AstronomyNovember 3, 2021
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Goes Dark Due to Glitch
The space agency is working to bring the observatory’s science instruments back online
Stories by Meghan Bartels
Meghan Bartels is a science journalist based in New York City. She joined Scientific American in 2023 and is now a senior reporter there. Previously, she spent more than four years as a writer and editor at Space.com, as well as nearly a year as a science reporter at Newsweek, where she focused on space and Earth science. Her writing has also appeared in Audubon, Nautilus, Astronomy and Smithsonian, among other publications. She attended Georgetown University and earned a master’s degree in journalism at New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program.
Space ExplorationOctober 23, 2021
Senate Debates Uncertain Future of U.S. Spaceflight
A congressional hearing about NASA’s budget and activities offered more questions than answers about the International Space Station, orbital debris hazards and returning astronauts to the moon
AstronomyAugust 19, 2021
Chinese Astronomers Eye Tibetan Plateau Site for Observatory Project
Years of weather monitoring suggest a high-altitude locale in Qinghai Province could host future telescopes
Planetary ScienceAugust 12, 2021
NASA Probe Finds Higher Chance of Asteroid Bennu Striking Earth
Using data from the OSIRIS-REx mission, scientists calculated slightly increased (but still low) odds the space rock will collide with our planet in the 2100s
Space & PhysicsJune 24, 2021
A Glitch Has Knocked the Hubble Space Telescope Offline—for Now
Although mission controllers have yet to identify the source of the problem, confidence is high the iconic observatory will soon return to normal operations
Space ExplorationJune 12, 2021
Venus Wins Stunning Third New Mission, This Time from Europe
EnVision will follow NASA’s DAVINCI+ and VERITAS
Space & PhysicsJune 9, 2021
Jeff Bezos Will Go to Space on Blue Origin’s First Crewed Flight
The multibillionaire—along with his brother and at least one other passenger—could reach suborbital heights as soon as July 20
Space & PhysicsJune 7, 2021
NASA’s Juno Set for Close Encounter with Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede
The flyby will be the closest a spacecraft has come to the gas giant’s largest moon in 20 years
Space & PhysicsApril 12, 2021
Celebrating 60 Years of Humans in Space
The anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic voyage to orbit is a chance to reflect on how far human spaceflight has come—and where it’s going next
Space & PhysicsFebruary 9, 2021
Hope Probe Enters Orbit around Mars
The United Arab Emirates’ first interplanetary mission reaches its destination scarcely a decade after the country’s first satellite launch
Space & PhysicsFebruary 8, 2021
The United Arab Emirates’ Hope Probe Approaches Mars
Stakes are high for the Arab world’s first ever interplanetary mission as it prepares to enter Martian orbit
Space & PhysicsJanuary 21, 2021
Biden Administration Appoints Acting NASA Chief
Associate administrator Steve Jurczyk, who has worked at the space agency since 1988, will serve as its interim leader during the presidential transition
Space & PhysicsDecember 1, 2020
The Arecibo Radio Telescope’s Massive Platform Has Collapsed
The hanging structure crashed through Arecibo’s dish after major cable failures
Space & PhysicsNovember 3, 2020
The International Space Station Is Doomed to Die by Fire
Twenty years after the famed orbital outpost went up, scientists and engineers are deciding how and when it will come back down
Space & PhysicsJuly 29, 2020
Why NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Uses Nuclear Energy
Radioactive plutonium is crucial for keeping this and other power-hungry deep-space missions warm and working for years on end
Space & PhysicsJune 1, 2020
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Docks with Space Station
The first-ever orbital flight of astronauts on a private spacecraft has been a historic success
Space & PhysicsApril 8, 2020
Margaret Burbidge, Astronomer Who Studied the Inner Workings of Stars, Dies at 100
Sometimes called “Lady Stardust,” Burbidge helped reveal the cosmic origins of chemical elements
Space & PhysicsApril 1, 2020
NASA’s Next Solar Mission Will Use Six Spacecraft to Make One Giant Telescope
Launching no earlier than July 2023, the SunRISE mission will study the origins of solar storms
Space & PhysicsMarch 30, 2020
Cooped Up at Home? Help Scientists Spot Penguins from Space or Seek Out Galaxies
Some citizen science projects can be done during quarantine
PolicyFebruary 25, 2020
Hubble Telescope Test Inspires Changes at NASA to Combat Gender Bias
The space agency’s adoption of dual-anonymous review for certain science programs seeks to ensure proposals are judged on merit alone
The SciencesFebruary 24, 2020
Katherine Johnson of Hidden Figures Fame Dies at 101
The pioneering NASA mathematician overcame racial barriers to help humans reach the moon
Space & PhysicsJanuary 14, 2020
Astronomers Just Found (Another) Potentially Habitable Exoplanet. What Happens Next?
NASA’s TESS spacecraft identified the unusual world around a red dwarf
Space & PhysicsJanuary 7, 2020
James Webb Space Telescope on Track for March 2021 Launch, NASA Says
Despite numerous setbacks, the $9.7-billion observatory is still on schedule to revolutionize our view of the universe
Space & PhysicsNovember 4, 2019
Boeing’s Next-Generation Starliner Vehicle Passes Major Safety Test
Despite a parachute glitch, the spacecraft’s pad-abort system showed it could protect future astronauts