60-Second Space

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Bacteria Got an Early Fix on Nitrogen

2015-02-2302:13

New evidence points to the evolution of the ability for bacteria to grab nitrogen from the atmosphere some 3.2 billion years ago, about 1.2 billion years earlier than thought—with implications for finding extraterrestrial life. Lee Billings reports

Stars Reveal Hidden Galaxy

2015-02-1701:22

A dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way may consist of more dark matter than regular matter.* Clara Moskowitz reports

Space Science Budget Gets Small Lift

2015-02-1001:41

NASA has to deal with the unexpected financial consequences of robotic missions that just keep going. Lee Billings reports

5 Rocky Planets Found in Ancient, Distant Solar System

2015-02-0201:40

The oldest group of terrestrial worlds now known formed some 11.2 billion years ago, more than six billion years before our sun and planets. Clara Moskowitz reports

Long-Lost Lander Found on Mars

2015-01-2601:37

New images from a NASA orbiter reveal Beagle 2’s final resting place. Lee Billings reports

Look Up to See Latest Comet Lovejoy

2015-01-1501:25

Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy’s latest comet find is naked-eye visible in the southeast sky until January 24. Clara Moskowitz reports

SpaceX Will Try Launch, Then Soft-Land Returning Booster

2014-12-3101:31

The company hopes to send up a Falcon 9 rocket and then safely land the discarded first stage for reuse. Lee Billings reports

Humans on Mars Soonish Says NASA Bigwig

2014-12-1001:37

John Grunsfeld, the former astronaut who now heads NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, thinks that traveling light could get people to Mars by the 2040s

UV Light Colors Great Red Spot

2014-12-0101:37

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is its particular crimson shade because of the interaction of ultraviolet light and specific chemical compounds in the gas giant's atmosphere. Lee Billings reports

It’s Hard to Dust in Space

2014-11-2001:36

Over the summer researchers identified seven specks of dust returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft. But determining their true origin has been difficult. Clara Moskowitz reports

Comet Reeks of Cat Crap and Rotten Eggs

2014-11-0301:20

The Rosetta spacecraft has unexpectedly detected hydrogen sulphide and ammonia coming from Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Lee Billings reports

Track Cosmic Rays with Smartphone App

2014-10-1601:27

Take part in a citizen-science project by helping researchers track high-energy cosmic rays via a network of smartphone users. Clara Moskowitz reports

Star-Forming Clouds May Spit Out Life’s Building Blocks

2014-10-0901:36

Astronomers have discovered one of the largest and most complex organic molecules yet in a gaseous star-forming region of interstellar space. Clara Moskowitz reports

Dark Matter Looks WIMPy

2014-09-2401:34

Data from the International Space Station-based Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment supports the idea that dark matter consists of the invisible particles called weakly interacting massive particles, or WIMPs. Clara Moskowitz reports

Forensic Astronomer Dates Monet Vision

2014-09-1101:29

Texas State University astronomer Donald Olson combined solar, tidal and weather data to identify the likely moment of the image in the Monet work Impression, Sunrise

Milky Way's Home Supercluster Found

2014-09-0301:23

Astronomers have identified the Milky Way’s cosmic address—inside the supercluster Laniakea, which means “immense heaven” in Hawaiian. Clara Moskowitz reports

Neptune Visit Hits 25th Anniversary

2014-08-2401:35

On August 24th, 1989, the Voyager 2 spacecraft rendezvoused with Neptune, making it the farthest planet to pose for a close-up, a record it still holds today.

Air Pollution Could Reveal ET's Home

2014-08-1301:23

If intelligent aliens are dumb enough to pollute their atmosphere, NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope is powerful enough to spot some of the signs on some exoplanets. Clara Moskowitz reports

Martian Soil Salts May Make Water Ice All Wet

2014-07-2501:28

Within a Mars-like laboratory environment, perchlorate salts known to exist on Mars were able to lower the freezing point enough to get ice to turn to liquid water. Clara Moskowitz reports

Saturn Probe Ready for Its "Grand Finale"

2014-07-0901:22

The Cassini probe readies for its final act with new flight patterns that will get unprecedented views of Saturn and culminate in a final dive into the planet's atmosphere. Clara Moskowitz reports

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Hamed Ashrafi