60-Second Space
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Tour Kennedy Space Center on Google Street View
13 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
More than 6,000 new images of Kennedy Space Center have recently been added to Google Street View. John Matson reports
Curiosity Rover Lands Safely on Mars
06 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
After successfully completing its complex series of landing maneuvers, the Curiosity rover is on the Martian surface and ready to begin exploration. J...
Scopes See Exoplanets and Violent Astrophysics
31 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Palomar Observatory's Project 1640 on the Hale Telescope allows astronomers to directly observe exoplanets, whereas the gamma-ray sensitive HESS 2 in ...
Pioneer Spacecraft Warmth Takes Heat off Relativity
23 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The tiny slowing of the two Pioneer spacecraft, known as the Pioneer anomaly and considered by some to challenge general relativity, is probably due t...
Mars Rover Prepares for 7 Minutes of Terror
17 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Curiosity rover is set to begin exploring Mars on August 6. But first it has to land. John Matson reports
Dark Matter Bridges Galaxy Clusters
09 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Gravitational lensing shows that two galaxy clusters are connected by a filament of dark matter. John Matson reports
Nonprofit Wants to Launch Asteroid-Spotter
02 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The B612 Foundation wants to put a telescope in orbit around the sun to look for asteroids that might hit Earth. John Matson reports
Magnetic Tornadoes May Heat Solar Corona
27 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, is much hotter than the surface. Giant magnetic tornadoes may be behind the heat transfer. John Matson reports
Super-Earth Exoplanets Could Be Better for Life
20 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dimitar Sasselov, director of Harvard's Origins of Life Initiative, explains how rocky exoplanets larger than Earth could have greater potential for l...
Astronomers Seek Biggest Stars
11 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Several nearby star clusters could harbor incredibly huge stars, with masses of up to 600 suns. John Matson reports
SpaceX Dragon Returns to Earth from ISS
31 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The first commercial visitor to the ISS splashed down successfully in the Pacific after a supply run. John Matson reports
SpaceX Private Vessel Reaches ISS
25 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The International Space Station received its first commercial visitor with the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon resupply capsule. John Matson reports
Annular Eclipse Hits U.S. Sunday
19 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Residents of western states will be in position to see the ring of fire of an annular eclipse on May 20th. John Matson reports
Astronomers Detect Smallish Exoplanet's Infrared Glow
14 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A space-based telescope picked up faint thermal radiation from a "super-Earth" planet 40 light-years away. John Matson reports
Zeppelin Searches for California Meteorite
08 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists are using a zeppelin to do a slow search for signs of fragments left by the April 22nd Sutter's Mill meteorite. John Matson reports
Earth Was Longtime Asteroid Punching Bag
01 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dozens of asteroid impacts at least as bad as the dinosaur killer occurred long after such impacts were previously thought to have petered out. John M...
Gamma-Ray Bursts Found Innocent in Ray Case
24 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Gamma-ray bursts can't be the source of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays that reach Earth. John Matson reports
Ballooning Star Split Planet in Two
16 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A recently discovered pair of exoplanets may be the wreckage of one formerly giant planet. John Matson reports
Space Shuttles Head for Final Destinations
09 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Starting with Discovery, the decommissioned space shuttle fleet will go on display at museums around the country. John Matson reports
Supernova Turned Star Inside-Out
02 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
When the star Cassiopeia A exploded, nearly all the iron from the core was expelled to the outer regions of the supernova. John Matson reports
Martian Water Stuck in Minerals
26 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Significant amounts of water exist on Mars, sequestered within hydrated minerals and stored in the planet's crust. John Matson reports
Mars Makes Movie Execs See Red
19 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
John Carter is the latest in a string of movies set on the Red Planet that have all wound up in the red, financially. John Matson reports
"Man in the Moon" Facing Factors Figured
12 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A new study explains why the odds favored the man-in-the-moon side to always face Earth. John Matson reports
Dark Matter Clump Furrows Brows
05 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dark matter doesn't usually collide much with itself or with ordinary matter, but it appears to be uncharacteristically clumping in the galaxy cluster...
Mars May Still Be Quaking
27 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Rockfalls visible in orbiter images of Mars indicate that geologic activity occurred just a few million years ago and may be ongoing. John Matson repo...
John Glenn Orbited 50 Years Ago Today
20 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
On February 20, 1962, John Glenn went to space, becoming the first American in orbit, and a national icon. John Matson reports
Black Hole May Eat Asteroids
14 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The black hole at the center of Milky Way could be steadily feeding on a cloud of asteroids, producing frequent, small x-ray flares. John Matson repor...
Flame Dances on Board Space Station
06 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Flame Extinguishment Experiment, or FLEX, on board the ISS allows researchers to study zero-gravity fire--and ways to fight it. John Matson report...
Kepler Finds Multiple Exoplanets around Single Stars
30 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Kepler spacecraft has found 26 previously unknown exoplanets orbiting 11 stars. John Matson reports
Point Up and Click
23 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The 2012 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is now accepting entries. John Matson reports
Binary Stars Have Plenty of Planets
12 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's Kepler spacecraft has found two binary star systems that each host a planet, implying that millions exist. John Matson reports
GRAIL Mission May Find a Former Second Moon
09 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The twin GRAIL craft will map lunar gravity and could find evidence for the remains within the moon of a former second satellite. John Matson reports
Leap Seconds May Disappear
02 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
This month the International Telecommunication Union will consider a proposal to abolish leap seconds. John Matson reports
Earth Usually Has Second Tiny, Temporary Moon
27 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Irregular natural satellites, captured from the population of near-Earth asteroids, orbit Earth for a few months and move on. John Matson reports
Another Billionaire Joins the Space Race
19 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen, via his new venture, Stratolaunch Systems, hopes to launch spacecraft from massive airplanes. John Matson reports
Black Holes Dwarf the One in Milky Way
12 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Galaxies NGC 3842 and NGC 4889 host black holes, each of which about 2,500 times the mass of the one at the center of the Milky Way. John Matson repor...
Kepler Finds Its First Planet in the Habitable Zone
05 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's Kepler telescope has discovered its first exoplanet that could be at temperatures allowing liquid water, a big hurdle for life. John Matson rep...
Curiosity Leaves Earth for Mars
28 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
The newest Mars rover, Curiosity, dwarfs NASA's previous rovers in size and scientific prowess. John Matson reports
Runaway Stars May Be Fleeing Bigger Bullies
21 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A class of wandering stars called OB runaways may have been thrown from home by competing binary star systems that got too close. John Matson reports
Bright Exoplanet Lighting Could Indicate Intelligent Life
15 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
New telescopes could spot aliens on planets around distant stars, if they like their cities really brightly lit. John Matson reports
Planetary Scientists Hope to Bring Back Mars Moondust
07 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
The Phobos-Grunt mission, which could launch November 8th, will try to grab some Phobos soil and bring it back to Earth. John Matson reports
Asteroid Plans Close Earth Flyby
01 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
On November 8th an asteroid will pass Earth within the moon's orbit, offering a rare opportunity for study. John Matson reports
Soyuz Makes Launch from South American ESA Site
24 Oct 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A Soyuz rocket carried into space components for a European GPS system--but the bigger news was the launch site, the European Space Agency home in Fre...
Did Saturn's Moon Iapetus Once Have Its Own Moon?
17 Oct 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A sub-satellite of the Saturnian moon would explain two of the most puzzling features of Iapetus. John Matson reports
Fewer Big Asteroids Close In on Earth
03 Oct 2011
Contributed by Lukas
The WISE spacecraft's census of near-Earth asteroids lowers the population of the big, bad ones. John Matson reports
Chinese Space Program Takes Giant Leap
26 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
China launches the unmanned Tiangong 1 later this week, setting up opportunities for docking and long-duration stays. John Matson reports
Solar System Likely Once Had Another Gas-Giant Planet
19 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
To evolve into our current solar system, the original version probably had a fifth gas giant, computer simulations indicate. John Matson reports
Satellite Set to Make Big Splash or Thud
12 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite will fall out of orbit soon, with large pieces perhaps reaching Earth's surface, according to NASA's Nick J...
NASA Hopes Hard Sci-Fi Will Inspire Future Space Force
05 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
NASA will teach writers about space science and promote sci-fi novels in the hope of inspiring young readers to learn science and math and become part...
Failed Star Found in the Neighborhood
29 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's WISE satellite has found a Y dwarf star, cool enough to touch, that is the hub of the seventh closest star system to us. John Matson reports
Exoplanet Looks Potentially Lively
22 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Newly discovered exoplanet HD 85512 b could be hospitable to life. John Matson reports
Opportunity Knocks at Martian Crater
16 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Seven years into its three-month mission, the Mars rover Opportunity reaches Endeavour Crater, a possible geologic treasure trove. John Matson reports
Kuiper Belt Gets New Notches
08 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A telescopic sky survey finds 14 previously unknown objects in and around the Kuiper Belt. John Matson reports
Jupiter Mission Counts Down
01 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
The space shuttle era is over, but a mission to Jupiter is next up on the launch pad. John Matson reports
New Moon Rises over Pluto
25 Jul 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A Hubble telescope search for dust rings around Pluto turned up a previously unknown moon. John Matson reports
Kepler Searches for Habitable Planets, Part 2
18 Jul 2011
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's Kepler mission's principal investigator, Bill Borucki, talks about the search for exoplanets that might be habitable. Part 2 of 2. John Matson ...
Kepler Searches for Planets in Habitable Zones
11 Jul 2011
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's Kepler mission's principal investigator, Bill Borucki, talks about the search for exoplanets that might be in habitable zones around their star...
Space Station Gets Close Wake-up Call
04 Jul 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Orbital debris within 250 meters of the International Space station is a warning to clean up the neighborhood before a tragic impact. John Matson repo...
Planets with Stabilizing Moons May Be Common
27 Jun 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Computer simulations show that about 10 percent of planets could have a massive moon that helps to stabilize the planetary tilt. John Matson reports
Voyager 1 May Have Reached the Heliopause
20 Jun 2011
Contributed by Lukas
After 34 years in space, 17 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1 has reached or is about to reach the heliopause. John Matson reports
Fragments of Single Meteorite Show Different Chemistry
13 Jun 2011
Contributed by Lukas
The Tagish Lake meteorite fragments contain widely varying organic compounds, a sign that chemical reactions were taking place on board the body in sp...
Step Right Up and Guess the Star's Age
06 Jun 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A database of stars with known ages and spin rates could let astronomers gauge more stars' ages and find the ones old enough to support planets that c...
What's Flinging Comets Out of the Oort Cloud?
31 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A planet-size object could be behind the odd departure of some comets from the Oort Cloud--and toward us. John Matson reports
WiggleZ Project Confirms Dark Energy's Effects
23 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A survey of 150,000 galaxies confirms predictions about dark energy, thought to be what's driving galaxies apart. John Matson reports
Space Boat Could See Sea Near Saturn
16 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Among projects under consideration by NASA is one that would send a boat to the hydrocarbon sea on Saturn's moon Titan to check out its composition an...
Milky Way Should Have Much More Companionship
09 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Our understanding of dark matter says the Milky Way should have many times more than its dozen or so small satellite galaxies. John Matson reports
Comet Bops Past Neptune Cleanly
02 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Comet Hale-Bopp has been spotted beyond the orbit of Neptune, far enough from the sun to be without its dirty tail. John Matson reports
Giant Energetic Bubbles Adorn the Milky Way
26 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Two 30,000 light-year-long blobs called Fermi bubbles have been discovered on either side of our galactic plane. John Matson reports