NASA scientists have developed a new software that will help drones automatically spot the best places to crash-land in case of an emergency, without hurting anyone on the ground. Increasing numbers of drones in the sky raises the risk to people and property below being hit when these unmanned aerial vehicles develop mechanical problems. Now, Patricia Glaab, an aerospace …

For a brief period last spring—before Pluto sucked up all the “dwarf planet” mojo—Ceres was the most important minor planetary body in the solar system (as far as Earth was concerned). In March, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft successfully entered into orbit around the 587-mile diet planet, providing scientists with an unparalleled up-close view of the largest object in the main Asteroid …

Mankind’s first close-up look at Pluto did not disappoint on Wednesday. The pictures showed ice mountains on Pluto about as high as the Rockies and chasms on its big moon Charon that appear six times deeper than the Grand Canyon. Especially astonishing to scientists was the total absence of impact craters in a zoom-in shot of one otherwise rugged slice …

Data in its first call home since Tuesday’s flyby suggest the spacecraft experienced no upsets as it hurtled past the icy world at 14km/s (31,000mph). The signal came through a giant dish in Madrid, Spain – part of a Nasa network of communications antennas. The message took four hours 25 minutes to traverse 4.7 billion km of space. The tension …

  The US space agency has sought ideas from people about what is necessary to ensure a continuous human presence on the Red Planet. The new Nasa challenge invites the public to write down ideas, in detail, for developing the elements of space pioneering necessary to stay on Mars for longer period. This could include shelter, food, water, breathable air, …

Research from Nasa’s Mars rover Curiosity has strengthened hopes that liquid water may exist near the surface of Mars, astrophysicists said on Monday. The clue comes from the presence in the soil of calcium perchlorate, they said. This is a type of salt that is highly absorbent and lowers the freezing point of water so that it remains liquid. The …

Just like last year’s global selfie, Nasa is inviting people across the globe to share pictures and videos of their favourite places on Earth using social media – and tag them #NoPlaceLikeHome – on Earth Day that falls on April 22. “At Nasa, we explore lots of planets and there is a lot to love: the mountains on Mars, the …