In this illustration, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft approaches its far off destination, the Pluto system. Today marks the 80th anniversary of Pluto’s discovery, and New Horizons just a month ago marked its 4th year in space. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute (NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI) photo True Plutophiles are likely already aware of this, but today marks the 80th anniversary of Clyde Tombaugh's discovery...

I’m old enough to remember when, on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would land an American on the Moon by the end of the decade. The 1960s were difficult years, with the assassinations of President Kennedy and his brother Robert as well as the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The turmoil continued with race riots in many major cities and, of course, a seemingly endless war in Vietnam. Nonetheless, as President...

The Hubble test telescope Karri Ferron phot o Last week, I took a little vacation to Washington, D.C., figuring I’d leave life at Astronomy behind for a few days. I have some friends who live in or near the district who I hadn’t seen in awhile. They couldn’t believe upon my arrival that I had actually never stepped foot in D.C. before. (“You shouldn’t be allowed to live outside the country before you visit our nation’s capital.” Oops!) So some sightseeing...

This could be in your house, if you have about $29 million to spare. And an enormous living room. NASA photo What do you get that person who has everything? The kind of person it’s always tough to shop for because anything he wants, he gets? Well, if you have a few dozen million lying around, you might be able to get a memorable, only-three-of-a-kind gift: a NASA space shuttle! Because the 30-year-old spaceships will stop flying after this fall, NASA...

The cradle used to hold Hubble in the shuttle’s cargo bay during the last servicing mission now resides in a clean room at Goddard Space Flight Center. Richard Talcott photo Over the past 2 decades at Astronomy magazine, I’ve had the pleasure to report on the Hubble Space Telescope and its findings in dozens of feature articles and news stories. So imagine my thrill when I was invited to see some of the final equipment used to service Hubble this...

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has discovered five new planets orbiting stars beyond the Sun in its first 6 weeks of science observations. The planets — designated Kepler 4b, 5b, 6b, 7b, and 8b — orbit their host stars in periods ranging from 3.2 to 4.9 days. All are significantly larger than Earth and have surface temperatures hotter than molten lava. The smallest planet, Kepler 4b, is about the size of Neptune. But Kepler 7b is the strangest: It has a...

Apparently, this really could be you! Enter via web site (or even text your way in) to the reality show Starwalker , and if you win you’ll find yourself in space. Make sure not to forget your camera. NASA photo Almost a month ago now, I wrote about the upcoming reality show Starwalker , in which the winners would become real-life, space-faring astronauts. If, that was, the show was legit, and it really would happen. As you may recall, I was somewhat...

NASA celebrated the successful launch of its Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, yesterday morning. But why launch from a base in California rather than the old standby, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida? The main reason is that the WISE telescope requires a polar orbit so it can benefit from constant sunlight and the power it provides. Vandenberg works well for such missions because...

If you’re a community or junior college student with an interest in science, technology, engineering, or math, NASA is offering you a great opportunity with a new semester-long scholars program. Students who apply and are chosen for the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program will interact with NASA engineers and each other as they learn more about careers in science and engineering. Program participants will form teams and establish...

This could be you, if the upcoming reality show Starwalker goes through with its plans to send two winners into orbit. NASA photo Reality shows have been promising to transform people for almost a decade now, whether it's into a millionaire, a married person, a beautiful person, or someone smarter than a fifth grader. But soon a TV show may document a group of people jockeying for what may be the grandest transformation of all: becoming an actual...