Scott Neuman

The Planetary Society is preparing to launch a tiny satellite into orbit later this month as the first phase in testing a solar sail as a means of spacecraft propulsion — an idea that has been kicking around in the science (and science-fiction) literature for at least a century.

The ...

Updated at 2:20 p.m. ET

A Victory Day parade through Moscow's Red Square marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in which Soviet Russia lost an estimated 24 million soldiers and civilians — more than any other combatant.

The huge formations of soldiers and military equipment ...

Ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and his two sons were sentenced to three years in prison today in a retrial of the corruption case brought against them in the wake of the 2011 "Arab Spring" uprising that deposed the long-time ruler.

"The ruling of the court is three years in ...

While the Carolinas brace for Tropical Storm Ana — the first named storm this year in the Atlantic — the Plains states are keeping a vigil for a possible repeat of powerful tornadoes that swept through the region earlier in the week.

Forecasters are warning of dangerous surf ...

North Korea said on Saturday that it successfully launched an anti-ship cruise missile from a submarine — a development, if verified, that would mark a new technological achievement for Pyongyang.

KCNA, the official North Korean news agency, reports that leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test form a surface vessel ...

A judge in New York has declared a mistrial after a jury was unable to return a verdict in the trial of Pedro Hernandez, the man accused of the 1979 kidnapping and murder of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy whose case drew national attention to missing and abducted children.

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has praised a federal appeals court's ruling that the agency's surveillance program is illegal, saying the decision was "extraordinarily encouraging."

As we reported on Thursday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 2nd District in New York issued a ...

Updated at 9:55 a.m. ET

The U.S. economy added 223,000 jobs in April, hewing close to expectations from economists, but the numbers fell short of a threshold that forecasters believe would signal an early rise in interest rates.

The unemployment rate dipped to 5.4 percent, according to data released ...

The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to give Congress the right to review any deal between the U.S. and Iran that would lift sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limiting its nuclear program.

The 98-1 vote for the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act sends it to the House, where Speaker John ...

A 110-pound silver ingot thought to be from the treasure of Capt. William Kidd — the notorious 17th century Scottish pirate who was ultimately hanged for his misdeeds — has been brought up from the shallows off Madagascar's eastern coast.

The discovery was made by the American underwater explorer ...

Update, 8:17 p.m. ET

During a live interview at an Patriots-fan-filled event in Salem, Mass., New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady refused to comment on the NFL's report, saying he hadn't had time to digest it yet.

Brady did tell the audience that the controversy hadn't detracted from his enjoyment ...

As we reported on Monday, the newborn daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.

But halfway around the world, another auspicious baby naming was underway at Japan's Mount Takasaki Wild Monkey Park. As is tradition at the zoo, the first macaque born ...

A man accused of shooting a plainclothes New York police officer in New York has been charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, officials say. The officer, who was shot Saturday night, remains in hospital in critical but stable condition, The Associated Press reports.

The officer, ...

Italy's coast guard says it has managed to rescue some 3,700 migrants in a single day from smugglers' boats off the coast of Libya in 17 separate operations designed to stem the tide of illegal immigration to Europe from refugees leaving North Africa.

The operations took place just weeks after ...

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced today that she was lifting a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in the city imposed nearly a week ago amid civil unrest over the death of Freddie Gray from injuries sustained in police custody.

"I want to thank the people of Baltimore for ...

Rescue workers digging through the rubble in Nepal have discovered three survivors — including a man thought to be 101 — a week after a powerful earthquake leveled buildings in the South Asian country, killing more than 7,000.

NPR's Russell Lewis reports from Kathmandu: "The man was found alive in ...

What's the worst thing about sailing through the fierce winds and mountainous seas of the Southern Ocean?

"Just being freezing cold," says Sara Hastreiter, a 30-year-old native of Wyoming who is crewing on the first all-women Volvo Ocean Race team since 2001. The eight-month around-the-world event, sailed in stages, ...

Updated at 1:50 a.m. EDT Sunday: Mayweather wins

Floyd Mayweather Jr.maintained his unbeaten record with a unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquaio in their unified welterweight megabout in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The 38-year-old American made a surprisingly strong start, then withstood some aggressive counter-punching by the Filipino southpaw ...

At least 30 gravesites have been uncovered in a mountainous area of southern Thailand — many containing remains thought to be migrants from neighboring Myanmar, says Michael Sullivan, reporting from Thailand for NPR.

Two unburied bodies and one survivor were also found nearby, he says, noting that Thailand is a ...

Authorities in Nepal now say the number of dead from a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the South Asian country a week ago has risen to 6,841, as rescue workers recover more bodies from the wreckage. More than 14,000 are reported injured.

NPR's Russell Lewis, reporting from Kathmandu, says thousands are ...