Planetary Science
NASA Asteroid Threat Practice Drill Shows We’re Not Ready
A trial of how government, NASA and local officials would deal with a space rock headed toward Earth revealed gaps in the plans
Planetary Science55 articles archived since 1845
Planetary Science
Dying NASA Spacecraft Records Epic ‘Marsquakes’
As the InSight lander reports the largest-ever meteorite strikes on Mars, scientists wish it a fond farewell
Planetary Science
Earthly Microbes Might Survive on Mars for Hundreds of Millions of Years
An organism nicknamed “Conan the Bacterium” may have what it takes to live on Mars
Planetary Science
Space Station Experiment Maps Earth’s Methane ‘Super Emitters’
NASA’s EMIT instrument has found more than 50 methane super emitters in its first few months of operation—and that’s not even its main job
Ecology
News Briefs from around the World: October 2022
In case you missed it
Planetary Science
Jupiter’s Ocean Moon Europa Is Ready for Its Close-up
Fresh data from the Juno probe’s flyby of Europa could help scientists learn whether this icy moon of Jupiter is habitable—or even inhabited
Planetary Science
DART’s Smashing Success Shows Humanity Can Divert Asteroids
NASA confirms that its DART spacecraft nudged the asteroid Dimorphos into a new orbit
Planetary Science
Fresh Images Reveal Fireworks from DART’s Asteroid Impact
The celestial crash between NASA’s DART spacecraft and the asteroid Dimorphos is yielding spectacular pictures and data
Planetary Science
China’s Mars Rover Finds Hints of Catastrophic Floods
Radar images from the Zhurong rover reveal clues to the history of a largely unexplored region
Planetary Science
Extra Hard Space Diamonds May Have Formed in an Ancient Cosmic Collision
A new formation method for rare “lonsdaleite” diamonds may illuminate a better way to produce them on Earth
Planetary Science
NASA’s DART Spacecraft Successfully Smacks a Space Rock—Now What?
The DART spacecraft has purposefully crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos, hopefully changing its orbit by a few minutes, in a milestone test of future planetary defense techniques
Planetary Science
NASA’s DART Mission Could Help Cancel an Asteroid Apocalypse
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?
Planetary Science
NASA’s Asteroid-Crashing DART Mission Is Ready for Impact
The DART mission to redirect an asteroid could be just the beginning of a robust planetary-defense program
Planetary Science
Webb Telescope Finds Carbon Dioxide on a Distant Exoplanet
The result offers a sneak peek at the observatory’s transformative potential for studying worlds beyond the solar system
Planetary Science
Here’s Why Earth Just Had Its Shortest Day on Record
How wind, ice and rock may have combined to give our planet its shortest day
Planetary Science
NASA’s UFO Study Isn’t Really Looking for Space Aliens
A new investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena could have bigger impacts on atmospheric science than on astrobiology
Planetary Science
New Satellite Is a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ in Space
The hyperspectral probe can pick out extreme detail of materials on Earth’s surface
Planetary Science
Seismic Missions Could Reveal the Solar System’s Underworlds
Seismology has been a long-overlooked tool in planetary exploration, but the success of NASA’s InSight lander has reignited the field
Planetary Science
Controversy Grows Over whether Mars Samples Endanger Earth
Planetary scientists are eager to bring Red Planet rocks, soil and even air to Earth, but critics fear the risk of contaminating our world’s biosphere
Space Exploration
NASA’s Perseverance Rover Begins Key Search for Life on Mars
Rolling up an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater, the rover starts crucial rock sampling.
