Lava World, Warp Drive & More
Last week astronomers discovered a scorching-hot "lava world,” warp drive could become a reality with quantum-thruster physics and an astronaut aboard the ISS captured video of an UFO.
FIRST STOP: On Strange Lava Planet and Iron World, 'Years' Take Only Hours
On Strange Lava Planet and Iron World, 'Years' Take Only Hours
Astronomers have discovered a scorching-hot "lava world" whose year lasts just 8.5 hours and determined that another planet candidate with an even tighter orbit is likely composed almost entirely of iron. [Full Story]
NEXT: Mars Rover Opportunity Reaches Campsite for Martian Winter
Mars Rover Opportunity Reaches Campsite for Martian Winter
NASA's long-lived Opportunity Mars rover has reached the site where it will wait out its sixth Red Planet winter. [Full Story]
NEXT: NASA's New Astronaut Class, the '8 Balls,' Reports for Training
NASA's New Astronaut Class, the '8 Balls,' Reports for Training
On Tuesday (Aug. 20), NASA’s new astronaut class — nicknamed the "Eight Balls" — were formally welcomed to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they're set to begin two years of basic training. [Full Story]
NEXT: Stars' Twinkling Light Reveals Gravity Strength
Stars' Twinkling Light Reveals Gravity Strength
A star’s gravity is linked to variations in its brightness, a new study of observations from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft reveals. The discovery may yield a new way to determine star gravity. [Full Story]
NEXT: Engage! Warp Drive Could Become Reality with Quantum-Thruster Physics
Engage! Warp Drive Could Become Reality with Quantum-Thruster Physics
Warp drive technology, a form of "faster than light" travel popularized by TV's "Star Trek," could be bolstered by the physics of quantum thrusters — another science fiction idea made plausible by modern science. [Full Story]
NEXT: New Telescope Tech Takes Sharpest Night Sky Photos Ever
New Telescope Tech Takes Sharpest Night Sky Photos Ever
Astronomers have taken the sharpest-ever photos of the night sky in visible light, with the aid of a new camera and "adaptive optics" system that cancels out the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere. [Full Story]
NEXT: Sun Unleashes Another Solar Storm Aimed at Earth
Sun Unleashes Another Solar Storm Aimed at Earth
The sun unleashed a powerful solar storm at Earth Wednesday (Aug. 21), the second sun eruption in two days. See what the coronal mass ejection means for Earth here. [Full Story]
NEXT: Incredible Technology: How to Make Reusable Rockets for Cheap Space Travel
Incredible Technology: How to Make Reusable Rockets for Cheap Space Travel
The aerospace industry has long sought to build a fully reusable rocket launch system for cheap access to space. What does it take to create one? [Full Story]
NEXT: Is China's Space Program Shaping a Celestial Empire?
Is China's Space Program Shaping a Celestial Empire?
China is pressing forward on its human space exploration plans, intent on establishing an international space station and, experts say, harnessing the technological muscle to send its astronauts to the moon. [Full Story]
NEXT: Astronaut Sees 'UFO' Near Space Station (Video)
Astronaut Sees 'UFO' Near Space Station (Video)
When an unidentified flying object floats by the International Space Station, astronauts are going to notice. NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy captured a video of an 'unidentified object' near the space station on Aug. 19. See it here. [Full Story]
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