All Science
Virgin Galactic: How did SpaceShipTwo pilot survive Mach 1 bailout at 50,000 feet?Pilot Peter Siebold apparently was thrown clear of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo when it failed catastrophically and came apart. But he survived a free-fall from high altitude, deploying his parachute.
- Three fireballs – one courtesy of Red Bull – light up US skies
Hundreds across the US have reported seeing brilliant fireballs streaking across the sky, and two of them were probably meteors.
SpaceShipTwo crash investigators: Feathering device unlocked earlyThe National Transportation Safety Board confirmed Monday that a safety lock on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo's rotating rudder mechanism was unlocked prematurely moments before the spacecraft broke apart.
At last, scientists identify mysterious object at center of galaxyAstronomers say they have finally identified a strange object – dubbed G2 – circling the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
Scientists dupe Antarctic penguins with fluffy robotIn order to avoid frightening the notoriously skittish penguins of Adelie Land, Antarctica, biologists have built a remote-controlled rover disguised as a penguin chick.
Did human factors contribute to the SpaceShipTwo tragedy?As the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the SpaceShipTwo breakup, it's looking at the interface between the flight crew and the vehicle. The probe of the accident could take 12 months.
- Is private spaceflight safe?
In a three-day span, two commercial spacecraft – Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo and Orbital's Antares rocket – suffered disastrous mishaps. Is it time to rethink private space travel?
Is there a wolf in Grand Canyon National Park?Conservationists say that a lone gray wolf has been spotted several times near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the first seen in Arizona in seven decades.
Virgin Galactic crash investigators eye pilot interfaceNational Transportation Safety Board investigators examining the fatal crash of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo have determined that the craft's rudders rotated up prematurely, causing it to break apart midair.
- How SpaceShipTwo was designed to work and what happened instead
SpaceShipTwo had an unusual design for reentry that appears to have contributed to the accident last Friday. But investigators are looking at a broad range of issues to pin down the root cause of the tragedy.
- What do biologists need a robotic penguin for?
To get an up-close look at notoriously skittish emperor penguins, scientists have built a robotic baby penguin rover to infiltrate their populations.
Virgin Galactic crash caps off awful week for private spaceflightThe deadly crash of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo came on the heels of an unmanned commercial cargo rocket explosion.
What can a robot learn from a flightless bird? Lots, it turns out.A team of scientists studied five species of ground-running bird and found that, large or small, they all traverse terrain in the same way. Their gait will act as a model for the design of running robots.
What caused Virgin Galactic's spaceship to break apart?Crash investigators are eyeing the early deployment of the twin rudders' 'feathering' system as a possible contributor to the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo crash that killed one pilot and left another badly injured.
Ancient Middle Eastern stone circles: Who built them?Archaeologists in Jordan and Syria have conducted aerial imaging of huge stone circles, structures first discovered in the 1920s but whose origins remain perplexing.
Virgin Galactic spaceship broke apart midair, say investigatorsThe spread of debris indicates that Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo came apart mid-flight, according to National Transportation Safety Board officials.
IPCC: Window rapidly closing on least-cost cuts to greenhouse gasesWarming, especially since the 1950s, “is unequivocal,” the IPCC report reiterates, adding that it's “extremely likely” that greenhouse-gas emissions from burning fossil fuel and from land-use changes have been the dominant cause of warming since the '50s.
Virgin Galactic and Antares crashes: What now for commercial space efforts?The failure of two launches - for Virgin Galactic and for Orbital Science - this week underscore the challenges of space. But the two incidents together as an indicator of the state of commercial-space efforts may be premature, especially with investigations in such early stages.
Catchiest song of all time? A Spice Girls tune, say British scientistsThe Spice Girls have the most recognizable pop song of all time, according to a survey of 12,000 people. What are the other top 20 most recognizable songs?
Investigators, Branson head to Virgin Galactic crash siteFederal investigators and Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson sent a team to the site of the SpaceShipTwo crash Saturday, near the Mojave Air and Space Port north of Los Angeles. The commercial spacecraft blew apart Friday, killing one pilot and injuring another.
