Space

Mars is Getting International

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Things are getting a little crowded at the red planet.

Space Launch Live: Splashdown

Video | 00:30

Follow NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley as they splash down to conclude their mission from the International Space Station.

NASA is using Navajo Language to Name Rocks and Soil on Mars

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NASA’s Perseverance team is working in tandem with the Navajo Nation to use their native language in defining rocks and soil found on Mars. 50 words have been approved to name these landmarks.

How Do We Know How Old the Sun Is?

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Scientists estimate that our Sun is about 4.57 billion years old. They’re surprisingly confident about that number, too, which opens up an immediate question: how do we know that? The short answer is “a lot of science and math”, but I have a feeling you’re not here for the short answer.

It’s the Edge of Space for Virgin Galactic

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On May 22, Virgin Galactic’s first human spaceflight successfully launched into space from Spaceport America, New Mexico. Mothership, VMS Eve, the carrier and launch platform for the VSS Unity SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, carried VSS Unity to 44,000 feet in the air and then released it as the spaceship began a rocket powered flight to the edge of space.

Meet the Astronauts: NASA and SpaceX Crew-2 Mission

Photo Gallery | 10 Photos

Journey to the ISS: NASA and SpaceX Crew-2 Mission

Photo Gallery | 22 Photos

Journey to the ISS: NASA and SpaceX Crew-1 Mission

Photo Gallery | 14 Photos

Looking Back at 2020 in Space

Photo Gallery | 14 Photos

Countdown to Launch: NASA and SpaceX Crew-2 Mission

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Liftoff set for Friday, April 23, at 5:49A EDT marks the second operational flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Four space explorers are heading to the International Space Station for a six-month stay. It will take them 23 hours to reach their destination.

What You Need to Know About Blue Origin’s Launch into Space with Billionaire Jeff Bezos

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The countdown has begun for Blue Origin’s first crewed spaceflight. On Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at 9:00A ET, Jeff Bezos and three crewmates are lifting off into space from Blue Origin’s Launch Site near Van Horn, Texas. Watch SPACE LAUNCH LIVE: BLUE ORIGIN & JEFF BEZOS GO TO SPACE on Discovery and Science Channels at 8:00A ET or at washingtonpost.com.

NASA Has Announced Plans for the Next Decade of Space Missions, And It’s Awesome

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Personally speaking, I feel like we’ve been focusing on Mars a little bit too much recently. Sure, the Red Planet is all sorts of awesome – so awesome it may have once been a home for life – but with more than half a dozen orbiters, landers, and rovers, it’s certainly got its due.

Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic Successfully Travels to Space

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On Sunday, July 11, around 11:30A ET, Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Galactic, soared to the edge of space as a passenger aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity. The space plane then landed safely at Spaceport America in New Mexico, making Branson's space tourism dream come true.

How Exoplanets Became the Next Big Thing in Astronomy

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To date, we know of over 5,000 planets outside the solar system. And astronomers suspect that there may be *checks notes* around a trillion more in our galaxy alone. The search for exoplanets is one of the hottest topics in astronomy, with expensive telescopes and giant collaborations all searching for the holy grail of the 21st century: an Earth 2.0, a habitable world like our own.

Meet Ingenuity: NASA’s First Mars Helicopter

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Perseverance with Ingenuity strapped to its belly launched on July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Mars Rover and Mars Helicopter safely landed on the dusty surface at 3:55P ET on February 18, 2021, after traveling nearly 292.5 million miles.

South Korea Joins Space Race by Sending its First Spacecraft to the Moon

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South Korea is launching its first lunar probe to the moon on August 4th. The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) or Danuri, developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is being launched to study moon carters, magnetic fields, and surface weathering.

Expedition 65 to Launch on April 9

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On April 9 at 3:42A ET, Expedition 65 will launch with three space travelers aboard a Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station.

Liftoff of Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-14 Scheduled for January 14

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Blue Origin will attempt its next test flight of New Shepard on January 14 at 10:45A ET from Launch Site One in West Texas. Let’s learn more about Mission NS-14.