Policy & Ethics
NASA Investigates Renaming James Webb Space Telescope after Anti-LGBT+ Claims
Some astronomers argue the space agency’s next flagship observatory will memorialize discrimination. Others are waiting for more evidence
Stories by Alexandra Witze
Space
Liftoff! First Flight on Mars Launches New Way to Explore Worlds
NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter successfully hovered for 40 seconds in Mars’s thin atmosphere
Space
Seismic Ripples Reveal Size of Mars’s Core
Mars becomes the first inner planet after Earth to have its core measured
Space
Mars Video Reveals Perseverance Rover’s Daring Touchdown
The NASA spacecraft has also snapped more shots of its surroundings and listened to a Martian wind gust
Space
Life on Venus Claim Faces Strongest Challenge Yet
New studies knock down a controversial report observing phosphine in the planet’s atmosphere
Policy & Ethics
Biden Names Top Geneticist Eric Lander as Science Adviser
U.S. president-elect also elevates the position to the cabinet for the first time
Space
Will Increasing Traffic to the Moon Contaminate Its Precious Ice?
Scientists seek guidance on exploring frozen caches at the lunar poles responsibly
Space
Legendary Arecibo Telescope Will Close Forever, and Scientists Are Reeling
A new satellite image reveals the damage that shut down the facility, ending an era in astronomical observation
Space
Prospects for Life on Venus Fade—but Aren’t Dead Yet
Debate continues over a controversial report of phosphine in the planet’s atmosphere, as researchers reanalyze data and find a fainter signal
Policy & Ethics
What a Joe Biden Presidency Would Mean For Science
The coronavirus pandemic, climate change and space exploration are among the issues that Biden will influence if he wins the upcoming U.S. election
Space
NASA Has Launched the Most Ambitious Mars Rover Ever Built: Here’s What Happens Next
Perseverance will stow away rocks for eventual delivery to Earth and will listen for Martian sounds for the first time
Space
Bizarre Nearby Star Offers Clues to Origins of Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts
The first fast radio burst detected in our galaxy comes from a magnetized star, and could help to explain these cosmic enigmas
Space
The First Footprints on Mars Could Belong to This Geologist
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins is at the forefront of a new crop of space explorers destined for the moon and maybe one day Mars
Space
Is This Telescope-On-A-Plane Worth Its Pricetag?
NASA’s high-flying SOFIA observatory has struggled to prove its scientific worth
Policy & Ethics
NASA Soars and Others Plummet in Trump’s Budget Proposal
U.S. research sees deep cuts in the president’s request for 2021. But Congress has resisted similar reductions in the past
Space
How the Fight over a Hawaii Mega Telescope Could Change Astronomy
The Thirty Meter Telescope controversy is forcing scientists to grapple with how their research affects indigenous peoples
Space
SpaceX Tests Black Satellite to Reduce “Megaconstellation” Threat to Astronomy
Latest launch includes “DarkSat” prototype to minimize reflection from fleets of broadband Internet satellites
Space
“Marsquakes” Reveal Red Planet’s Hidden Geology
NASA’s Mars InSight lander has detected more than 300 quakes and traced some back to their source
Space
NASA Asteroid Hunter Chooses Landing Site on Boulder-Strewn Space Rock
The OSIRIS-REx probe will attempt to sample rocks and soil from a crater in the asteroid Bennu’s northern hemisphere
EARTH
Greenland Rocks Suggest Earth’s Magnetic Field Is Older Than We Thought
Analysis finds that the planet’s protective shield was in place by at least 3.7 billion years ago, as early life arose
