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Will the Webb telescope be able to detect life signs at nearby exoplanets?
The Webb Telescope is Hubble's successor, due to launch in 2021. A new study says it'll be powerful enough to search for life signatures in the atmospheres of the 7 Earth-sized planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, just 39 light-years away.
September 2, 2019
Why does Mars’ methane vary across a single Martian day?
Previous studies showed that methane in Mars' atmosphere varies across the Martian seasons. New research shows daily fluctuations. It's fascinating because, on Earth, methane gas is tied to microbial life.
August 31, 2019
Name NASA’s next Mars rover
The Mars 2020 rover, scheduled for launch next July, doesn't have a name yet. A NASA contest invites U.S. students grades K–12 to suggest names for the rover.
August 29, 2019
Gaia tracks sibling stars in Milky Way
Rather than leaving home young, as expected, star siblings are more likely to stick together in long-lasting, string-like star groups, according to a new study of data from ESA's Gaia spacecraft.
August 29, 2019
Arecibo gets $19M grant to find and study NEOs
NEOs are near-Earth objects, asteroids and small comets that sweep near Earth and have the potential to cause harm. Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has, since the 1990s, been finding about 60 to 120 of these objects every year.
August 28, 2019
Russian Soyuz docks with ISS on 2nd attempt
After the Soyuz MS-14's first automated approach to the ISS was aborted due to a malfunction, the spacecraft has now docked safely at the station's Zvezda module. It carries supplies for the crew and a humanoid robot.
August 27, 2019
India’s Chandrayaan-2 is 2 weeks away from its moon landing
The spacecraft is slowing down for its final orbit, with its next maneuver scheduled for August 28. It's due to land September 7. Details about the mission, plus Chandrayaan-2's first image of the moon, here.
August 25, 2019
The sun is between us and Mars now
So we can't see Mars in our night sky. But, more importantly for NASA, beginning this week, space engineers won't be able to risk sending commands to our fleet of spacecraft at Mars. What happens instead? Watch this video.
August 24, 2019
Wow! What if 1 in 4 sunlike stars has an Earth?
According to a new study by astronomers based on data from the Kepler Space Telescope, 1 in 4 sunlike stars should have a planet that's approximately Earth-sized, orbiting in the star's habitable zone.
August 23, 2019
Where does Mars’ methane come from? Not wind
On Earth, methane gas is often associated with microbial life. Scientists find methane in Mars' atmosphere, too. Could it be life-related? We still don't know, but a new study shows wind erosion is likely not the cause.
August 20, 2019
