Limiting Life

A new study suggests some worlds may go from icy cold to hellishly hot without ever going through a habitable phase.

That would cut down on the number of habitable worlds in the galaxy.

Laser SETI

SETI researchers are expanding their toolkit.  In addition to listening for radio signals, they're going to start looking for laser flashes, since lasers do not occur naturally.

The SETI Institute is trying to raise $100,000 by August 18 to start the program.

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is successfully continuing its series of test flights of SpaceShipTwo.

The company has not yet said when commercial flights will begin.

Deep Space Gateway

NASA's Deep Space Gateway, a small space station in lunar orbit, will probably run science experiments on its own when astronauts aren't present.

DSG might launch in 2020.

Exoplanet Stratosphere

Astronomers using Hubble have detected water molecules high in the atmosphere of a hot Jupiter 880 light years away.

It marks the first establishment of a stratosphere around an exoplanet.

NASA PPO

NASA is looking for a planetary protection officer.

The job is to protect Earth from alien microbes, and to protect other worlds from Earthly contamination.

Testing Tracking

A tiny asteroid could come within 4200 miles of Earth October 12.

Astronomers will use the event to test their tracking system.