The globe of Saturn, seen here in natural color, is reminiscent of a holiday ornament in this wide-angle view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute) PASADENA, Calif. -- A NASA spacecraft has sent holiday greetings from the outer solar space. The space agency on Monday released dazzling new images of the ringed planet Saturn and its moons. The Cassini spacecraft took the pictures earlier this year. The southern hemisphere of Saturn. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute) (MORE: ) Saturn resembled an...

NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio stands on the International Space Station's robotic arm during an urgent spacewalk to fix the station's vital cooling system. (NASA TV) Two astronauts on the International Space Station are set for a Christmas Eve spacewalk. NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins will don their spacesuits and float out into the weightless wonderland of space for another spacewalk to repair the orbiting outpost's critical cooling system Tuesday. This EVA (extra-vehicular activity, or spacewalk) is the second...

Astronaut Michael Hopkins worked to repair an external cooling Dec. 21, 2013 on the International Space Station on a spacewalk 260 miles above Earth. The external cooling line — one of two — shut down Dec. 11. The six-man crew had to turn off all nonessential equipment, including experiments. (AP Photo/NASA) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space station astronauts repaired a crippled cooling system during a rare Christmas Eve spacewalk Tuesday, braving a "mini blizzard" of noxious ammonia as they popped...

China’s Chang’e 3 robotic landing on the moon has helped spur a political crusade in the United States to more aggressively explore and utilize the moon. At the heart of the campaign is the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), a group chartered by NASA Headquarters to assist in planning the scientific exploration of the moon. LEAG is organizing a letter writing campaign to Congress to underscore the importance of . (MORE: ) The LEAG scripted strategy is being orchestrated under...

Midwesterners enjoying a little post-Christmas downtime outdoors on December 26th got a big surprise when a huge fireball—an extremely bright meteor—streaked through the sky around nightfall (around 5:30 p.m CST). Witnesses described seeing a flaming green ball as bright as the sun shoot across the sky before fragmenting and disappearing on Thursday night. Some even reported several delayed sonic booms and other sonic effects. (MORE: ) The American Meteor Society says it has of meteor sightings in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa,...

The Most Amazing Alien Planet Discoveries of 2013 Data from NASA's Kepler mission finds evidence for at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy. Image released January 3, 2013. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) While astronomers didn't bag that elusive first "alien Earth" in 2013, they made plenty of exciting exoplanet discoveries during the past year. Click through to see a list of the top finds of 2013, from a tiny world about the size of Earth's moon to a blue gas giant on...

(Bryan Versteeg/Mars One) Mars One announced Monday (Dec. 30) that it has picked 1,058 aspiring spaceflyers to move on to the next round in its search for the first humans to live and die on the Red Planet. The Netherlands-based nonprofit wants to start launching groups of four to Mars by 2023, with the long-term goal of creating the first permanent settlement on Mars. More than 200,000 people applied for a spot on Mars One's list of future colonists by...

In August 2014, the ESA's Rosetta Spacecraft will rendezvous with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and deploy its Philae lander, as seen in this artist's impression. (ESA–C. Carreau/ATG medialab) From a Chinese rover on the moon and new spacecraft orbiting Mars, to private spaceships and the most powerful digital camera ever built, space will be practically buzzing with human activities in 2014. Here are some of the things to look out for when you're looking up next year: New arrivals at Mars Mars...

(Dan Wilcox) OTTAWA, CANADA — Scientists, engineers and legions of volunteers have worked hard to make a mock Mars habitat in Utah as realistic as possible. The (MDRS), which is run by the nonprofit Mars Society, aims to help humanity prepare for the rigors and challenges of life on the Red Planet. It was designed in line with Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin's "Mars Direct" settlement approach, which sees crews living off the land as much as possible, MDRS director...

(Andrew Kwon) Jupiter will reign as king of the night sky on Sunday (Jan. 5), visible all night long as it reaches opposition. This means that, in Earth's sky, . As the sun sets in the west, Jupiter will rise in the east. Jupiter sets in the west just as the sun is rising in the east. Because we are only two weeks past the winter solstice, the shortest day in the year, this means that Jupiter will be above...

This NASA view combines two images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured on Jan. 7, 2014. Together, the images show the location of a giant sunspot group on the sun, and the position of an X-class flare that erupted at 1:32 p.m. EST. (NASA/SDO) Tuesday's massive solar flare has forced the commercial spaceflight company Orbital Sciences to postpone the planned launch of a private cargo mission to the International Space Station today. Read the full story here: A massive solar...

Liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour Billows of smoke and steam infused with the fiery light from space shuttle Endeavour's launch on the STS-127 mission fill NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. Endeavour lifted off on the mission's sixth launch attempt, on July 15, 2009 at 6:03 p.m. EDT. NASA and White House officials have announced plans to keep the International Space Station running through at least 2024 — a four-year life extension for the largest spacecraft ever built. The...