Space & Physics
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
Stories by Alexandra Witze
Space & Physics
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 & Physics
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 & Physics
Is This Telescope-On-A-Plane Worth Its Pricetag?
NASA’s high-flying SOFIA observatory has struggled to prove its scientific worth
Policy
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 & Physics
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 & Physics
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 & Physics
“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 & Physics
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
Space & Physics
Two Interstellar Intruders Are Upending Astronomy
Researchers grapple with the meaning of the first objects entering our solar system from beyond
Weather
New 5G Wireless Deal Threatens Accurate Weather Forecasts
Meteorologists say international standards for wireless technology could degrade crucial satellite measurements of water vapor
Space & Physics
Second Ever Interstellar Comet Contains Alien Water
Scientists have spotted signs of water as the object 2I/Borisov streaks toward the sun
Electronics
GPS Is Doing More Than You Thought
Here are five scientific applications that take the navigation system beyond the map
Space & Physics
Hawaii Telescope Protest Shuts Down 13 Observatories on Mauna Kea
Construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope was supposed to start on July 15
Space & Physics
Controversial Telescope Set to Begin Construction in Hawaii
The Thirty Meter Telescope project has faced years of legal challenges over planned Mauna Kea site
Space & Physics
Can NASA Really Return People to the Moon by 2024?
Donald Trump wants U.S. astronauts back on the Moon. But his ambitious plan faces formidable political, financial and technical challenges
Space & Physics
Mars Rover Detects “Excitingly Huge” Methane Spike
NASA’s Curiosity rover reports the highest-ever reading of the gas at the planet’s surface
Weather
Global 5G Wireless Networks Threaten Weather Forecasts
Next-generation mobile technology could interfere with crucial satellite-based Earth observations
Space & Physics
First “Marsquake” Detected on Red Planet
NASA′s InSight lander hears ripples of seismic energy rippling through Mars
