The Advanced Land Imagery on NASA's Earth Observing-1 satellite snapped this image of a newly formed volcanic island in Japan on Dec. 8, 2013. (NASA Earth Observatory) A NASA satellite snapped a photograph of a tiny new island that rose out of the Pacific Ocean a few weeks ago after a volcanic eruption. A camera aboard the space agency's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite captured this natural-color image as it passed over the still-steaming black cone on Dec. 8. Japanese officials...

A makeshift spacesuit snorkel, as held up by NASA's spacewalk officer Allison Bolinger at Johnson Space Center, Dec. 18, 2013. (collectSPACE.com/Robert Z. Pearlman) HOUSTON — Astronauts preparing to spacewalk outside the International Space Station are outfitting their spacesuits with an unusual device: a makeshift snorkel. The astronauts, whose task it is to necessary for keeping the outpost fully powered, have an additional concern to the "normal" challenges of a quickly-planned extra-vehicular activity (EVA, or spacewalk). There is also a slight...

This image of a patch of sky in the constellation Pisces is among the first taken by the revived spacecraft's infrared cameras, and shows the ultimate target: asteroids. Appearing as a string of red dots, an asteroid can be seen in a series of exposures captured by the spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) A NASA asteroid-hunting spacecraft has opened its eyes in preparation for a renewed mission, beaming home its first images in more than 2.5 years. The Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey...

On Saturday morning (Dec. 21), two NASA astronauts will venture outside the International Space Station to perform the first of potentially three urgent spacewalks to fix the vital cooling system on the orbiting outpost, and you can watch the excursion live online. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Rick Mastracchio will perform the spacewalk, which is expected to begin the necessary repairs on the outside of the station. NASA TV will broadcast the entire 6.5-hour spacewalk set to begin at 7:10...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Astronauts removed an old space station pump Saturday, sailing through the first of a series of urgent repair spacewalks to revive a crippled cooling line. The two Americans on the crew, Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins, successfully pulled out the ammonia pump with a bad valve -- well ahead of schedule. That task had been planned for the next spacewalk, originally scheduled for Monday but now delayed until Tuesday, Christmas Eve, because of the need for...

This colorized composite image from NASA's Dawn mission shows the crater Antonia, which lies in the enormous Rheasilvia basin in the southern hemisphere of the giant asteroid Vesta. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLAMPS/DLR/IDA) The subdued, gray-hued photos of the enormous captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft last year have received an overhaul. By matching colors to the various wavelengths, scientists have revealed geologic structures invisible to the naked eye while also creating images of the asteroid Vesta that seem more like works of art....

The globe of Saturn, seen here in natural color, is reminiscent of a holiday ornament in this wide-angle view from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute) PASADENA, Calif. -- A NASA spacecraft has sent holiday greetings from the outer solar space. The space agency on Monday released dazzling new images of the ringed planet Saturn and its moons. The Cassini spacecraft took the pictures earlier this year. The southern hemisphere of Saturn. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute) (MORE: ) Saturn resembled an...

NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio stands on the International Space Station's robotic arm during an urgent spacewalk to fix the station's vital cooling system. (NASA TV) Two astronauts on the International Space Station are set for a Christmas Eve spacewalk. NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins will don their spacesuits and float out into the weightless wonderland of space for another spacewalk to repair the orbiting outpost's critical cooling system Tuesday. This EVA (extra-vehicular activity, or spacewalk) is the second...

Astronaut Michael Hopkins worked to repair an external cooling Dec. 21, 2013 on the International Space Station on a spacewalk 260 miles above Earth. The external cooling line — one of two — shut down Dec. 11. The six-man crew had to turn off all nonessential equipment, including experiments. (AP Photo/NASA) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space station astronauts repaired a crippled cooling system during a rare Christmas Eve spacewalk Tuesday, braving a "mini blizzard" of noxious ammonia as they popped...

China’s Chang’e 3 robotic landing on the moon has helped spur a political crusade in the United States to more aggressively explore and utilize the moon. At the heart of the campaign is the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), a group chartered by NASA Headquarters to assist in planning the scientific exploration of the moon. LEAG is organizing a letter writing campaign to Congress to underscore the importance of . (MORE: ) The LEAG scripted strategy is being orchestrated under...

Midwesterners enjoying a little post-Christmas downtime outdoors on December 26th got a big surprise when a huge fireball—an extremely bright meteor—streaked through the sky around nightfall (around 5:30 p.m CST). Witnesses described seeing a flaming green ball as bright as the sun shoot across the sky before fragmenting and disappearing on Thursday night. Some even reported several delayed sonic booms and other sonic effects. (MORE: ) The American Meteor Society says it has of meteor sightings in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa,...

The Most Amazing Alien Planet Discoveries of 2013 Data from NASA's Kepler mission finds evidence for at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy. Image released January 3, 2013. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) While astronomers didn't bag that elusive first "alien Earth" in 2013, they made plenty of exciting exoplanet discoveries during the past year. Click through to see a list of the top finds of 2013, from a tiny world about the size of Earth's moon to a blue gas giant on...