Space & Physics
Asteroid-Sampling Mission Zeroes in on Tiny Space Rock
U.S. spacecraft aims to return the largest trove of space dirt to Earth since NASA’s final Apollo mission in the 1970s
Stories by Alexandra Witze
Space & Physics
Mars Scientists Edge Closer to Solving Methane Mystery
The warming power of the sun could help to explain why the level of gas in the atmosphere changes with the seasons
Space & Physics
Hubble Telescope Stops Collecting Data after Mechanical Fault
A malfunctioning gyroscope has temporarily hobbled the aging space observatory
Space & Physics
The Quest to Conquer Earth’s Space Junk Problem
Zombie satellites, rocket shards and collision debris are creating major traffic risks in orbits around the planet. Researchers are working to reduce the threats posed by more than 20,000 objects in space...
Computing
Artificial Intelligence Nails Predictions of Earthquake Aftershocks
A neural-network analysis outperforms the method scientists typically use to work out where these tremors will strike
Weather
World’s First Wind-Mapping Satellite Set to Launch
Data from the long-awaited Aeolus mission will address a major gap in the global forecasting system
Policy
Trump Taps Meteorologist as White House Science Advisor
Nomination of Kelvin Droegemeier could end long drought at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Space & Physics
Milky Way's Black Hole Provides Long-Sought Test of Einstein's General Relativity
An observation decades in the making confirms predictions about how light behaves in an immense gravitational field
Space & Physics
Asteroid Battle: Tech Entrepreneur Doubles Down on Critique of NASA Mission
Nathan Myhrvold argues that the scientific approach of the landmark NEOWISE space-rock mission is deeply flawed
Natural Disasters
World’s Deadliest Volcanoes Are Identified
Indonesia is most at risk from eruptions, compared with other nations
Space & Physics
Astronomers Spot Helium on Exoplanet for First Time
After more than a decade of searching, scientists finally detect the element billowing out of a gas giant
Space & Physics
"Marsquakes" Set to Reveal Tantalizing Clues to Planet's Early Years
NASA’s Mars InSight mission will listen for seismic activity to uncover details of Red Planet’s mysterious core
Space & Physics
NASA’s Next Exoplanet Hunter Will Seek Worlds Close to Home
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is designed to spot planets orbiting nearby bright stars
Space & Physics
U.S. Scientists Plot Return to the Moon's Surface
Lunar researchers want to take advantage of Trump administration’s political interest
Policy
Trump Budget Gives Last-Minute Reprieve to Science Funding
Funding for the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health would hold steady after Congress agrees to lift spending caps, but details are fuzzy
Space & Physics
NASA Test Proves Pulsars Can Function as a Celestial GPS
Experiment shows how spacecraft could use stellar signals to navigate in deep space without human instruction
Space & Physics
Long-Awaited U.S. Report Charts Course for Studies of Earth from Space
Earth scientists recommend smaller, cheaper missions to maximize science returns over the next decade
Environment
Rescued Radar Maps Reveal Antarctica’s Past
More than 2 million newly digitized images extend the history of the bottom of the ice sheet
Space & Physics
Trump Tells NASA to Return to the Moon
U.S. astronauts last visited the lunar surface in the 1970s
Policy
9 Researchers Sue University of Rochester over Sexual-Harassment Allegations
Lawsuit alleges the institution mishandled complaints about cognitive scientist Florian Jaeger
