A small collection of amber-trapped feathers that may have belonged to dinosaurs or birds 80 million years ago have been found in a Canadian museum collection, said a study on Thursday.

Ryan McKellar, a graduate student at Canada's University of Alberta, pored over more than 4,000 specimens held at the university and at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

Eventually he found 11 worthy samples of preserved feathers, described in the journal Science as "the richest amber feather find from the late Cretaceous period," some 65 to 99 million years ago.
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... the amber showcases "four evolutionary stages for feathers," said the study, suggesting that a range of dinosaurs and birds once nested, flew and swam there.

Some appear "similar to the protofeathers of nonavian dinosaurs that are unknown in modern birds" while others look to be advanced "bird feathers displaying pigmentation and adaptations for flight and diving."

It's a real-life Tatooine. A spectacle made popular by the "Star Wars" saga — a planet with two suns — has now been confirmed in space for the first time, astronomers revealed.

Scientists using NASA's Kepler space telescope captured details of a giant planet in orbit around the pair of binary stars that make up the Kepler-16 system, which is about 200 light-years away.

"This discovery is stunning," said study co-author Alan Boss at the Carnegie Institute in Washington. "Once again, what used to be science fiction has turned into reality." [See an image and video of Tatooine planet Kepler 16b]

When Tatooine was depicted on film, many scientists doubted that such planets could really exist. Now there's proof.

The Space Launch System, or SLS, will be designed to carry the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, as well as important cargo, equipment and science experiments to Earth's orbit and destinations beyond. Additionally, the SLS will serve as a back up for commercial and international partner transportation services to the International Space Station.

"This launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure continued U.S. leadership in space, and inspire millions around the world," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "President Obama challenged us to be bold and dream big, and that's exactly what we are doing at NASA. While I was proud to fly on the space shuttle, tomorrow's explorers will now dream of one day walking on Mars."
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It will use a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propulsion system, which will include the RS-25D/E from the Space Shuttle Program for the core stage and the J-2X engine for the upper stage. SLS will also use solid rocket boosters for the initial development flights, while follow-on boosters will be competed based on performance requirements and affordability considerations. The SLS will have an initial lift capacity of 70 metric tons. That's more than 154,000 pounds, or 77 tons, roughly the weight of 40 sport utility vehicles. The lift capacity will be evolvable to 130 metric tons -- more than 286,000 pounds, or 143 tons -- enough to lift 75 SUVs. The first developmental flight, or mission, is targeted for the end of 2017.