Five Things About NASA's Valentine's Day Comet
Here are five facts you should know about NASA's Stardust-NExT spacecraft as it prepares for a Valentine's "date" with comet Tempel 1. Feel free to sing along!

NASA Spacecraft Closes in on Comet Tempel 1
NASA is about to discover how solar heat devours a comet as the Stardust-NExT probe closes in for a Valentine's Day encounter with Tempel 1.

Who's Who at NASA: Dr. Jim Green, Director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
NASA Tech Briefs talks planetary science with Dr. James Green, the man in charge of NASA's robotic exploration of the planets, moons and bodies of our solar system.

A Fizzy Ocean on Enceladus
Evidence is mounting that Saturn's moon Enceladus harbors a bubbly subterranean ocean where conditions might be friendly to life.

Sundiving Comet Storm
2010 ended with an unprecedented flurry of small comets diving into the sun. Researchers say this could herald a much larger comet still to come.

Asteroid Itokawa Sample Return
"It's an incredible feeling to have another world right in the palm of your hand," says Mike Zolensky, Associate Curator for Interplanetary Dust at Johnson Space Center. "We're seeing for the first time, up close, what an asteroid is actually made of!"

Geminid Meteor Shower Defies Explanation
"The Geminids are my favorite," says NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, "because they defy explanation."

Most meteor showers come from comets, which spew ample meteoroids for a night of 'shooting stars.' The Geminids are different. The parent is not

The Sun Steals Comets from Other Stars
The next time you thrill at the sight of a comet blazing across the night sky, consider this: it's a stolen pleasure. You're enjoying the spectacle at the expense of a distant star.

Dead Spacecraft Walking
A pair of NASA spacecraft that were supposed to be dead a year ago are instead flying to the Moon for a breakthrough mission in lunar orbit.

Aftermath of Possible Asteroid Collision
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured rare images of a suspected asteroid collision. The snapshots show a bizarre X-shaped object at the head of a comet-like trail of material.