Space, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2011

Flying Saucer Towed Down Kansas Main Street?

A few days ago, a UFO was spotted cruising down a main street in Cowley County, Kan. It wasn't in the skies, but instead being hauled on a flatbed truck driving down the middle of US Highway 77. From at least one angle, the strange-shape aircraft resembled a saucer, and...

Oct 31, 2011

Danger! Falling Rocks: Meteorites and Asteroids (Infographic)

Space-y Tales: The 5 Strangest MeteoritesFallen Stars: A Gallery of Famous Meteorites5 Mars Myths and Misconceptions ...

Oct 31, 2011

Deflecting Killer Asteroids Away From Earth: How We Could Do It

A huge asteroid's close approach to Earth tomorrow (Nov. 8) reinforces that we live in a cosmic shooting gallery, and we can't just sit around waiting to get hit again, experts say. Asteroid 2005 YU55, which is the size of an aircraft carrier, will zip within the moon's orbit tomorrow,...

Oct 31, 2011

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo: Tourists in for a 'Magical' Ride

The 400 space tourists who've already signed up to fly on the private Virgin Galactic space plane are in for a wild ride. Virgin Galactic is developing the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to carry passengers to the edge of space for $200,000 each. Once the prototype is ready, a fleet of the...

Oct 31, 2011

Could Life Exist On Jupiter's Icy Moon Europa?

Europa, Jupiter's icy moon, meets not one but two of the critical requirements for life, scientists say. For decades, experts have known about the moon's vast underground ocean a possible home for living organisms and now a study shows that the ocean regularly receives influxes of the energy required for...

Jul 31, 2011

The Greatest Mysteries of Saturn's Moons

Each week this summer, Life's Little Mysteries presents The Greatest Mysteries of the Cosmos, starting with the coolest stuff in our solar system. The space around Saturn is a busy place. In addition to the planet's giant rings, more than 60 known moons zip about the world. Some moons actually...

Jul 31, 2011

What the Heck Is This?

This looks a lot like the scene in the desert near my Arizona home, but there is something missing. Not going to say what, but that's a big clue. Can you guess where on Earth this is? Or isn't? You should be warm by now, and if you were there,...

Jul 31, 2011

'UFO' Over Chinese Airport Just an Unusual Cloud

According to the newspaper Shanghai Daily, air traffic at a major Chinese airport was temporarily halted on Wednesday (Aug. 17) — not because of a power failure or bad weather, but because of a potentially threatening Unidentified Floating Object. Details about the incident remain sketchy, but someone (it's not clear...

Jun 30, 2011

The Greatest Mysteries of the Asteroid Belt

Each Friday, Life's Little Mysteries, presents The Greatest Mysteries of the Cosmos, starting with our solar system. Beyond the orbit of Mars, but not as far as Jupiter, lurk the many hundreds of thousands of rocky bodies collectively known as the asteroid belt. Many solar systems are thought to contain...

Jun 30, 2011

What the Heck Is This?

This is an absolutely awesome image, but of course you are only seeing part of it. Can you guess what it is? Huge hint: It has to do with something that was a pretty big deal in the news Friday (July 7). Read on and see the full image below...

Jun 30, 2011

The 7 Strangest Asteroids: Weird Space Rocks in Our Solar System

Intro (Image credit: NASA)Early this Saturday (July 17) morning EDT, NASA's Dawn spacecraft will rendezvous with the asteroid Vesta. This will be our best look yet at an asteroid, and what the probe digs up could help scientists answer several questions about this and the hundreds of thousands of asteroids...

Jun 30, 2011

How to Launch a Rocket into Space in 5 (...4...3...2...1) Steps

With the Space Shuttle officially retired in Florida, NASA astronauts could use a lift to the International Space Station. Want to start your own interstellar livery service? We asked John Malinzak, a rocket scientist at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, for a few tips on how to get from Earth into...

May 31, 2011

Face of Gandhi Found On Google Mars

Now that Google Mars, a new online map pieced together from satellite images of the Red Planet, is up and running, space enthusiasts the world over are finding interesting objects on the Martian surface. The latest is a face found by an Italian named Matteo Ianneo, who has also claimed...

Apr 30, 2011

Dying Stars to Collide and Create Stellar Baby

The collision of two dying stars can create a living one, scientists say. Scientists have discovered a binary system of two dying stars, known as white dwarfs, set to collide and give birth to a new, living star. Our sun — and indeed, more than 90 percent of all stars...

Apr 30, 2011

What the Heck Is This?

This might seem easy, but to guess exactly what it is would be hard for most people. Give it a try before you read on. Need a hint? Okay: It's a lot more down to Earth than you might think. No more hints. This is a photo of the exhaust...