Stories by Robin George Andrews

There are no individual saviors for Tonga’s Internet infrastructure

Although the space-junk strike on March 4 will probably be harmless, such events may soon become more common—and dangerous

Our planet is vulnerable to thousands of “city-killer” space rocks. If—when—one is found on a collision course with Earth, will we be ready to deflect it?

After an alarming failure, the rover is set to continue its mission to retrieve specimens for eventual return to Earth

Seeking to collect its inaugural core sample, the mission hopes to begin what could be humanity’s boldest search for extraterrestrial life

The space agency’s DAVINCI+ and VERITAS missions could boost planetary science when they launch later this decade

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

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?

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

The iconic telescope’s tragic end foreshadows future battles over the fate of various legacy facilities

A distant galaxy has sprouted filaments hundreds of thousands of light-years long—and no one knows why

A new computer model shows how a buried ocean on Pluto might have enabled seismic waves to travel

Coordinated by NASA and ESA, an ambitious effort to retrieve samples from the Red Planet faces major obstacles

Fluctuating levels of the atmospheric gas, a potential tracer of alien life, have left researchers mystified

Spin-offs from space science and exploration offer eco-friendly benefits for Earth

Despite an impartial selection process, the space agency’s plans for robotic interplanetary missions lead to biases in our knowledge of the solar system

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

Exoplanets with stretchy, flowing rock may be bereft of plate tectonics—and of complex life

Shallow wastewater injections—supposedly safer—can cause big, far-flung quakes, study says

Indonesia’s Lombok quake revives the question of taking cover versus running outside

Volcanic tornadoes, choking fog, “laze,” lightning, hail, waterspouts and even frost are created above hot eruptions