Recently NASA’s Dawn spacecraft achieved orbit around Vesta on July 17. The first photos of the giant asteroid were taken then. The following infographic explains the whole mission of the Dawn spacecraft. Continue reading
New observations from the Herschel Space Observatory show a bizarre, twisted ring of dense gas at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Only a few portions of the ring, which stretches across more than 600 light-years, were known before. Continue reading
This photo of Vesta was taken by the Dawn spacecraft from the asteroid’s orbit on July 17. Vesta is a large asteroid with a mean diameter of about 530 kilometers. It is the second most massive object in the asteroid belt after Ceres and consists of about 9% of all the belt’s mass. Continue reading
With the future of the International Space Station uncertain, the Chinese have announced their own space station program, instead of joining forces with the other space powers. China’s space station will be named “Tiangong” which means “Heavenly Palace” in Mandarin. Continue reading
After years of development and decades of flying, the now-cancelled space shuttle program has left more to future generations than pieces for museums and fond memories of exploration. Its legacy lives on in an artificial heart device, NASCAR racing cars and rescue tools used to reach car accident victims. Continue reading
The following is a huge infographic showing the true scale of the solar system with all its planets, minor bodies and the most famous probes we have sent out into deep space. Scientists measure distances in our solar system in … Continue reading
As NASA prepares to wrap up its shuttle program, leaving open questions about what comes next for U.S. human spaceflight, the next big thing in NASA’s astronomy program has been dealt a blow. Continue reading
A piece of space junk zoomed uncomfortably close by the International Space Station today (June 28), so close that the outpost’s six-man crew had to take shelter in Russian space capsules in case of a collision. Continue reading
This animation depicts the artist’s vision of the key events of the future NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission. It is planned to launch in late 2011 and reach Mars in August 2012. The rover will be called “Curiosity”. Continue reading
Europe’s ambition for a spacecraft to return autonomously from low orbit is a cornerstone for a wide range of space applications, including space transportation, exploration and robotic servicing of space infrastructure. Continue reading