National Geographic News: Space and Tech

SpaceX's Dragon Captured by Space Station—A First

Victoria Jaggard and Ker Than — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:25:52 -0400

Plucked from orbit by a robotic arm, the Dragon capsule is the first commercial craft to make contact with the orbiting laboratory.

SpaceX Launches for Space Station—Like "Winning the Super Bowl"

Ker Than — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:09:18 -0400

A Falcon 9 rocket sent an unmanned capsule into orbit on its way to rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Solar Eclipse 2012: How to See "Ring of Fire" May 20

Andrew Fazekas — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:23:52 -0400

A "time traveling" solar eclipse will turn the sun into a ring of fire over Asia and the U.S. West.

SpaceX Aborts Launch to Space Station

Ker Than — Sat, 19 May 2012 06:17:53 -0400

An engine problem caused the rocket to automatically abort seconds before liftoff. Mission managers now hope to try again Tuesday.

SpaceX to Launch First Private Craft to Space Station Tomorrow

Ker Than — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:43:16 -0400

Dragon is slated to become the first commercial craft to visit the International Space Station—and it should return with used gloves.

Approaching Asteroid May Get Close Enough to Smash Satellites

Richard A. Lovett — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:55:59 -0400

The newfound space rock 2012 DA14 will pass so close to Earth in February that it could hit a communications satellite, scientists say.

"Ring of Fire" Solar Eclipse Coming Sunday

Andrew Fazekas — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:41:26 -0400

A "time traveling" solar eclipse will soon turn the sun into a ring of fire for sky-watchers in parts of Asia and the U.S. West.

Hundreds of Superflares Seen on Sunlike Stars

Ker Than — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:19:36 -0400

But the new data from a NASA spacecraft cast doubt on a popular theory for what triggers the planet-roasting bursts of energy.

Sun Is Moving Slower Than Thought

Andrew Fazekas — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:51:20 -0400

New NASA data hint that our star is moving too slow to form a bow shock, a structure long thought to protect us from cosmic rays.

Light From a "Super Earth" Seen—A First

Brian Handwerk — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:37:24 -0400

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has proven it's possible to capture the infrared glow from relatively small alien worlds, a new study says.

Is Saturn Moon's Haze Old Enough for Life?

Victoria Jaggard — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:46:09 -0400

Saturn's largest moon may have only recently turned hazy, according to two new studies that could spell trouble for the chances of life.

Four White Dwarfs Found Eating Earthlike Planets

Rachel Kaufman — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:29:41 -0400

Four hungry white dwarfs have been found "snacking" on the shattered remains of Earthlike planets, a new study says.

Spermoon Tonight—Not a Threat to Earth

Andrew Fazekas — Sat, 05 May 2012 12:39:37 -0400

Despite disaster fears, "nothing particularly special" will happen during the year's closest full moon—except a great sky show, experts say.

New Jupiter Mission Will Be First to Target Alien Oceans

Brian Handwerk — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:34:11 -0400

A European space probe called JUICE will be the first mission dedicated to studying oceans on icy moons, scientists say.

Supermoon Coming Saturday—No Fears of Natural Disasters

Andrew Fazekas — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:24:49 -0400

Despite disaster fears, "nothing particularly special" will happen during the year's closest full moon—except a great sky show, experts say.

World's Oldest Blood Found in Famed "Iceman" Mummy

James Owen — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:19:16 -0400

Using new nanotech—which might be a boon to modern murder investigations—scientists find that Stone Age Ötzi "definitely" died quickly.

"Beautiful" New Particle Found at LHC

Ker Than — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:01:39 -0400

An atom-smashing experiment at the Large Hadron Collider has detected a new subatomic particle—and it's a beauty.

Huge "Structure" of Satellites Found Orbiting Milky Way

Ker Than — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:38:46 -0400

The unexpectedly tidy grouping of galaxies might spell trouble for theories of dark matter, its discoverers say.

Huge Spirals Found on Mars—Evidence of New Lava Type?

Brian Handwerk — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:39:42 -0400

Hundreds of giant coils suggest that volcanoes—not ice—shaped an area near the equator that's otherwise etched like elephant skin.

Auroras Pictured in HD From High-Flying Balloons

Ker Than — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:24:11 -0400

About a dozen balloons carrying HD cameras and science experiments took to the skies this month as part of a new study of auroras.

How Often Does Dark Matter Hit a Human?

Jason Major — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:21:49 -0400

The average human body gets hit by a particle of dark matter about once a minute, according to new calculations.

Lyrid Meteor Shower to Peak This Weekend; May Be Best in Years

Andrew Fazekas — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:49:37 -0400

A dark, moonless night should offer the best view in years for a sky show known to offer occasional surprises, an astronomer says.

Synthetic DNA Created, Evolves on Its Own

Christine Dell'Amore — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:27:36 -0400

Step aside, DNA—a new synthetic compound called XNA can not only transmit genetic information but also evolve, a new study says.

Dark Matter Is Missing in Sun's Neighborhood?

Ker Than — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:32:40 -0400

Based on the motions of nearby stars, the invisible substance isn't "where we needed it" to match current theories, a new study says.

Pluto Neighbor Gets Downsized

Ken Croswell — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:39:25 -0400

The remote object called Sedna is even smaller than Pluto's largest moon, new infrared observations reveal.