Scientists Double Down on Landing Sites for Sample-Collecting Mars Rover
NASA’s Mars 2020 mission could visit two locations where microbial life may once have thrived
Stories by Leonard David
Will NASA's Next Mission to Venus Be a Balloon?
Airships or solar-powered airplanes may be next in line for a return to Earth’s “evil twin”
Would Trump's "Space Force" Patrol the Moon?
The proposed new military branch could protect the “space commons” in the vicinity of Earth
Paul Spudis, Moon-Exploration Expert, Dies at 66
The planetary scientist was an outspoken advocate of lunar missions as the preferred next steps for human spaceflight
Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt, Water Ice Exists on the Moon
Deposited in perpetually dark craters around the poles, the ice could be a boon for future crewed lunar outposts
As Space Becomes a Busy Place, NASA Bolsters Its Planet-Contamination Police
Lisa Pratt, the space agency’s new planetary protection officer, could soon oversee major shifts in regulations on public- and private-sector space missions
Breezes Could Help Power Landers on Mars
Wind turbines could produce significant amounts of electricity for robots exploring the Red Planet’s surface
Comsat Launch Bolsters China's Dreams for Landing on the Moon's Far Side
The Queqiao orbiter will serve as a vital communications relay between the Earth and future lunar landers—and perform some science, too
Should We Open Some Sealed Moon Samples?
Now might be the best time to study unexamined caches of lunar material from the Apollo missions
If We Found Life on Mars, How Would We Know?
Despite decades of Red Planet exploration, the protocols for confirming evidence of life there are still quite hazy
Shooting for the Moon--This Time to Stay
After almost a half-century hiatus, lunar missions are once again becoming the next big thing in space science and exploration
Is the James Webb Space Telescope "Too Big to Fail?"
Backers of NASA’s next great observatory contemplate its worst-case scenarios
How Much Air Pollution Is Produced by Rockets?
With economic activity poised to surge in space, scientists are reexamining how rockets might harm Earth’s atmosphere
NASA's Next Mars Lander Zooms toward Launch
The InSight mission will take the planet’s temperature—and help prepare for eventual human exploration
China's Delayed Moon Mission Sparks Debate over Lunar Samples
The Chang’e 5 spacecraft could return invaluable new moon rocks to Earth, but who will get to study them?
NASA Debates How to Retrieve Rocks from Mars
The agency's next Mars rover will cache samples for return to Earth, but how and when they will be delivered remains undecided
Scientists Spot Water-Rich Rocks on Moon
Data from an Indian lunar orbiter hints at substantial water in the lunar interior
Sweating the Small Stuff: CubeSats Swarm Earth Orbit
A boom in nanosatellites could revolutionize space science and industry, but also dramatically increase the hazards of space junk
Will Mars Go Mute? NASA's Aging Orbiters May Not Last Long Enough to Support Future Exploration
The space agency does not have a replacement in the works to take over their vital role of relaying communications
The Search for Life on Mars Is about to Get Weird
Astrobiologists ponder sending gene sequencers, weather stations, drilling rigs and more to the Red Planet
