Missions

NASA Tests the New Starship Docking System

The Apollo Program delivered 12 American astronauts to the surface of the Moon. But that program ended in 1972, and…

3 weeks ago

When an Object Like ‘Oumuamua Comes Around Again, We Could be Ready With an Interstellar Object Explorer (IOE)

On October 19th, 2017, astronomers with the Pann-STARRS survey observed an Interstellar Object (ISO) passing through our system - 1I/2017…

3 weeks ago

NASA is Done Setting Fires Inside its Doomed Cargo Spacecraft

Fire on a spacecraft can be catastrophic. It can spread quickly in a confined space, and for trapped astronauts, there…

1 month ago

The Vera Rubin’s Keen Eye On Our Solar System Will Inspire Future Missions

When the interstellar object (ISO) Oumuamua appeared in our Solar System in 2017, it generated a ton of interest. The…

1 month ago

NASA’s JPL Lays Off Hundreds of Workers

In a disheartening turn of events, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has announced that it's laying off about 8% of its…

1 month ago

Atmosphere Pressure Changes Could Explain Mars Methane

One ongoing mystery on Mars is the sporadic detection of atmospheric methane. Since 1999 detections have been made by Earth-based…

2 months ago

Exploring the Solar System with Swarms of Microprobes

It's satisfying to sit back and take stock of all the places in the Solar System that we've explored. The…

2 months ago

NASA Selects a Sample Return Mission to Venus

In Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy, the famous words "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here" adorn the…

2 months ago

Ingenuity’s 69th Flight is its Farthest So Far

When NASA decided to send the little Ingenuity rotorcraft to Mars on the belly of the Perseverance rover, they weren't…

3 months ago

Watch a Full Martian Day, From Dawn to Dusk

On November 8th, NASA's Curiosity Rover paused its incessant science work and just watched the day unfold on Mars. The…

3 months ago