Space Exploration, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 28, 2011

Of Mice and Boiling Bubbles: Weird Science Rides Space Shuttle

NASA's space shuttle Discovery left the International Space Station today (March 7), after delivering not just supplies and equipment, but dozens of scientific experiments. The space science projects run the gamut of topics, from biomedical studies to materials science experiments. Some of them were carried out during the flight –...

Nov 30, 2012

Private Company Aims for Manned Moon Missions by 2020

A new private venture aims to sell manned trips to the moon by 2020, its founders announced today (Dec. 6). The company, called Golden Spike (after the final spike built into the First Transcontinental Railroad), plans to sell each moon mission for about $1.5 billion — a relative bargain, said...

Jun 30, 2012

Japan Launches Robotic Supply Ship to Space Station

An unmanned Japanese spaceship soared into orbit from an island launch site Friday (July 20), beginning a weeklong journey to deliver vital supplies to astronauts living on the International Space Station. The H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3 (HTV-3), nicknamed Kounotori 3 (Japanese for White Stork 3), is delivering student science projects, a...

May 31, 2012

China Successfully Docks Manned Space Capsule at Orbiting Module

Chinese astronauts docked two spaceships in orbit for the first time Monday (June 18), marking a vital milestone in the country's quest to build a manned space station in Earth orbit. The three-person crew of the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, which includes the China's first female astronaut, arrived at the country's...

Feb 28, 2013

SpaceX's Reusable 'Grasshopper' Rocket Makes Highest Flight Yet

A private experimental rocket that could lay the foundation for a fully reusable launch system has passed its most ambitious test yet, flying 24 stories high and then sticking its landing. SpaceX's Grasshopper rocket ascended 263 feet (80 meters) into the Texas sky during its fourth-ever test flight on March...

Jan 31, 2013

Space Exploration Still US Priority, NASA Says

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Though NASA's share of the federal budget has dropped dramatically since the space-race heyday of the 1960s, the United States still regards space exploration as a key priority, NASA's deputy chief says. The agency's allotted $17.7 billion budget represents less than 0.5 percent of federal spending...

Oct 31, 2014

Satellite Photo Shows Frigid Arctic Air Over Eastern US

A new satellite photo shows the eastern United States locked in a cold front's icy grip. The region appears to be covered by a gray-white blanket in the image, which was captured in infrared light Tuesday morning (Nov. 18) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) GOES-East spacecraft. While...

Sep 30, 2014

Private Orbital Sciences Rocket Explodes During Launch, NASA Cargo Lost

A private Orbital Sciences-built cargo launch to the International Space Station ended in a fiery explosion just seconds after liftoff Tuesday night (Oct. 28). Orbital's unmanned Antares rocket exploded in a brilliant fireball shortly after launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 6:22 p.m. (2222 GMT), crashing back...

May 31, 2015

SpaceX Rocket Fails During Cargo Launch to Space Station

An unmanned SpaceX cargo mission crashed back to Earth today (June 28), marking the third failure of a resupply flight to the International Space Station in the past eight months. SpaceX's robotic Dragon capsule blasted off atop the company's two-stage Falcon 9 rocket as planned today at 10:21 a.m. EDT...

Mar 31, 2015

Hubble at 25: Space Telescope's Views Have Changed How We See Earth

The Hubble Space Telescope, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in space, has become known for capturing stunning and unprecedented views of the cosmos. But while the famed orbiting observatory has provided amazing views of space, it's also given us new perspectives of Earth. Because the telescope can gaze across...

Mar 31, 2016

Hubble Telescope Captures Sharpest Image Yet of Mysterious Red Rectangle

A striking new image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope delivers a deep look into a mysterious cosmic object called the Red Rectangle Nebula. The Red Rectangle, so named because of its bizarre shape and striking color, is a nebula — a cosmic cloud of gas and particles. In this...

Jan 31, 2016

'Moon Glint' Magic: Astronaut's Photo Reveals Dreamy Patterns

When an astronaut aboard the International Space Station trained a camera on a picturesque view of the northern Mediterranean Sea, the space flyer instead captured a unique effect created by the reflection of the moon on the surface of the water. The astronaut's moon glint photo shows the twinkling lights...

Nov 30, 2017

Stratolaunch's Monster Jet Completes First Test-Drive Down Runway

Stratolaunch's rocket-launching mothership was driven down the runway for the first time this past weekend. The double-bodied jet —which has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in the world —has been undergoing tests at Stratolaunch's facility at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The latest phase in this...

Sep 30, 2017

Bird Photobombs the Space Station and Sun in Awesome Photo

Talk about timing! Photographers with the European Space Agency hoping to spot the International Space Station crossing the face of the sun got more than they bargained for in this sunny snapshot. In the photo, which was taken in 2013 but only released by ESA on Wednesday (Oct. 4), a...

Sep 30, 2017

US Spy Satellite Launch Delayed Again

Editor's note: The launch of the NROL-52 spy satellite launch was delayed for the third day in a row today, Oct. 7, this time due to a telemetry transmitter problem on the satellite's Atlas V rocket. United Launch Alliance will replace and test the transmitter and select a new launch...