
India’s Mars Probe Sends Its First Images
The India Space Research Organization unveils its first pictures of the red planet

India’s Mars Probe Sends Its First Images
The India Space Research Organization unveils its first pictures of the red planet

India Spacecraft Successfully Arrives at Mars
The Mangalyaan probe, the country's first mission to another world, has entered the Red Planet's orbit


Making Astronomy Accessible for the Visually Impaired
A couple of years ago, one of my thesis mentors sought visually impaired scientists working at a major space science agency in the United States.

Spacecraft Investigates What Happened to Mars’ Atmosphere
NASA’s MAVEN orbiter arrived at Mars to study how gas escapes from around the planet

MAVEN Maneuvers into Orbit Tonight
Last summer, I attended a new media professionals workshop at the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in Colorado to learn more about the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission which launched last November.

The Great Alien Debate: How Unlikely is Life?
This post is one in a series covering, and expanding on, topics in the book The Copernicus Complex (Scientific American/FSG). The conversation usually goes like this: Do you think we’re alone in the universe?

NASA's Next Mars Lander Will Peer Deep into Planet's History
The InSight Mission will measure the planet's rotation, weather at the landing site and magnetic disturbances to reveal more about Mars' inner workings and early development

The Copernicus Complex: A Primer
In a month’s time, the end result of two-and-a-half years of research, thinking, writing, re-writing, re-re-writing, editing, mulling, puzzling, coffee-drinking, beer-swilling, swearing, and tweaking will hit the shelves in the form of my new book The Copernicus Complex.

Dig These Instruments That Will Be on NASA's Mars 2020 Rover
NASA says the rover will carry a zoomable camera, an oxygen-maker and instruments geared to the selection of samples that might be studied one day back on Earth

Summer Shorts: A Record 25 Miles On Mars
It's summer in the northern hemisphere of a small, damp, planet orbiting a middle-aged star in a spiral galaxy of matter enjoying a brief heyday before colliding with another galaxy in some 4 billion orbits of the same small, damp, planet.

NASA May Put a Greenhouse on the Red Planet
Mustardlike plants could be the first Earthlings to call Mars home if NASA decides to let them hitch a ride on the next rover

Impact Craters May Have Cradled Life on Earth
Asteroid and comet impacts could have destroyed some habitats for life while also creating new ones for bacteria