The new company, Deep Space Industries, Inc., announced on Jan. 22 that it plans to mine asteroids for metals, water and other resources.

The 150-foot-wide asteroid 2012 DA14 may harbor $65 billion of recoverable water and $130 billion in metals.

Science has finally discovered the answer to the centuries-old question of how to turn something into gold.

Researchers stumble upon a method that could replace toxic cyanide with plain old cornstarch.

Chilean mine accident survivor, Mario Sepulveda, is said to be thrilled with the casting decision.

Eucalyptus trees can hold grains of gold, potentially helping reveal buried treasure.

But for now only the penguins can enjoy them. (Turns out, mining is illegal in Antarctica.)

Buried deep in your cellphone, laptop, and flat-screen television are a bevy of obscure elements that make our modern lives possible.

Photographer explains the story behind Indonesia's majestic Kawah Ijen volcano, which appears to spew eerie blue lava.

Coal mines are destroying the life that its miners have come to know through pollution and job loss.

The Caterpillar 797 is a 50-foot-tall dump truck widely used in the mining industry. Watch what happens when it faces off against a stationary Land Cruiser.

Basketball, mini-golf, a Ferris wheel, an underground lake and a spa are just some of the attractions found in this majestic 13th-century Romanian salt mine.

The mining project, one of the largest ever conceived, could hold $500 billion in gold and copper.

Coudersport Ice Mine is located in the Appalachian Mountains.

Gone but not forgotten, these once-bustling mining outposts offer visitors a look at Old West ghost towns, from kitschy to untouched.

Traces of air pollution from 16th-century Spanish silver mines were discovered deep inside an ice cap in the Peruvian Andes

The nascent asteroid-mining industry is set to take its first steps into space this summer.

Worth more than $1 million, this gemstone is distinguished for its rich color palette and light-refracting qualities that defy description.

How do you clean up a river? The answer is twofold: treatment and dilution.

Jaguars used to roam all over the Southwest but now are an extreme rarity. And this unique cat is already threatened by the mining industry.

Mountaintop removal mining is one of the most destructive forms of resource extraction, and it's taking its toll.

Sand is becoming a rare commodity. That's because it's the most commonly extracted resource worldwide; more than oil, more than gold. 

An eye-catching community sauna is a symbol of rebirth for the arctic mining town of Kiruna, which is being forced to move 2 miles to the east.

Eastern equine encephalitis is a dangerous and deadly mosquito-borne illness. Here's what you need to know about it and how to protect yourself.

You've heard of Ebola and likely Zika, but there are many dangerous viruses that have yet to make horrific headlines.

The disease is in the news again, but this time, campylobacter jejuni is linked to puppies. We answer several questions.

Shuttle Endeavour touched down safely at the Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday morning, completing its final mission to space.

It took a surprising amount of engineering magic to build a coffee cup suitable for those in zero gravity.

Six months after leaning they were or were not going to be getting one of NASA's retired space shuttles for display, museums in Los Angeles, Houston and New Yor

Here's a rundown of the top 11 spaceflight stories of 2011, from the last mission of NASA's venerable space shuttle program to China's first-ever docking of two

This week, NASA is paying tribute to fallen astronauts who lost their lives in the pursuit of space exploration by holding a remembrance ceremony today (Jan. 26

Visiting Florida's Space Coast ahead of next week's primary, the GOP presidential candidate vows to build a permanent U.S. colony on the moon.

Astronaut Janice Voss, a veteran of five spaceflights and a former science director for a NASA exoplanet-hunting spacecraft, has died after a battle with cancer

NASA's space shuttle Discovery is set to land in Washington, D.C. this April, where the now retired fleet leader — the world's most flown spacecraft — will

Launching of the Dragon capsule will mark a significant step forward in the partnership between NASA and the private sector.

After 467 days in orbit and a ticker-tape parade, a special litte astronaut will live out its days at the National Air and Space Museum.

The first 'A' in NASA's acronym name — Aeronautics — will play a leading role in the final flights of its recently retired shuttle program. Space agency jet

The modified-Boeing 747, known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), touched down at NASA's Kennedy Space Center here on April 10. The jumbo jetliner came in f

NASA's space shuttles are gearing up to make their final voyages — this time flying piggyback a special Boeing 747 jet on the way to museum retirement homes.

Space shuttle Discovery, NASA's fleet leader and the world's most flown spacecraft, lifted off for the last time on on April 17 to be delivered to the Smithsoni

Cries of "I see it!" rang out through the crowd as a speck on the horizon got bigger and bigger, resolving into the odd shape of two attached aircraft approachi

Dailey, director of the museum, in a statement released Monday. "At the Udvar-Hazy Center, Discovery will be seen by millions of people in the coming years, esp

Residents of the Big Apple may catch sight of an unusual sight over their famous skyline this week: a NASA space shuttle riding atop a jumbo jet.

NASA's prototype shuttle orbiter Enterprise, which had been on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum since 2003, is set to fly to the Big App

Space Shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a 747 shuttle carrier aircraft, flies over New York City prior to landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Apr

The Enterprise and Endeavour both have temporary displays, but their museums need help to make plans for permanent homes a reality.

Space shuttle Enterprise suffered minor wing damage on June 3 when it collided with the navigation guides for a New York railroad bridge during the first half o

Hundreds of eager spectators lined Manhattan's West Side Pier 84 on June 6, as the space shuttle Enterprise completed the final leg of its journey to the Intrep

Four astronauts are spending 12 days underwater to prepare new methods for working in outer space. And they're Tweeting about it.

Former astronaut Alan "Dex" Poindexter, 50, a space shuttle commander who flew twice into space, died on July 1 after being injured in a water sports accident i