China launches module for space station
BEIJING (AP) — China launched an experimental module to lay the groundwork for a future space station on Thursday, underscoring its ambitions to become a major space power. The box car-sized Tiangong-1 module was shot into space from the Jiuquan…
Earth to satellite: When will you hit and where?
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA scientists are doing their best to tell us where a plummeting six-ton satellite will fall later this week. It’s just that if they’re off a little bit, it could mean the difference between hitting…
Not just science fiction: Planet orbits 2 suns
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Astronomers say a bit of science fiction is now reality. They’ve spotted a planet orbiting two suns. The discovery was made by NASA’s planet-hunting telescope Kepler. Scientists describe the find in Friday’s issue of the…
Officials say beaver teeth are 7 million years old
ALBANY, Ore. (AP) — The Bureau of Land Management says a fossil found by employees on federal land represents the earliest record of living beavers in North America. The pair of teeth was found on BLM land in northeast Oregon….
Arctic sea ice shrinks to second lowest level
WASHINGTON (AP) — Arctic sea ice melted this summer to the second lowest level since record-keeping began more than 50 years ago, scientists reported Thursday, mostly blaming global warming. “This is not a random event,” said oceanographer James Overland of…
Researchers pay for Alaska sea lion intrusion
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A science consortium has agreed to a civil penalty of $9,000 for intruding into Alaska waters that were declared off-limits to protect endangered Steller sea lions. But an attorney for the group, which included participants from…
Disasters in US: An extreme and exhausting year
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nature is pummeling the United States this year with extremes. Unprecedented triple-digit heat and devastating drought. Deadly tornadoes leveling towns. Massive rivers overflowing. A billion-dollar blizzard. And now, unusual hurricane-caused flooding in Vermont. If what’s falling from…
NASA launching twin moon probes to measure gravity
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four decades after landing men on the moon, NASA is returning to Earth’s orbiting companion, this time with a set of robotic twins that will measure lunar gravity while chasing one another in circles. By…
Mars rover Opportunity studying new surroundings
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Mars rover Opportunity is snapping pictures like a tourist since arriving at its latest crater destination, much to the delight of scientists many millions of miles away. The solar-powered workhorse beamed back images of the…
Space station may be evacuated by late November
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronauts may need to temporarily abandon the International Space Station this fall if last week’s Russian launch accident prevents new crews from flying, a NASA official said Monday. If Russia’s essential Soyuz rockets remain grounded…
