News in Space for 2017 Excites Enthusiasts

2016 was a year of great explorations, discoveries and advancement in space, but this 2017 will be more exciting.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) instore many programs and missions for space exploration enthusiasts. However, these programs and missions for space may not be as it is. Planning and timing takes a lot of funds and decisions to execute.

Optimism about this year's upcoming mission and discoveries leads healthy uncertainty results to a better science. Here are some of the most anticipated events that everyone is waiting.

According to Wired total solar eclipse will be visible, for the first time since 1918, in the entire continent in United States and this is expected to happen on August 17 this year.

Space describes solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets in between the Earth and the sun, and the moon a shadow over earth. It can only take place at the phase of new moon, when the moon passes directly between the sun and the Earth and its shadows fall upon the Earth's surface.

NASA's another mission get to Mars is just ready to take another great leap to explore the red planet. This year the rocket will enter "Green Run" phase at NASA's Stennis Space Center. But the space launch system (SLS) is still in its testing stages and will continue up to the rocket's projected launch in 2018 set to carry the Orion spacecraft on an unmanned mission.

2017 will be a payback time for the Earth against asteroids. Last year NASA launches the OSIRIS Rex, a spacecraft equip not only to orbit the carbon-rich asteroid Bennu but also to take some samples back to Earth. The spacecraft will flyby Earth and slingshot using its gravity towards Bennu. OSIRIS Rex is due to return Earth by 2030 with samples from the asteroid.

Space explorations can never be even better by using the fully autonomous mercury-iron atomic clock called Deep Space Atomic Clock. The clock will revolutionize space navigation mimicking extraterrestrial navigation, thus improving accuracy and cutting down communication logs through the Deep Space Network, a system of Earth bound antenna arrays and an ultra-precise atomic clock. Launch time for Atomic clock will be on January 17.

Also, China will launch Tianzhou 1, the first resupply mission to their prototype space station, Tiangong 2 since the International Space Station will retire on 2024. Likewise, between the second half of 2017, the country will also launch Chang'e 5 robotic sample return mission from moon.

Lastly, NASA Cassini probe will go beyond the rings of Saturn. As the probe reaches the end of its journey, Cassini will descend even closer to the planet's surface until it makes its destructive impact while taking snapshots pictures until touchdown. This will happen between April 22 to September 15, 2017.