Despite decades of space-based observations of the Sun, scientists still struggle to make precise predictions of the solar wind.
Space & Planets
Posted inNews
Hearing Sparks Concerns About Planetary Science Funding
Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle questioned the administration's proposed cuts and whether support for future missions would be adequate.
Posted inNews
Comet Lander Makes a Hard Discovery
The Philae probe, dropped onto a comet by the Rosetta spacecraft, has made contact with a surface thought too hard to be on a comet and has detected a few organic molecules new to comet exploration.
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Pluto Image Shows First Picture of Its Atmosphere
Scientists are amazed by new images that show Pluto's atmosphere and diverse geology.
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Scientists Find "Close Cousin" of Earth
The Kepler space telescope spots a planet in a solar system 1400 light years away that closely resembles Earth in its size, distance from its star, and the type of star it orbits.
Posted inOpinions
Craters Could Make Great Impacts on Mars Exploration
Future robotic missions to Mars hoping to peer beneath its surface in search of signs of life should target recent impact craters, where falling meteorites have done the drilling for them.
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Pluto's Moons Nix and Hydra Show Their Faces
When the New Horizons spacecraft photographed Pluto last week, it snapped the most revealing images yet of two little-known moons of the dwarf planet.
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New Pluto Image Reveals Young Icy Plain
The mottled plain offers additional evidence that Pluto's surface is geologically young—and possibly still active.
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"Amazing" Activity Evident on Pluto's Surface
Scientists struggle to explain perplexing features revealed by the first close-up of the icy body's surface.
Posted inNews
Long-Traveled Spacecraft Buzzes Pluto in Close Flyby
Successful flyby of Pluto completes the first era of planetary reconnaissance, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden says.