Space & Astronomy News

Smithsonian Rolls Out Red Carpet for Hubble 3D Premiere
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Tuesday for the world premiere of the Hubble 3D IMAX film. read more...

Air Force to Test New Hypersonic Aircraft
The U.S. Air Force is gearing up for the first of four planned test flights of a hypersonic aircraft designed to operate for much longer durations and cover far greater distances than previous platforms of its type. read more...

Warp Speed Will Kill You
Harmless interstellar hydrogen becomes deadly ionized radiation that would fry the crew and electronics of starships traveling near light speed, according to a physicist. read more...

Just One Hitch in Choosing China's First Women Astronauts
China has selected two female pilots as its first women astronauts, but they had to pass the marriage test first. read more...

Lord of the Rings in Opposition
Saturn will be in opposition on Monday March 22 and visible all night. read more...

Einstein Was Right: General Relativity Confirmed
Score one more for Einstein. A new study has confirmed his theory of general relativity works on extremely large scales. read more...

SpaceX Aborts Test Firing of New Rocket's Engines
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) aborted the Falcon 9 rocket's first static fire test March 9. read more...

Fastest Orbiting Stars Circle Each Other in Mere Minutes
Astronomers have reported the fastest known orbiting pair of stars ever known, a finding that challenges binary star formation models and could help uncover elusive gravitational waves. read more...

NASA: Space Shuttles Could Fly Longer With Extra Funds
NASA could continue to fly space shuttles beyond their planned 2010 retirement if given more money, the shuttle program chief said. read more...

Virgin Galactic Applauds Legal Protection Against Space Tourist Lawsuits
Virgin Galactic President Will Whitehorn applauded New Mexico legislation reducing the risk of industry-crippling lawsuits against space tourism companies. read more...

Buzz Aldrin Gears Up For 'Dancing with the Stars'
Buzz Aldrin, 80-year-old veteran of the Apollo 11 moon landing, is gearing up to compete in the new season of TV's Dancing With the Stars. read more...

China Targets More Space Program Firsts
The leaders of China's human spaceflight endeavors say 2011 is shaping up to be the most ambitious year in the history of the country's space program. read more...

Obama To Discuss Space Plan in Florida
U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Florida April 15 to discuss the impact of his administration's new vision for human spaceflight, the White House announced March 7. read more...

Space Station Wins Prestigious Collier Trophy
The International Space Station Program has won the prestigious 2009 Collier Trophy. read more...