Space & Physics
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Weighs a Mountain on Mars
Gravitational measurements may solve the long-standing mystery of how Mount Sharp formed
Stories by Mike Wall
Space & Physics
China Makes Historic First Landing on Mysterious Far Side of the Moon
The milestone marks a turning point for China’s space exploration, and may unlock deep secrets of lunar history
Space & Physics
NASA’s InSight Mars Lander Snaps Selfie, Surveys Workspace
The Red-Planet-probing spacecraft is on course to deploy its instruments in early 2019
Space & Physics
Success of Tiny Mars Probes Heralds New Era of Deep-Space Cubesats
Two pint-sized spacecraft, MarCO-A and MarCO-B, served as communications relays for NASA’s InSight lander
Space & Physics
NASA’s InSight Mars Lander Touches Down Next Week
The $850 million mission will be the first to land on the Red Planet in more than 6 years
Space & Physics
Russia’s Soyuz Rocket Returns to Flight with Crewed Launch in Early December
The rocket’s next launch comes less than a month after a major mishap endangered the lives of crewmembers bound for the International Space Station
Space & Physics
Kepler, NASA’s Revolutionary Planet-Hunting Telescope, Is Dead
After running out of fuel, the mission leaves behind a legacy of thousands of exoplanets and a new understanding of Earth’s cosmic context
Space & Physics
NASA’s Kepler Mission May Have Found Fewer Habitable Exoplanets Than Thought
New data from the European Gaia space telescope could lead to a downward revision to tally of Earth-like worlds
Space & Physics
Hubble Space Telescope Returns to Action after Gyroscope Glitch
The workhorse orbital observatory has resumed normal science operations, NASA says
Space & Physics
Hubble Space Telescope Almost Back in Action
The famed orbital observatory has recovered from a glitch that suspended its operations earlier this month
Space & Physics
Europa’s Equator May Be Covered in Perilous Ice Towers
Jagged ice spikes called ‘penitentes’ on Jupiter’s ocean-bearing moon could pose grave risks for robotic landers
Space & Physics
Success! Hopping, Shoebox-Size Lander Touches Down Safely on Asteroid Ryugu
The European-built MASCOT lander successfully deployed from Japan’s Hayabusa1 spacecraft to begin its ambitious-but-brief mission
Space & Physics
Newfound World, "The Goblin," May Lead to Mysterious Planet Nine
Drifting far past Pluto, the orbit of the dwarf planet 2015 TG387 appears to have been sculpted by the gravity of something far larger lurking in the solar system’s outer limits
Policy
Moon Is Stepping-Stone, Not Alternative to Mars, NASA Chief Says
The Red Planet remains the U.S. space agency’s ultimate goal
Space & Physics
SpaceX Plans to Fly Humans Around the Moon in 2023
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and a hand-picked coterie of artists could embark on a lunar mission within five years
Space & Physics
Space Station Commander: It’s “Absolutely a Shame” to Suggest Astronauts Caused Leak
The lead astronaut on the station defends the integrity of his team
Space & Physics
Faster Than Light? Neutron-Star Merger Shot Out a Jet with Seemingly Impossible Speed
The jet’s apparent (but not actual) superluminal velocity provide new constraints on the merger and its aftermath
Space & Physics
With Mars Dust Storm Clearing, Opportunity Rover Could Finally Wake Up
The mission now faces a 45-day deadline to phone home before active recovery measures cease
Space & Physics
With Mars Dust Storm Clearing, Opportunity Rover Could Finally Wake Up
The mission now faces a 45-day deadline to phone home before active recovery measures cease
Space & Physics
NASA’s Opportunity Rover Still Silent on Mars
Two months into a planet-wide dust storm, the hardy rover remains in hibernation—or worse
