For the first time in a generation, NASA has a new rocket waiting for launch time. Weather is now the only thing holding back the launch of the Ares I-X rocket. NASA's first flight test of its Ares I-X booster rocket is only slated to last two minutes. Cloudy skies are holding up the test launch of NASA's newest rocket. NASA has until noon to get the experimental Ares I-X flight going.

A large asteroid, impacting the world and leading to global catastrophe killed the dinosaurs. Since movies like Armageddon and Deep Impact, as well as documentaries on the Discovery Channel and other networks have been aired, people are more aware of the possibility of a "global killer" ending life on Earth. Tonight, we will experience a near-miss.

University of Leicester researchers have taken a step forward in helping to create a defence for earth's technologies –from the constant threat of space weather.

A telescope designed by a University of Miami physicist and an international team of collaborators has produced the clearest images of starburst galaxies, revealing a new picture of the universe in its early stages

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) is attempting in many ways to be more transparent, using interactive projects to re-engage the older generation in the new aims of the space program, and appeal to newer generations who missed the first space race.

In the first test of planetary protection technology, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) swabbed their space-walking gear for microbes, using the "Lab-On-A-Chip Application Development Portable Test System" (LOCAD-PTS), a compact biological laboratory designed for use in space. Such tools will be further developed and refined to prevent humanity from contaminating other planets.

Space Shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station this week, bringing with it the final American-made components: a $300 million set of solar arrays.

Four students sent a weather balloon into Earth’s stratosphere, successfully taking atmospheric readings and amazing photographs from 20 miles up.

As part of NASA’s plan to revisit the Moon, Marshall Space Flight Center Engineers oversaw the freefall test of a 50,000-pound simulated rocket booster on the Arizona desert by U.S. Air Force test pilots. The Ares booster recovery parachute system successfully stopped the jettisoned booster from crashing. Testing for all components will continue throughout 2009, each with greater payload weight.

The Russian Institute of Medical and Biological Problems (IMBP), in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), have selected six individuals to simulate space flight to the planet Mars. Scientists arranged to copy all conditions that can be imitated on Earth, such as finite food and water resources, an artificial atmosphere, and even time delays in communications to mimic the radio lag between Mars and Earth.

XMM-Newton has caught the fading glow of a tiny celestial object, revealing its rotation rate for the first time. The new information confirms this particular object as one of an extremely rare class of stellar zombie – each one the dead heart of a star that refuses to die.

Two mechanisms have been commonly described which allow us to locate objects in space. Direct perception occurs when we see, hear or feel an object; by directly looking at an object, for example, we can easily describe its size, shape and where it is located in space. However, when an object is not directly in front of us, we need to rely on a higher-level mental process known as visualization to help us recreate the object's location.