Washington  - The solar wind is at a 50-year low, potentially opening up the solar system to more dangerous rays from outer space, researchers said Tuesday.

Data from the joint NASA and European Space Agency Ulysses solar mission show the cyclical wind - as the plasma and magnetic fields sent out by the sun are called - are at their lowest level since scientists first gathered information on the matter.

Washington  - US space agency NASA on Thursday moved space shuttle Atlantis to a coastal launch pad, in preparation for lift off on October 8.

The shuttle was set to be rolled out Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, but the six-hour move was delayed because of two tropical storms brewing dangerously close to the Gulf of Mexico.

Atlantis' crew members are set for an equipment test Friday, with a launch targeted for October 8 as scheduled, a statement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.

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Washington  - A NASA rover on Mars has discovered a toxin in soil on the north pole, diminishing the likelihood of finding life on the Red Planet, space agency officials said Tuesday.

The Phoenix lander several weeks ago scooped up the dirt samples and extensive analysis confirmed the existence of perchlorate, a highly oxidizing substance that would harm life.

"This is surprising since an earlier ... measurement of surface materials was consistent with but not conclusive of the presence of perchlorate," said Peter Smith, the principal investigator at the University of Arizona.

Washington - The Phoenix Mars mission, which has spent the last two months examining the red planet for evidence that it could support life, will be extended through September, NASA scientists said Thursday.

Phoenix landed on Mars May 25 and its mission was to last three months. Instead the US space agency will spend another 2 million dollars for a few extra weeks of research, chief scientist Michael Meyer said in a press conference from Tucson, Arizona.

Washington, March 21: NASA's Cassini spacecr