Deep space probes beyond Jupiter can't use solar power because they're too far from the sun. So they rely on a certain type of plutonium, plutonium-238. picked by kakana 7 months ago

Be a part of exploration -- one step, one "groove" at a time! Upload your photo and show friends and family your space moves! picked by bornbad 6 months ago

Space is typically thought of as a very quiet place. But one team of astronomers has found a strange cosmic noise that booms six times louder than expected.

The roar is from the distant cosmos. Nobody knows what causes it. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

What started as a science experiment to grow plants in space has blossomed into a drought-resistent, nutritionally rich tomato -- patent pending. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

The Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik I in 1957 is credited with launching the U.S. space program. In the past 20 years, the space shuttle has launched 3 million pounds of cargo, transported more than 600 passengers and pilots, cumulatively spent more than three years in flight, and logged more than 366 million miles. Here are some other interesting facts about the U.S. space program. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

The new cargo ship is poised to launch toward the station on Sept. 10 at 1:01 p.m. EDT (1701 GMT) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on a shakedown cruise. If all goes well, the inaugural spacecraft, called the H-2 Transfer Vehicle 1 (HTV-1), should arrive at the station on Sept. 17. picked by kakana 3 months ago

Dozens of Twitter members started tweeting their Space Shuttle photos. I learned it will be impossible for me to re-tweet them all. So I collected a bunch of photos from different Twitter members. Enjoy! picked by molnatisi 9 months ago

"None of the existing payment systems we use on earth could be used in space. Anything with sharp edges, like coins, would be a risk to astronauts while the chips and magnetic strips used in our cards on Earth would be damaged beyond repair by cosmic radiation". picked by DrNothing 2 years ago

A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a turbulent star-forming region, where rivers of gas and stellar winds are eroding thickets of dusty material. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

A small bat appears to be trying to hitch a ride aboard the space shuttle Discovery from its perch on the spacecraft's attached external tank as NASA counts down to a planned Sunday evening launch. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

A new image of a gaseous space nebula reveals tens of thousands of giant comet-like knots raining down in a star-spangled cosmic fireworks display.
The gorgeous photograph by Japan's Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, released this week, reveals fresh details about the aftermath of a star's death, but the origin of the knots remains a mystery. picked by kakana 5 months ago

Anousheh Ansari is currently a tourist at the ISS, having paid to fly up on a Soyuz. Her blog is very entertaining, providing a view of everyday life in space that you won't find on any NASA site. Space Adaptation Syndrome, for example, isn't much fun. But life on ISS is! picked by Fanatic 3 years ago

A thermonuclear explosion on a dead star has resulted in an expanding space bubble shaped like a peanut.

The unusual sight arose from an unstable pairing of two aged stars: a white dwarf and a red giant in the constellation of Ophiuchus, known collectively as RS Oph. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

Malaysian religious authorities are hopeful that the country's first astronaut will also become the first Muslim to fast in space when he blasts off next month during Ramadan. picked by 2manyusernames 2 years ago

This “Firefox logo” image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope picked by buddha 2 years ago

Astrium, the space systems arm of European aerospace company EADS, says it wants to build a four-passenger rocket-equipped jet to send space tourists to an altitude of 100 km (60 miles) above the earth for three minutes of weightlessness and a rare view of Earth's curvature. picked by DrNothing 2 years ago

The solution to the high cost of space travel involves launching a Reliant Robin--a 3-wheeled car with a pointy nose--on a 1/5 scale space shuttle. With predictable results. Take it from me, though, the amateur rocketry technology behind this launch is incredible,and the results are due to the short TV production schedule. (20 minutes, FF to 16:00 if you just want to see the outcome). picked by Fanatic 3 years ago

Brewed from barley cultivated in the International Space Station, courtesy of the Russian Academy of Science, a Japanese university and beer giant Sapporo. picked by tigertony 12 months ago

Highlighting the extreme weather conditions hitting Europe, space sensors aboard ESA's Envisat satellite have detected the worst floodwaters to hit Britain for 60 years and deadly fires raging through southern Europe. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

A gallery of hair-raising images from space picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago