Space

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Astronaut Chris Hadfield Brings Lessons From Space Down To Earth

2:30pm October 31, 2013

The former International Space Station commander achieved Internet stardom with his in-space rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." After three missions and a total of six months in space he shares what he's learned in a new book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth.

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Science

How To See Forever On Your Dirty Car

12:15pm October 29, 2013

by Adam Frank

When you fall in love with science, ordinary, everyday stuff can suddenly seem extraordinary. That's how NPR Blogger and astrophysicist Adam Frank sees it — today he sees it in dust.

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This artist's illustration shows the Voyager 1 space probe. The spacecraft was launched on Sept. 5, 1977, and as of August 2012, it is outside the bubble of hot gas, known as the "heliopause," that radiates from the sun.

Science

See Ya, Voyager: Probe Has Finally Entered Interstellar Space

9:34pm September 12, 2013

by Richard Harris

"This is the real deal. Voyager 1 has finally reached interstellar space; the first time a spacecraft has been in the space between the stars," says one project scientist. Launched in 1977, the probe has been surveying the solar system.

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This image highlights the outer atmosphere of the sun, called the corona, as well as hot flare plasma. Hot active regions, solar flares and coronal mass ejections appear bright here. The dark areas, called coronal holes, are places where very little radia

Science

Coronal Holes: The (Rarely Round) Gaps In The Sun's Atmosphere

5:21pm September 10, 2013

by Joe Palca

Scientists aren't sure exactly why holes form in the hot and glowing outermost layer of gas surrounding the sun. But one theory is that the dark blotches we see on images of the sun could be the remnants of the (relatively) cool splotches called sunspots.

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Science

Physicists Find New Particle, Look for Answers

10:42am August 23, 2013

Researchers say that they've discovered a new subatomic particle - one that appears to contain four quarks bound together. Physicist Sean M. Carroll describes the significance of the find, and talks about the ongoing effort in physics to explain why the universe is the way it is.

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This NASA diagram shows the two Voyager spacecraft inside the magnetic bubble around the sun. But Marc Swisdak believes it's already crossed the heliopause into interstellar space.

Has Voyager 1 Left The Solar System?

2:52pm August 19, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

For the past decade or so, scientists have been waiting for the Voyager 1 spacecraft to cross into deep space. New research suggests it already has — over a year ago.

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Science

Black Holes One Of Space's Great Paradoxes

5:48pm August 07, 2013

by Joe Palca

Late summer tends to be a slow month for news. But at All Things Considered, we put on a two hour program, no matter what. So — without a trace of irony — one of our science correspondents offered to help fill some holes in the show with a series of stories about holes. In this edition: Black holes.

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The moon, seen from the International Space Station, on July 31.

One Small Step For Man, One Giant Lunar Park For The U.S.?

6:50pm July 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

Two members of Congress want to preserve artifacts from American lunar missions with a national park on the moon, but there are some international hurdles to jump. Still, Space Policy Institute director Dr. Scott Pace says the bill raises intriguing questions about what the future of human-space interaction will look like.

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This artist's illustration shows Pluto and one of its moons, Charon. A global consortium of astronomers sets the rules for naming things like asteroids and moons throughout the solar system.

Science

Why You Can't Name New Moons And Planets Anything You Want

12:38pm July 09, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

Pluto's two newest moons received their official names this week, and the name that led in the popular vote was Spock's home planet, Vulcan. But it was rejected by the international team of astronomers who must approve every title bestowed upon the universe.

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Remembering Astronaut Sally Ride's Historic Journey

1:55pm June 18, 2013

Thirty years ago Tuesday, Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space. She was aboard the shuttle Challenger. Less than three years later, it would explode on takeoff, killing seven crew members.

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