Space
NASA Picks Two Missions to Explore Venus, the First in Decades
The space agency’s DAVINCI+ and VERITAS missions could boost planetary science when they launch later this decade
Stories by Robin George Andrews
Space
NASA Just Broke the ‘Venus Curse’: Here’s What It Took
Despite the best efforts of scientists eager to study Earth’s sister world, U.S. efforts to send a dedicated spacecraft to Venus languished—until NASA made a surprising announcement...
Space
Giant Galaxies from the Universe’s Childhood Challenge Cosmic Origin Stories
Large galaxies are thought to form gradually, across billions of years of cosmic time. So why do astronomers keep finding them in the youthful early universe?
Space
NASA Ends Efforts to Deploy Mars InSight’s ‘Mole’
After two years of futile struggles to penetrate surprisingly sticky soil, the heat probe’s demise leaves large gaps in our understanding of the Red Planet’s interior
Space
Arecibo’s Collapse Sends Dire Warning to Other Aging Observatories
The iconic telescope’s tragic end foreshadows future battles over the fate of various legacy facilities
Space
Strange Extragalactic Strands Mystify Astronomers
A distant galaxy has sprouted filaments hundreds of thousands of light-years long—and no one knows why
Space
Collision on One Side of Pluto Ripped Up Terrain on the Other, Study Suggests
A new computer model shows how a buried ocean on Pluto might have enabled seismic waves to travel
Space
Rocks, Rockets and Robots: The Plan to Bring Mars Down to Earth
Coordinated by NASA and ESA, an ambitious effort to retrieve samples from the Red Planet faces major obstacles
Space
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Finds Unexplained Oxygen on Mars
Fluctuating levels of the atmospheric gas, a potential tracer of alien life, have left researchers mystified
Space
Can Spaceflight Save the Planet?
Spin-offs from space science and exploration offer eco-friendly benefits for Earth
Space
Burying CAESAR: How NASA Picks Winners—and Losers—in Space Exploration
Despite an impartial selection process, the space agency’s plans for robotic interplanetary missions lead to biases in our knowledge of the solar system
Space
NASA to Seek Iron-Spewing Volcanoes at Psyche
New research suggests the large metallic asteroid may harbor signs of past “ferrovolcanism” that could help rewrite early chapters of the solar system’s history
Space
“Toffee Planets” Hint at Earth’s Cosmic Rarity
Exoplanets with stretchy, flowing rock may be bereft of plate tectonics—and of complex life
Natural Disasters
Oil Drillers’ Attempts to Avoid Earthquakes May Make Them Worse
Shallow wastewater injections—supposedly safer—can cause big, far-flung quakes, study says
Natural Disasters
Forget Doorframes: Expert Advice on Earthquake Survival Strategies
Indonesia’s Lombok quake revives the question of taking cover versus running outside
Natural Disasters
Photo Gallery: How Kilauea—and Other Volcanoes—Produce Amazing and Frightful Weather
Volcanic tornadoes, choking fog, “laze,” lightning, hail, waterspouts and even frost are created above hot eruptions
