5 hidden gems are riding aboard NASA's Perseverance rover

More than halfway to the Red Planet, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover isn't just shuttling sophisticated science instruments and tubes to be filled with Earth-bound rock samples. It's carrying symbols, mottos, and objects that ...

Chang'e 4: Why the moon's far side looks red in new images

The first ever images taken from the surface of the far side of the moon have been released following the Chinese National Space Administration's (CNSA) successful landing there. The lander Chang'e 4 and rover Yutu 2 follow ...

Looking to the moon to better measure climate change on Earth

When American astronaut Alfred Worden, who was the command module pilot for the Apollo 15 lunar mission in 1971, was asked what he was feeling at that time, he replied: "Now I know why I'm here. Not for a closer look at the ...

Mars rover Curiosity uses arm camera at night

(Phys.org)—NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has for the first time used the camera on its arm to take photos at night, illuminated by white lights and ultraviolet lights on the instrument.

Astronomers discover a new black hole in our galaxy

(Phys.org)—NASA's Swift satellite recently detected a rising tide of high-energy X-rays from a source toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The outburst, produced by a rare X-ray nova, announced the presence of a previously ...

Mars rover Curiosity's arm wields camera well

(Phys.org)—NASA's Mars rover Curiosity stepped through activities on Sept. 7, 8 and 9 designed to check and characterize precision movements by the rover's robotic arm and use of tools on the arm.