing with it a segment to be added to the station and the newest member of its crew. The arrival was marred by concern about a piece of thermal blanket on the shuttle that peeled back during launch;  ground control is trying to decide if it needs to be repaired before the Atlantis returns. More »

Most Massive Star Ever Weighs In

Space.com  |  Jun 8, 07 6:43 AM CDT

(Newser) - The most massive star yet discovered has been "weighed," astronomers say, and it tips the scales at a whopping 114 times the mass of the sun. The enormous star forms the bigger half of a rapidly orbiting binary system and it far outstrips both its companion star and the previous record holder—which weigh in at 84 and 83 solar masses, respectively. More »

Scientists Find Cold Dwarf Star

BBC  |  Jun 5, 07 8:51 AM CDT

(Newser) - Scientists are over the moon with the discovery of a cold brown dwarf in the Cetus constellation. The star-like body, spotted by a British team using the UKIRT telescope in Hawaii, is the coldest of its kind ever seen, the BBC reports, tipping thermometers at just 800 degrees F, a tenth the temperature of the sun. More »

Crop of New Planets Means Better Chance of Life

Reuters  |  May 29, 07 7:07 AM CDT

(Newser) - Astronomers who've spotted 28 new planets in the past year are gaining confidence that other solar systems may be able to support life like ours. One researcher estimated that there are probably "tens of billions" of planets with habitable conditions, most important of which is hospitality to water. More »

China Helps Nigeria Into Space

New York Times  |  May 24, 07 7:10 AM CDT

(Newser) - China is launching its own space program, after years of getting a cold shoulder from NASA. Beijing is developing satellite technology for developing nations—the same nations it's looking to for resources to fuel its runaway economic growth, the New York Times notes. Last week saw the launch of a communications satellite for Nigeria, with another planned for Venezuela. More »

NASA Reveals Superpowered Telescope

BBC  |  May 11, 07 4:38 PM CDT

(Newser) - NASA has uncovered a prototype for a new telescope that will outmagnify the dominant Hubble. The James Webb Space Telescope will cost $4.5 billion and float nearly a million miles from Earth when it launches in six years; its supercharged hexagonal mirror will transmit images of the farthest and oldest corners of the universe. More »

King of Supernovas Sheds Light on Early Stars

Space.com  |  May 8, 07 8:19 AM CDT

(Newser) - Researchers are reporting the biggest stellar explosion ever recorded—a discovery which could shed light on how the universe was shaped. The star, 150 times more massive than the sun, went out with a bang 100 times more powerful than typical supernovas. Astronomers think the first stars after the Big Bang, which were also gargantuan, met similar fates. More »

Astronaut Wally Schirra Dies at 84

Associated Press  |  May 3, 07 2:14 PM CDT

(Newser) - Astronaut Wally Schirra, a reporter once said, geared up for space flight with "the ease of preparing for a family picnic." The third American to orbit the earth and the fifth ever to fly into space, Shirra died today. He was 84. More »

Final Frontier Tests Terra Firma Ethics

CNN  |  May 1, 07 7:49 PM CDT

(Newser) - As NASA plans a three-year manned mission to Mars during the next three decades, Oregon Trail ethics are being updated. What do you do with bodies of pioneers who don't make it? A new document on crew health from the space agency deals with death and interment where no man has gone before. More »

Stephen Hawking Test-Drives Zero Gravity

BBC  |  Apr 27, 07 12:32 PM CDT

(Newser) - Paralyzed super-physicist Stephen Hawking completed a zero-gravity flight off the Florida coast yesterday—floating weightless and free of his wheelchair for 25-second busts. "It was amazing,"  Hawking said after the flight. "Space, here I come!" The American firm normally charges $3,750 for the experience, but waived the fee for the Hawking. More »

Earth-Like Planet Could Sustain Life