With so much attention now on the rovers and spacecraft at Mars, Saturn, Ceres, comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and, soon, Pluto, it may seem like Earth’s closest planetary neighbor Venus has been forgotten again. But no, Venus is still very much on the minds of researchers who are busy developing a concept airplane which could cruise for years in the hellish planet’s atmosphere.
The search for, and discovery of, exoplanets orbiting other stars has become a full-fledged endeavour in recent years, with thousands found so far and more being discovered practically every week. Now, NASA wants to take it a big step further by establishing a coalition of research groups and disciplines tasked specifically with this purpose.
Read MoreNew NASA NExSS coalition to lead search for life on distant exoplanets
In its continuing progress towards returning American astronauts to space, NASA has announced a new $23.3 million contract for the design of advanced boosters for the Space Launch System (SLS). The SLS heavy-lift rocket will be used to launch the manned Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle spacecraft into space, taking astronauts back to the Moon and even beyond.
Read MoreNASA announces new booster contract for Space Launch System and Orion
The prospect of when, or even if, NASA astronauts will return to the Moon has been a subject of much debate in recent years. Some experts see it as a necessary stepping stone before future Mars missions. Others see it as a case of “been there, done that.”
All these worlds are yours except Europa Attempt no landing there Use them together use them in peace Despite that famous cryptic warning in the …