Vote Now! Best Space Stories of the Week – April 6, 2014
Hidden Oceans, Lunar Mystery and More
Last week scientists might have solved a lunar mystery, new data showed Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus might harbor an underground ocean, and Space.com reached out to space history experts to weigh in about what the “unprecedented” NASA policy to suspend contact with Russia means for NASA and Roscosmos going forward. See the best stories from last week here.
FIRST STOP: Moon's Age Revealed, and a Lunar Mystery May Be Solved
Moon's Age Revealed, and a Lunar Mystery May Be Solved
The massive collision between Earth and a Mars-sized body that created the moon occurred about 40 million years after the birth of the solar system, scientists say.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Hidden Ocean Found on Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus, Could Potentially Support Life
Hidden Ocean Found on Saturn's Icy Moon Enceladus, Could Potentially Support Life
Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus harbors an underground ocean hidden beneath 18 miles of ice, data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows.
[Full Story]
NEXT: How the Moon Formed: 5 Wild Lunar Theories
How the Moon Formed: 5 Wild Lunar Theories
The moon has fascinated humanity for millenia, exerting a powerful pull on our imagination just as it tugs on the oceans to create the tides.
[Full Story]
NEXT: NASA Policy to Suspend Contact with Russia 'Unprecedented,' But Maybe Symbolic, Expert Says
NASA Policy to Suspend Contact with Russia 'Unprecedented,' But Maybe Symbolic, Expert Says
In light of NASA recent call to stop contact with Russian government officials aside from space station business, Space.com reached out to space history experts that weigh in about what this means for NASA and Roscosmos going forward.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Mysteries of Gravitational Waves Star in New LIGO Documentary
Mysteries of Gravitational Waves Star in New LIGO Documentary
A new movie premiering April 15 documents the creation of an amazing astronomical tool that could catch sight of incredible, violent comic events trillions of miles from Earth.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Fly Me to the Minimoon: Tiny Asteroids Near Earth Touted for Human Exploration
Fly Me to the Minimoon: Tiny Asteroids Near Earth Touted for Human Exploration
A manned mission to an asteroid may be quite a bit less complicated than NASA had thought.
[Full Story]
NEXT: NASA Targets Moons of Mars for Potential Robotic Mission
NASA Targets Moons of Mars for Potential Robotic Mission
Scientists and engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., are drawing up a low-cost mission concept that would send a robotic spacecraft to Phobos or Deimos, Mars' two tiny satellites.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Why SpaceX's Elon Musk Says 2008 Was His 'Worst Year' Ever
Why SpaceX's Elon Musk Says 2008 Was His 'Worst Year' Ever
"That was definitely the worst year of my life," SpaceX and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk tells 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley in an interview that aired Sunday (March 30).
[Full Story]
NEXT: China's New Spaceport to Launch Country's Largest Rocket Yet
China's New Spaceport to Launch Country's Largest Rocket Yet
China’s huge new rocket is headed toward its maiden flight from the country's soon-to-be-complete launch center on Hainan Island, at the southern tip of China, far from the nation's mainland.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Space Jokes Blast Off for April Fools' Day: See Our Favorites
Space Jokes Blast Off for April Fools' Day: See Our Favorites
From a billionaire to a respected science journal, everyone is getting in on the ridiculous April Fools' Day fun. A few of the more elaborate jokes flying around the internet today (April 1) involve spaceflight and astrophysics.
[Full Story]
NEXT: Major Solar Flare Erupts from the Sun
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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.