Paris, France | AFP | Salty water just below the surface of Mars could hold enough oxygen to support the kind of microbial life that emerged and flourished on Earth billions of years ago, researchers reported Monday. In some locations, the amount of oxygen available could even keep alive a …
Read More »NASA blasts off Mars lander, InSight
Vandenberg Air Force Base, United States | AFP | NASA on Saturday blasted off its latest Mars lander, InSight, designed to perch on the surface and listen for “Marsquakes” ahead of eventual human missions to explore the Red Planet. “Three, two, one, liftoff!” said a NASA commentator as the spacecraft …
Read More »Scientists shocked as NASA cuts only moon rover
Tampa, United States | AFP | In a move that shocked lunar scientists, NASA has cancelled the only robotic vehicle under development to explore the surface of the Moon, despite President Donald Trump’s vow to return people there. Scientists working on the Resource Prospector (RP) mission, a robotic rover that …
Read More »NASA’s new planet-hunter to seek closer, Earth-like worlds
Tampa, United States | AFP | NASA is poised to launch a $337 million washing machine-sized spacecraft that aims to vastly expand mankind’s search for planets beyond our solar system, particularly closer, Earth-sized ones that might harbor life. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, is scheduled to launch Monday …
Read More »NASA hires Lockheed Martin to build quiet, supersonic plane
Washington, United States | AFP | NASA has inked a deal with Lockheed Martin to develop a supersonic “X-plane” that could break the sound barrier without a sonic boom, officials said Tuesday. The $247.5 million contract allows for the design, building and testing of a plane that would make its …
Read More »SpaceX launches cargo to space station using recycled rocket, spaceship
Tampa, United States | AFP | SpaceX blasted off a load of supplies Monday for the International Space Station aboard a rocket and a cargo ship that have both flown before, marking the second such flight for the California-based company. “Falcon 9 is on its way,” a SpaceX commentator said …
Read More »Year in space changes astronaut’s genes
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is not the man he used to be — at least genetically speaking. His genetic expression has changed, according to preliminary results from a NASA study that compared the bodily changes between the astronaut and his identical twin, who stayed …
Read More »US wants to privatize International Space Station: report
Washington, United States | AFP | Could the International Space Station become a commercial venture run by private industry? That is the wish of the White House, which hopes to end funding for the costly program within a few years, The Washington Post reported Sunday. The US plan, the paper …
Read More »SPACEX: World’s biggest rocket soars toward Mars after perfect launch
Cape Canaveral, United States | AFP | The world’s most powerful rocket, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, blasted off Tuesday on its highly anticipated maiden test flight, carrying CEO Elon Musk’s cherry red Tesla Roadster toward an orbit near Mars. Screams and cheers erupted at mission control in Cape Canaveral, Florida as …
Read More »Artificial intelligence finds solar system with 8 planets like ours
Miami, United States | AFP | A solar system with as many planets as our own has been discovered with the help of NASA’s Kepler space telescope and artificial intelligence, the US space agency said Thursday. “Our solar system now is tied for most number of planets around a single …
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