Space and Astronomy News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Bra Makers' Moon-Suit History to Star in Warner Bros. Movie

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:31:25 -0400

From the studio that put Sandra Bullock in a spacesuit may now come a movie about the real-life seamstresses who traded sewing brassieres for stitching Neil Armstrong's lunar wardrobe.

Trip to Space With Leonardo DiCaprio Sells at Auction for $1.5 million

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:31:18 -0400

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio plans to fly to space on Virgin Galactic's new commercial spaceliner, along with the winning bidder in a charity auction at the Cannes film festival, according to news reports.

Lackluster Lunar Eclipse: Full Moon Dips In Earth's Shadow Tonight

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:10:40 -0400

North America will be well positioned to see a lunar eclipse late tonight (May 24), but it might not be worth waiting up for.

Sally Ride, 1st US Woman in Space, to Be Awarded Medal of Freedom Posthumously

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:39:03 -0400

Sally Ride, the United States' first woman in space, will be posthumously honored with the country's highest civilian commendation and the renaming of a high-flying camera.

Spaceport America Helps Launch Sci-Fi Film 'After Earth'

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:38:57 -0400

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. — The chopper descends towards a giant runway surrounded by scrubby, red earth of the New Mexico desert. At the center sits a hangar as big as a city block that looks like the launching pad for an alien fleet.

After Months in Space, Gravity's a Drag for Astronauts

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:38:54 -0400

Three astronauts who recently spent months together aboard the International Space Station reunited on Earth today (May 23) during a Google+ Hangout to talk about their experiences aboard the orbiting lab and the challenge of readapting to life with gravity.

Commercial human ventures planned for the moon: NASA study

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:45:09 -0400

By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Corporate researchers may be living on the moon by the time NASA astronauts head off to visit an asteroid in the 2020s, a study of future human missions unveiled on Thursday shows. The study by Bigelow Aerospace, commissioned by NASA, shows "a lot of excitement and interest from various companies" for such ventures, said Robert Bigelow, founder and president of the Las Vegas-based firm. ...

Destination Moon: Private Spaceflight Companies Eye Lunar Bases

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:42:25 -0400

Human exploration of deep space is looking more and more like a tag-team affair, with NASA jetting off to asteroids and Mars while the private sector sets up shop on the moon.

NASA head views progress on asteroid lasso mission

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:38:59 -0400

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Surrounded by engineers, NASA chief Charles Bolden inspected a prototype spacecraft engine that could power an audacious mission to lasso an asteroid and tow it closer to Earth for astronauts to explore.

NASA puts shuttle launch pad in Florida up for lease

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:26:00 -0400

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Nearly two years after space shuttle Atlantis blasted off for the last time, NASA on Thursday put out a "For Lease" notice for one of its shuttle launch pads in Florida. In a notice posted on its procurement website, the U.S. space agency said it was looking for one or more companies to take over operations and maintenance of Launch Complex 39A. The facility is one of two launch pads at the Kennedy Space Center built in the 1960s to support the Apollo moon program. Both were later modified for the space shuttles, which began flying in 1981. ...

China Media Claim Private Mars Colony Mission Is a Scam

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:17:04 -0400

Some people may find it hard to believe that a private mission will succeed in landing four astronauts on Mars in 2023, but several state-run media outlets in China are targeting the project with even harsher terms like "hoax" and "hype."

Hubble Telescope Reveals True 3D Shape of Ring Nebula (Photos)

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:10:49 -0400

The iconic Ring Nebula may seem like just a stunning circle of wispy interstellar gas, but new images from the Hubble Space Telescope reveal it to be more like a deep-space jelly doughnut, scientists say.

Star Mystery Solved: Stellar Twins Closer to Earth Than Thought

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:04:58 -0400

A strange pair of stars is much closer to Earth than scientists ever thought, a discovery that finally helps explain a puzzling mystery behind the stellar twins, scientists say.

NASA Unveils Space Apps Contest Champions

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:09:14 -0400

An interplanetary weather app, a spot-the-space-station tool, and a Mars greenhouse concept are among the winners of the 2013 International Space Apps Challenge. The contest solicited mobile apps and technologies that aid space exploration and enrich life here on Earth.

Europe Opens New Asteroid-Hunting Center

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:09:10 -0400

Europe has a new hub that will help coordinate scientists' efforts to detect and track potentially dangerous asteroids.

Telescope Photographs Inky 'Strawberry Cocktail' Nebula for 15th Birthday

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:43:46 -0400

An amazing photo of a stellar nursery located 6,500 light-years away from Earth marks the 15-year cosmic anniversary of a telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.

More Evidence That Ancient Mars Could Support Life Found by Old Rover

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:43:37 -0400

The venerable Mars rover Opportunity, the older and smaller cousin of Curiosity, has discovered another water-weathered rock hinting that the Red Planet could have supported life in its ancient past, NASA officials said.

Lost Apollo 11 Moon Dust Found in Storage

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:17:52 -0400

Vials of moon dust brought back to Earth by the first men on the moon have been found inside a lab warehouse in California after sitting in storage unnoticed for more than 40 years.

China Space Program Ramping Up Capabilities, Pentagon Says

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:17:13 -0400

China’s growing space prowess shows no signs of slowing, the U.S. Department of Defense said in its annual report to Congress on military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China.

Private Mars Colony Is No Place for Children (Yet)

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:17:01 -0400

LONG BEACH, Calif. —The leader of a private effort to colonize Mars hopes the Red Planet's first few pioneers don't bring children into the world there.