Space

World's first public space telescope gets Kickstarter goal

The tale of the Arkyd telescope is like that of the "little engine that could."

What seemed like a difficult task -- raising $1 million from a Kickstarter campaign to launch the world's first public space telescope -- was overcome on Monday as the crowdfunding goal was met with more than $1.5 million in pledges.

Not only did asteroid mining company Planetary Resources achieve its goal, it surpassed it, which means that the extra money can be used to add even more features to the telescope.

More than 17,600 people backed the Kickstarter campaign -- … Read more

Pocket Spacecraft hopes to launch personalized moon missions

Chances are, most of us will never have the opportunity to walk on the moon, but we might have the opportunity to send a tiny spacecraft in our stead. A Kickstarter project from Pocket Spacecraft wants to launch a moon mission full of personalized space gadgets that would report back to their Earth-bound owners.

Pocket Spacecraft is attempting to raise $440,000 to build out a whole fleet of its tiny spacecraft (called Scouts) and invest in an Interplanetary CubeSat Mothership to transport the little tykes to the lunar surface.… Read more

Moon-walker Buzz Aldrin sets his sights on Mars

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Astronaut Buzz Aldrin says he's not very good at handling his personal finances, but he knows the ability to pay for things while in space is an important part of getting humans on Mars.

When asked about his role in PayPal's new galactic money transfers initiative, announced Thursday, Aldrin said he's not taking an active role because he's leaving problems associated with financing and transactions to the experts.

"I probably didn't do too well in those subjects -- my bank account kind of reflects that -- but I do think … Read more

35 years later, Voyager nears our solar system's boundary

It took 35 years but Voyager 1 is about to cross the boundary from our solar system into interstellar space.

New data revealed today in the journal Science suggest that the craft is now more than 11 billion miles from the sun.

The big moment is still in the offing -- there have been previous false reports -- but this time scientists believe that it is only a matter of time before the spacecraft leaves the region around our sun known as the heliosphere and enters interstellar space. Three papers described the elevated presence of charged particles from outside the … Read more

PayPal says outer space is its next frontier

Space architect John Spencer has a grand vision for the future of space travel -- one with luxury space yachts and hotels, and dune buggy racing on the moon.

It's all going to happen in the "not too distant future," the founder of the Space Tourism Society told CNET recently.

"The more people who go, the more diversity, the more things you can do -- the more they need to buy goods and services," he said. "It's limited to what they can do now because of the cost and limited time on board … Read more

Chatty Japanese robot to be astronaut's space buddy

Astronauts and robot sidekicks go together like Dave and HAL 9000, like Will Robinson and B9, like Doctor Who and K9. Soon, that illustrious list will grow longer with the addition of a Japanese astronaut and Kirobo, a conversational robot companion.

Kirobo looks like a cross between Astro Boy and a Power Ranger, all rendered in miniature. Since the bot's job is to be a companion, not a worker. It's very compact in size, just 13 inches tall and a little over 2 pounds in weight.… Read more

Space Shuttle Atlantis on display at new NASA exhibit

After 33 missions into space over a 30-year career, NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis has found a permanent base close to home. The shuttle is part of a new $100 million visitor center exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex which will immerse visitors in the experience of space travel.

The exhibit opens June 29 and will weave first-hand accounts from astronauts and flight engineers, along with the history of NASA, into 60 interactive displays. The displays will touch on everything from launches and orbits to how a space station is assembled.

But the centerpiece of the exhibit is Atlantis. Visitors will able to get an up-close, 360-degree view of one of the world's first reusable spacecraft. Robert Z. Pearlman of collectSpace.com recently toured the exhibit during a preview of the grand opening this week.… Read more

Hark! Three habitable planets found in our neighborhood

A team of scientists has discovered three potentially habitable planets in an area just beyond our solar system's back yard.

According to a press release by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) today, the astronomers found a group of six planets in the vicinity of a star known as Gliese 667C, at least three of which were termed "super-Earths" because conditions could support liquid water. … Read more

Supermoon captured by photo enthusiasts worldwide

Over the weekend we got as close to our moon as we'll be for the next 14 months. The resulting perigee full "supermoon" appeared 13 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than normal, turning many amateur and pro photographers nocturnal over the past few nights.

While some news outlets in places like the Philippines reported that the monster moon did wreak some minor havoc with the tides, it didn't bring on the apocalyptic natural disasters that are sometimes predicted each time our satellite gets a little too close for the comfort of the more paranoid among … Read more

Don't try shaking this robot ape off your car

Here's something I would totally sic my BigDog on, were I lucky enough to own one: a robot ape that can walk around on four legs and may one day stand up on two.

Researchers at Germany's DFKI, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, have been working on what they call the iStruct Demonstrator.

Its purpose is unclear, but with backing from Germany's Space Agency and its application being described as "space robotics," I can only speculate. Planet of the robot apes, perhaps? … Read more