, and now possibly-toxic rocket debris. It's not an easy time to be a beachgoer. After the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded Sunday morning during an attempted launch to the International Space Station, the debris fell into the ocean , according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft breaks apart shortly after liftoff at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (AP Photo/John Raoux)) The Coast Guard is working with SpaceX to track the debris,...

Researchers gathering information via the Rosetta Probe as it explores Comet 67P have learned a lot about the celestial body, but even they were stunned by a recent discovery. This Dec. 21, 2014 photo made by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft and provided by researchers led by Jean-Baptiste Vincent shows the most active pit, known as Seth_01, which scientists believe is one of several sinkholes on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. (Vincent et al., Nature Publishing Group, ESA via AP) New...

This week brings the biggest planetary unveiling in a quarter-century, as NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft sweeps past Pluto — and NASA scientists promises it’s a can’t miss show. New Horizons has traveled 3 billion miles over 9½ years to get to this historic point. The fastest spacecraft ever launched, it carries the most powerful suite of science instruments ever sent on a scouting and reconnaissance mission of a new, unfamiliar world. Guarantees principal scientist Alan Stern, "We're going to knock...

An artist rendering of a black hole feasting on its surroundings. The central black hole is hidden from direct view by a thick layer of encircling gas and dust. (NASA/ESA) Black holes — supermassive or otherwise — sound like the stuff of science fiction. They’re without question real, and scientists have now discovered five supermassive ones hidden previously from view by dust and gas. Other researchers found a black hole that grew faster and bigger than they expected it to,...

Just a day after the NASA made its closest ever approach to Pluto, new pictures and data were already streaming in. The latest, released Friday, July 17, shows evidence of carbon monoxide ice in the heart region — being called the Tombaugh Regio after Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto — signified in green on the first image in the slideshow below. (A close-up appears in the second image.) “This is just a first at Pluto’s plasma environment,” said New Horizons...

The famous 'Earthrise' photo, showing Earth appearing at the lunar horizon. (NASA) Forty-six years ago today, July 20, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins made history by becoming the first human beings to set foot on the moon. The crew launched July 16, 1969, landing on the lunar surface on July 20 and crashing into the Pacific Ocean on July 24. While the crew performed important science, they had another — and some would argue, just as important —...

When it came out of hibernation after seven months of silence back in mid-June, scientists at the European Space Agency were jubilant about what Philae, the first probe ever landed successfully on a comet, could tell them. But now Philae has gone silent again for nearly the past two weeks, and scientists at ESA are unsure when they'll be able to re-establish contact, or even if they'll be able to. The agency has two possible explanations for the sudden silence:...

A successful July 22 launch landed American astronaut Kjell Lindgren, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Kimiya Yui from Japan on the International Space Station for a five-month stay. (NASA/A. Gemignani) After a two-month delay, the International Space Station crew is back “,” according to NASA, reporting after the July 22 successful launch and arrival of a Soyuz space capsule carrying American astronaut Kjell Lindgren, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Kimiya Yui from Japan. The capsule, which lifted off Wednesday from...

A first-of-its-kind breakthrough for NASA, as scientists announce they’ve found "Earth's bigger, older cousin" that's orbiting a sun-like star and might harbor life. The researchers announced their discovery Thursday based on observations from NASA's Kepler space telescope. "It is the closest thing that we have to another place that somebody else might call home," said Jon Jenkins, the lead data analyst from NASA's Ames Research Center in California. NASA says exoplanet Kepler-452b is the closest ever found that matches the...

It's almost time for another blue moon, but we're not talking about a drink. In most cases, the term describes the phenomenon that takes place when there are two full moons in the same calendar month. According to Earth Sky, . Generally, the moon is only full about once every 30 days. This means the blue moon phenomenon can only take place if there is a full moon in the first few days of a month. The last full moon...

Pluto is proving to be a never-ending world of wonders after stunning scientists with what appeared to be flowing ice and a hazier-than-expected atmosphere. New pictures of the previously unexplored dwarf planet were released Friday by the team in charge of the New Horizons Pluto flyby. “If you’re seeing a cardiologist, you may want to leave the room,” Alan Stern, New Horizons principal scientist, joked during a news conference at NASA Headquarters. “There some pretty mind-blowing discoveries.” (MORE: ) NASA's...

This false-color image from the Sentinel-2A satellite shows agricultural structures near Tubarjal, Saudi Arabia. Circles come from a central-pivot irrigation system, where the long water pipe rotates around a well at the center. (Copernicus Sentinel data (2015)/ESA) The latest endeavor from the European Space Agency, the , has a long life ahead, and it’s starting off with a bang, sending back detailed pictures of everything from a glacier in Greenland to a desert in Libya to the false-color crop circle...