Impossible Propulsion, Hundreds of Geysers and More
Last week scientists spotted 101 geysers on Saturn's moon, thought about the possibilities of an 'impossible' space propulsion and more. See the best stories from the week here.
FIRST STOP: Want to Colonize an Alien Planet? Send 40,000 People
Want to Colonize an Alien Planet? Send 40,000 People
July 28 - The founding population of an interstellar colony should consist of 20,000 to 40,000 people, one expert says. Such a large group would possess a great deal of genetic and demographic diversity, giving the settlement the best chance of survival.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Russia Restores Contact with Gecko-Filled Space Capsule
Huge European Cargo Ship Launches Its Last Delivery Flight to Space Station
July 29 - An unmanned European cargo vessel has launched toward the International Space Station for the last time.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Vintage NASA Spacecraft to Tackle Interplanetary Science
NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity Breaks Off-World Driving Record
July 28 - NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has now driven farther on the surface of another world than any vehicle in history, space agency officials announced today (July 28).
[Full Story]
NEXT: 101 Geysers Spotted on Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus
101 Geysers Spotted on Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus
July 29 - The icy Saturn moon Enceladus sports at least 101 geysers, which reach all the way down to the satellite's subsurface ocean, new research suggests.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Huge Solar Storm of 2012 Would Have Sparked Calamity on Earth
Huge Solar Storm of 2012 Would Have Sparked Calamity on Earth
July 29 - If a huge solar eruption in 2012 had hit the Earth, the effects would have been so devastating that we'd still be recovering two years later, scientists working on several new studies conclude.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Huge European Cargo Ship Launches Its Last Delivery Flight to Space Station
Russia Restores Contact with Gecko-Filled Space Capsule
July 28 - Russian space officials say they've re-established contact with a capsule carrying geckos on a mission to mate in orbit. The spacecraft was feared to be in trouble after it stopped responding to commands from the ground.
[Full Story]
NEXT: NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity Breaks Off-World Driving Record
Vintage NASA Spacecraft to Tackle Interplanetary Science
July 30 - A private team is priming a 36-year-old NASA spacecraft to perform new science as it travels through interplanetary space after attempts to move the probe into a position closer to Earth failed.
[Full Story]
NEXT: How the Moon Got Its Lemon Shape
How the Moon Got Its Lemon Shape
July 30 - The moon’s slightly flattened shape is a result of tidal and rotational forces acting on the body shortly after it formed, a new study reports.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Early Earth: A Battered, Hellish World with Water Oases for Life
Early Earth: A Battered, Hellish World with Water Oases for Life
July 30 - Cosmic bombardment of Earth's surface melted rocks and dramatically altered its surface, researchers say.
[Full Story]
NEXT: NASA Prepping Mars Probes, Rovers for Close Comet Flyby
NASA Prepping Mars Probes, Rovers for Close Comet Flyby
July 31 - NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) is closing in on the Red Planet. At the same time, an interloper, comet Siding Spring, is also approaching.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Going Nova: Star Explosions Unleash Gamma-Ray Blasts
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