Articles written by Marcia Dunn
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Jupiter's moon count jumps to 92, most in solar system
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered 12 new moons around Jupiter, putting the total count at a record-breaking 92. That's more than any other planet in our solar system. Saturn, the one-time leader, comes in a close second with 8...
Old NASA satellite falling from sky this weekend, low threat
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A 38-year-old retired NASA satellite is about to fall from the sky. NASA said Friday the chance of wreckage falling on anybody is "very low." Most of the 5,400-pound (2,450-kilogram) satellite will burn up upon reentry,...
Mars rover captures 1st sound of dust devil on red planet
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — What's a dust devil sound like on Mars? A NASA rover by chance had its microphone on when a whirling tower of red dust passed directly overhead, recording the racket. It's about 10 seconds of not only rumbling gusts of...
Japanese company's lander rockets toward moon with UAE rover
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A Tokyo company aimed for the moon with its own private lander Sunday, blasting off atop a SpaceX rocket with the United Arab Emirates' first lunar rover and a toylike robot from Japan that's designed to roll around up t...
NASA capsule on way to moon after launch by giant new rocket
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A space capsule hurtled toward the moon Wednesday for the first time in 50 years, following a thunderous launch of NASA's mightiest rocket in a dress rehearsal for astronaut flights. No one was on board this debut flight...
Section of destroyed shuttle Challenger found on ocean floor
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A large section of the destroyed space shuttle Challenger has been found buried in sand at the bottom of the Atlantic, more than three decades after the tragedy that killed a schoolteacher and six others. NASA's Kennedy...
First Native American woman in space awed by Mother Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first Native American woman in space said Wednesday she is overwhelmed by the beauty and delicacy of Mother Earth, and is channeling "positive energy" as her five-month mission gets underway. NASA astronaut Nicole...
Smashing success: NASA asteroid strike results in big nudge
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away succeeded in shifting its orbit, NASA said Tuesday in announcing the results of its save-the-world test. The space agency attempted the...
Bezos rocket crashes after liftoff, only experiments aboard
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket crashed back to Earth shortly after liftoff Monday in the first launch accident for Jeff Bezos' space travel company, but the capsule carrying experiments managed to parachute to safety. No one was aboard the...
Leak ruins NASA moon rocket launch bid; next try weeks away
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's new moon rocket sprang another dangerous fuel leak Saturday, forcing launch controllers to call off their second attempt this week to send a crew capsule into lunar orbit with test dummies. The inaugural flight is...
EXPLAINER: NASA tests new moon rocket, 50 years after Apollo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA's new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top. The 322-foot rocket will attempt to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar orbit. If all goes well,... Full story
Russia to drop out of International Space Station after 2024
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia will pull out of the International Space Station after 2024 and focus on building its own orbiting outpost, the country's new space chief said Tuesday amid high tensions between Moscow and the West over the fighting in...
SpaceX launches 3 visitors to space station for $55M each
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX has launched three rich businessmen and their astronaut escort to the International Space Station for more than a week's stay. It is SpaceX's first private charter flight to the orbiting lab after two years of...
Twinkle, twinkle giant star, astronomers see how far you are
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered the farthest star yet, a super-hot, super-bright giant that formed nearly 13 billion years ago at the dawn of the cosmos. But this luminous blue star is long gone, so massive that it almost...
SpaceX satellites falling out of orbit after solar storm
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX's newest fleet of satellites is tumbling out of orbit after being struck by a solar storm. Up to 40 of the 49 small satellites launched last week have either reentered the atmosphere and burned up, or are on the v...
New space telescope reaches final stop million miles out
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The world's biggest, most powerful space telescope arrived at its observation post 1 million miles from Earth on Monday, a month after it lifted off on a quest to behold the dawn of the universe. On command, the James...
Russian test blamed for space junk threatening space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A Russian weapons test created more than 1,500 pieces of space junk that is now threatening the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station, U.S. officials said Monday. The State Department confirmed that the...
SpaceX aims for night crew launch; ailing astronaut now OK
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX counted down Wednesday toward a nighttime launch of four astronauts who have been grounded for nearly two weeks by weather and medical delays. The Falcon rocket was poised to blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space...
Space station supplies launched with a pizza delivery for 7
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Northrop Grumman's latest space station delivery includes pizza for seven. The company's Cygnus cargo ship rocketed away from Virginia's eastern shore Tuesday. It should reach the International Space Station on...
Jeff Bezos blasts into space on own rocket: 'Best day ever!'
VAN HORN, Texas (AP) — Jeff Bezos blasted into space Tuesday on his rocket company's first flight with people on board, becoming the second billionaire in just over a week to ride his own spacecraft. The Amazon founder was accompanied by a...
Jeff Bezos will blast into space on rocket's 1st crew flight
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Outdoing his fellow billionaires in daredevilry, Jeff Bezos will blast into space next month when his Blue Origin company makes its first flight with a crew. The 57-year-old Amazon founder and richest person in the world...
Navigation error sends NASA's Mars helicopter on wild ride
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A navigation timing error sent NASA's little Mars helicopter on a wild, lurching ride, its first major problem since it took to the Martian skies last month. The experimental helicopter, named Ingenuity, managed to land...
Cosmic 2-for-1: Total lunar eclipse combines with supermoon
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years coincides with a supermoon this week for quite a cosmic show. This super "blood" moon will be visible Wednesday across the Pacific — offering the best viewing ...
NASA spacecraft begins 2-year trip home with asteroid rubble
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — With rubble from an asteroid tucked inside, a NASA spacecraft fired its engines and began the long journey back to Earth on Monday, leaving the ancient space rock in its rearview mirror. The trip home for the robotic pro...
SpaceX capsule departs station with 4 astronauts, heads home
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts departed the International Space Station late Saturday, aiming for a rare nighttime splashdown to end the company's second crew flight. It would be the first U.S. splashdown in...
