After a Martian Marathon, NASA's Opportunity Rover Faces Uncertain Future
It's been a long time coming, but this week NASA's Mars Opportunity rover completed the first-ever Martian marathon. After landing on the Red Planet in January 2004 on a mission originally planned to only last 90 days, Opportunity has instead endured for more than a decade, and has taken eleven years and two months to [...]
The Science of TED 2015
What I love about the annual TED gathering in Vancouver is the way science coexists along with art, social justice, popular song and the rest of TED's eclectic mix.
Mystery Dust Cloud and Aurora Spotted on Mars
A spacecraft has discovered surprises in the Red Planet's upper atmosphere
Seven Reasons Space Scientists Are Tougher Than You Think
Whether it is waiting to hear about draft picks or the next release by Apple, there are many things that make enthusiasts hold their breath.
A Blizzard of Astrobiology
Astrobiology has one key advantage when it comes to tooting its own horn – it can lay claim to a diverse range of scientific research as being relevant to the study of life in the universe.
Dawn Spacecraft Arrives at Ceres, Becomes First to Orbit a Dwarf Planet
Shortly after 7:30 am Eastern time this morning, a seven-year space voyage at last reached its final destination: NASA's Dawn mission entered orbit around Ceres, a small, icy world orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
Early Mars Lost an Ocean's Worth of Water
New maps pinpoint possible sites of the Red Planet's ancient seas and current underground reservoirs
A Waste of Space [Commentary]
NASA’s new space station mission is not a big step toward Mars, but mostly a holding pattern
Why Space Stinks [VIDEO]
Parts of this supposed vast emptiness smell like rotten eggs or gunpowder.
The Shifting Politics of NASA's Astronaut Program
Ever since President George W. Bush's decision to retire the space shuttles in the aftermath 2003's Columbia disaster, NASA's human spaceflight program has been adrift.
Giant Asteroid Collision May Have Radically Transformed Mars
An ancient, global-scale impact could explain the Red Planet’s mysterious “two-faced” appearance
Tricksy Mars may be Obscuring Signs of Organic Matter
Picture a hot volcanic spring. Mineral-laden acidic water flows through sulfur-rich rocks. A foul odor hangs in the air. For us it’s a nasty environment, best enjoyed through the lens of a tourist’s camera.