Russian space chief proposes designing nuclear-powered spaceship

Russian space chief proposes nuclear spaceship

Tenn. gov says renewable energy most promising business opportunity from China trade mission

Tenn. gov says China trip has green energy focus

Panel says NASA should skip moon, fly elsewhere; suggests landing on asteroid or Martian moon

WASHINGTON — NASA needs to make a major detour on its grand plans to return astronauts to the moon, a special independent panel told the White House Thursday.

Cosmic population boom: European astronomers find 32 new planets outside solar system

WASHINGTON — European astronomers have found 32 new planets outside our solar system, adding evidence to the theory that the universe has many places where life could develop. Scientists using the European Southern Observatory telescope didn’t find any planets quite the size of Earth or any that seemed habitable or even unusual. But their announcement increased the number of planets discovered outside the solar system to more than 400.

Cosmic population boom: Europeans find more than 2 dozen new planets outside solar system

WASHINGTON — European astronomers have found 32 new planets outside our solar system, adding evidence to the theory that the universe has many places where life could develop.

NASA photos reveal moon strike may have yielded important data

LOS ANGELES — NASA’s much-hyped mission to hurl a spacecraft into the moon turned out some worthwhile data after all, scientists said.

History of astronomy, from early telescopes to Galileo writings, on view at Vatican Museums

VATICAN CITY — Rudimentary telescopes, celestial globes and original manuscripts by Galileo are going on view at the Vatican Museums as part of an exhibit marking the 400th anniversary of the astronomer’s first celestial observations.

Apocalypse not? Despite doomsayers, Mayans say 2012 isn’t the end of the world as we know it

MEXICO CITY — Apolinario Chile Pixtun is tired of being bombarded with frantic questions about the Mayan calendar supposedly “running out” on Dec. 21, 2012. After all, it’s not the end of the world.

For next apocalypse, doomsayers turn to Mayan calendar and year 2012

MEXICO CITY — Apolinario Chile Pixtun is tired of being bombarded with frantic questions about the Mayan calendar supposedly “running out” on Dec. 21, 2012. After all, it’s not the end of the world.

Moonstruck: NASA hits the moon twice looking for water; only fuzzy photos so far

WASHINGTON — Take that, moon!

Moonstruck: NASA hits the moon twice looking for water; no live pictures yet, but coming

NASA makes as-yet unseen hit on moon with probes

First of 2 NASA planned moon crashes is a hit; Scientists look for water in kicked up dust

WASHINGTON — NASA has successfully bulldozed two spacecraft into the moon’s south pole in a search for hidden ice, but without the promised live photos.

Smackdown: NASA probes about to connect with one-two uppercuts of moon’s south pole

WASHINGTON — Two NASA spacecraft are barreling toward the moon at twice the speed of a bullet, about to crash Friday into a lunar crater in a search for ice.

NASA’s moon probe separates as planned, ready to smack into lunar surface Friday morning

WASHINGTON — NASA’s moon probe has separated into two pieces as planned, a major milestone toward a Friday morning double-barreled crash into the lunar surface.