Space Exploration
Artemis I Launches U.S.’s Long-Awaited Return to the Moon
The first flight test of the world’s most powerful rocket will send an uncrewed spacecraft to lunar orbit and back
Stories by Nadia Drake
Space Exploration
NASA’s Artemis Delays Fuel Controversy over Rocket Design
The first test flight of the space agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft is plagued by delays decades in the making
Space Exploration
The ‘Program Is Precarious’: Lori Garver on NASA’s Artemis I Moonshot
A former NASA deputy administrator speaks candidly about the troubled history and radical potential of the space agency’s lunar return
Space Exploration
NASA’s Artemis I Moon Mission Is ‘Go’ for Launch
The U.S. is preparing to send astronauts to the moon for the first time in 50 years
Astronomy
Maunakea’s Controversial Telescopes Are Getting New Management
Starting in 2023, control of the summit will shift from the University of Hawaii to an 11-member oversight authority that includes Native Hawaiian voices
Space Exploration
NASA Criticized for Ending Pronoun Project
More than 100 employees at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center were surprised when a test project allowing them to add their pronouns to their agency identifiers was abruptly canceled...
Planetary Science
What We Learned from the Perseverance Rover’s First Year on Mars
Despite some unexpected challenges, team members are setting lofty goals for the rover in 2022
Space & Physics
‘Magnetic Star’ Radio Waves Could Solve the Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts
The surprise detection of a radio burst from a neutron star in our galaxy might reveal the origin of a bigger cosmological phenomenon
Public Health
How the Coronavirus Is Hampering Science
Research meetings are being canceled left and right over epidemic fears, slowing the work of scientists—especially those who are early in their career
Space & Physics
Mysterious, Dusty Objects Are Swarming the Milky Way’s Core
Swirling around our galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, these objects share properties with both stars and gas clouds
Space & Physics
How Old Are Saturn’s Rings? The Debate Rages On
Pinning down the ring system’s age has profound implications for the entire Saturnian system
Space & Physics
In a First, Earthlings Spot a Meteor Strike the Eclipse-Darkened Moon
A flash of light during last weekend’s total lunar eclipse sparks a search for a new lunar crater
Space & Physics
U.S. Astronomers Ponder Science Priorities for the 2020s and Beyond
The Astro 2020 Decadal Survey kicks off amid turmoil and uncertainty
Environment
Indonesia Blazes Threaten Endangered Orangutans
Fuelled by El Niño and land-management blunders, fires consume precious habitat.
Biology
Stealth percussionists of the animal world
Animals may not be able to predict earthquakes, but many—from elephants to spiders—are quite adept at detecting vibrations that are imperceptible to humans.
