Space

Planetary Science

Grazing crater rim may have saved comet lander

Bumping off the rim of a crater probably saved the robotic comet Philae from a cold, dark death, a new analysis of images suggests.

Astronomy

Revived Kepler telescope finds first exoplanet

NASA’s Kepler space telescope finds its first planet — a possible super-Earth — since getting a second chance at life.

Planetary Science

Rosetta may have spotted comet’s primordial ingredients

Photos taken by the Rosetta spacecraft may show pristine material that formed the solar system’s comets, asteroids and planets roughly 4.6 billion years ago.

Astronomy

Year in review: Dust obscures possible gravitational wave discovery

A possible signal from moments after the Big Bang may be due to dust in the Milky Way galaxy.

Planetary Science

Year in review: Rosetta mission hits its target

The Rosetta spacecraft and its lander Philae are providing an intimate look at the life of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Astronomy

Gamma-ray bursts may repeatedly wipe out life

Brief bursts of high-energy radiation may sterilize most planets across the universe, hampering the chances for widespread intelligent life.

Planetary Science

Rover finds methane in Mars air, organics in rocks

NASA’s Curiosity rover has found organic molecules on Mars, but scientists can’t say whether they are a sign of life on the Red Planet.

Astronomy

Year in review: Kepler gets second chance at life

This year, Kepler engineers figured out how to stabilize the almost-defunct Kepler telescope, while astronomers found hundreds more worlds.

Planetary Science

Year in review: Tectonics active on Europa

Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa has a shifting exterior analogous to Earth’s plate tectonics.

Planetary Science

Solar wind probably leaches Mars’ lower atmosphere

Initial results from NASA's MAVEN probe may help explain how Mars has lost its atmosphere: The solar wind penetrates the Red Planet’s atmosphere and fuels escaping gas.

Planetary Science

Year in review: Ocean may power Enceladus’ geysers

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft builds a stronger case for a subsurface ocean on Enceladus that drives ice geysers on the moon’s south pole.

Planetary Science

Year in review: Business booming on Mars

Mars now has seven robots studying it and together they have given scientists their best view of any planet in the solar system other than Earth.