The God Particle, Spy Plane and China Moves to Space
China's successful manned mission to space, the possibility of finding the 'God' particle and U.S. spy planes are just a few of the space stories that made headlines.
<p>Take a look at our picks for the best space stories of the last week and vote for your favorite here:
<p>FIRST STOP: China Successfully Docks Manned Space Capsule at Orbiting Module
China Successfully Docks Manned Space Capsule at Orbiting Module
Chinese astronauts docked two spaceships in orbit for the first time Monday (June 18), marking a vital milestone in the country's quest to build a manned space station in Earth orbit. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16179-china-manned-space-docking-shenzhou-9.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: NASA Voyager 1 Spacecraft Nears Interstellar Space
NASA Voyager 1 Spacecraft Nears Interstellar Space
NASA's venerable Voyager 1 probe appears to be at the edge of the solar system. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16167-voyager1-spacecraft-interstellar-space.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Moon's Tides Affect Humongous Atom Smasher, Too
Moon's Tides Affect Humongous Atom Smasher, Too
The moon, which pulls Earth's seas in and out with its gravity, similarly affects the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, requiring physicists to make periodic adjustments to the extremely sensitive machine. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16202-moon-tides-lhc-atom-smasher.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Is Chaos in 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World' Realistic?
Is Chaos in 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World' Realistic?
In the film “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,” a killer asteroid is headed to Earth, and humans have one month left to live. The film depicts a range of human reactions to the impending apocalypse. Are they realistic? How would people really react if the end of the world were approaching? [<a href=http://www.space.com/16207-seeking-friend-world-asteroid.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Air Force Launches US Spy Satellite
Air Force Launches US Spy Satellite on Secret Mission
A new spy satellite launched today (June 20) for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office on a clandestine mission for national security. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16215-air-force-launches-secret-spy-satellite-mission.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Private Asteroid-Hunting Deep Space Telescope
Private Asteroid-Hunting Deep Space Telescope to be Unveiled June 28
A group of scientists will unveil an audacious plan for the first privately funded deep space telescope next week - a mission that aims to map the inner solar system for potentially dangerous asteroids. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16214-deep-space-asteroid-telescope-announcement.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: First Stars in the Universe
First Stars in the Universe May Soon Be Detected
A new study aiming to simulate conditions in the early universe has found tantalizing clues suggesting it may be possible to detect signals from the first stars. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16225-universe-first-stars-detection.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Huge Moon Crater's Water Ice Supply
Huge Moon Crater's Water Ice Supply Revealed
New observations of the huge Shackleton crater at the moon's south pole, a spot earmarked for potential human exploration because it may contain water ice, but may be drier than previously thought. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16222-moon-water-ice-shackleton-crater.html >Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Happy Summer Solstice!
Happy Summer Solstice! How to Watch the Season Change Online
The Slooh Space Camera is hosting a live solar show this week to celebrate Summer Solstice and explore recent Sun spot activity. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16231-summer-solstice-slooh-webcast.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Odd Alien Planets So Close They See 'Planetrise'
Odd Alien Planets So Close Together They See 'Planetrise'
NASA's Kepler space telescope has revealed two alien planets around a distant star, but they are the odd couple of extrasolar worlds. One planet is a so-called super-Earth, while the other much more like Neptune, scientists say. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16242-alien-planets-close-orbits-planetrise.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Mars Interior as Wet as Earth's
Parts of Mars Interior as Wet as Earth's
The Martian mantle holds vastly larger reservoirs of water than previously thought, rising the possibility that it could have migrated to the surface to create a potentially habitable environment. [<a href=http://www.space.com/16242-alien-planets-close-orbits-planetrise.html>Full Story</a>]
<p>NEXT: Excitement Builds Over Higgs Boson Announcement
Excitement Builds Over Expected Higgs Boson Announcement
The Higgs has been theorized for years, but never found. Humanity's best hope of discovering the particle lies in the humongous atom smasher buried underneath Switzerland and France called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). [<a href=http://www.space.com/16266-higgs-boson-lhc-anticipation-building.html>Full Story</a>]