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Remembering the historic Rosetta space flight to a comet 10 years ago

The European-built robotic explorer orbited and landed on the chunk of ice and rock in 2014.
Images show the size difference between a supermoon (at left) and a mini-moon.

Lunar surface science literally hit-or-miss in 2024

But scientists expect more high profile attempts to land on the moon later this year.
New observations of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter have revealed that the planet’s atmosphere above and around the infamous storm is surprisingly interesting and active. This graphic shows the region observed by Webb — first its location on a NIRCam image of the whole planet (left), and the region itself (right), imaged by Webb’s Near-InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec).

New findings about Jupiter revolve around Great Red Spot

Data from James Webb Space Telescope adds to giant planet's mystery.
The Hubble Space Telescope in orbit in 1999, just after a servicing mission by astronauts.

Hubble will change how it points, but NASA says 'great science' will continue

Officials say they are shifting into a new way of pointing the telescope in order to work around a piece of hardware that’s become intolerably glitchy.
12P/Pons–Brooks is a Halley-type periodic comet with an orbital period of 71 years. It was discovered in 1812 and later recovered during passages in 1883 and 1954. It is expected to brighten to an apparent magnitude of 4.5 (visible to the naked eye) during its upcoming passage in April 2024.

The 'devil comet' is visible in the night sky, and is sticking around for the eclipse

A rarely-seen comet with a reputation for colorful flare-ups is once again visible from Earth.
Illustration of IM-1 lunar spacecraft.

South Pole moon landing sets up new exploration goals

Lunar scientists and engineers are facing the challenge of getting water from the surface.
A view of the outside of the OSIRIS-REx sample collector. Sample material from asteroid Bennu can be seen on the middle right. Scientists have found evidence of both carbon and water in initial analysis of this material. The bulk of the sample is located inside.

OSIRIS-REx brings home largest carbon rich sample

NASA revealed its preliminary findings Wednesday morning.
Illustration of Psyche spacecraft in orbit.

Psyche asteroid mission ready to launch

The latest flight to a space rock will explore an asteroid with an exposed metallic core.
The sample return capsule from Osiris REx after parachuting into the Utah desert.

The Buzz: OSIRIS-REx delivers its payload

The decades-running space mission dropped a sample from the asteroid Bennu Sunday, kicking off the next phase of the project.
The sample return capsule from Osiris REx after parachuting into the Utah desert.

OSIRIS-REx successfully returns sample capsule to Earth

The landing ended a seven year mission to the asteroid Bennu and back.
Illustration of Osiris REx sample return capsule re-entering Earth's atmosphere.

Osiris REx asteroid sample set for fast, fiery return to Earth

The mission's final stage will mark the end of a seven-year journey to Bennu and back.
Illustration shows NASA's Lucy spacecraft visiting multiple asteroids during a 12 year mission.

Why asteroids are the hottest objects for exploration in the solar system

Osiris REx is among a group of spacecraft aimed at discovering new information about space rocks.
Illustration of NASA's Psyche spacecraft approaching the asteroid 16 Psyche in 2029.

Launch date approaches for long-awaited mission to a metal-marked asteroid

NASA's Psyche spacecraft has ASU ties.
Rocks collected from the Moon by astronauts on the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. The rocks are on display in the Lunar Lab at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Latest race to the moon sparks interest for Arizona lunar scientists

They say the next exploration missions will focus on detecting and collecting natural resources.
Mission medical officer Eiman Jahangir enters the Space Analog for the Moon and Mars as mission communications officer and accessibility officer Sheri Wells-Jensen walks up to the habitat at Biosphere 2 in north Tucson on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Jahangir is a two-time NASA astronaut candidate finalist.

Four-person crew sealed into pressurized habitat to learn about space living

The crew will be locked in for six days.
Illustration shows the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule upon landing in the Utah desert.

OSIRIS-REx zeroes in on September return to Earth

The space explorer will drop off a capsule containing material collected from Bennu.

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