A Close Encounter with SpaceX Debris Teaches an Astronomer about Space Junk
The space junk polluting low-Earth orbit sometimes makes its way to Earth. Here’s how one astronomer responded when SpaceX debris fell on a nearby farm.
Olympic Athletes Swim the Murky Seine, and Astronauts Are Stuck on the Space Station
We cover the science stories of the Olympics, concerns about artificial sweeteners and a new theory of how the pyramids were built in this week’s news roundup.
No, You Can’t See the Great Wall of China from Space
Reports of Earth-orbiting astronauts glimpsing the Great Wall of China and many other artificial structures are wildly exaggerated, but humanity’s planetary influence isn’t entirely invisible from afar
How NASA’s Stranded Starliner Astronauts Could Fly Home with SpaceX
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been stuck on the ISS since they launched to the station in early June. Now the space agency is close to deciding how to bring them back
NASA Losing VIPER Rover Defangs the Science from Planned Moon Landings
A former space agency official argues that cutting a robotic explorer pulls the scientific teeth from the Artemis program
Scientists Race to Map Dangerous Ultrasmall Space Junk
An ambitious U.S. government program is working to detect and track millions of tiny space junk pieces—down to the size of a sand grain—throughout low-Earth orbit and beyond
This Is the Most Exciting Rock Ever Found on Mars
Mysterious “leopard spots” on a Martian rock could be evidence of extraterrestrial life—or of mere lifeless chemistry. Finding out the truth may require bringing the rock back to Earth
NASA May Spend $800 Million to Not Send This Revolutionary Rover to the Moon
The VIPER lunar rover promised a revolution in our understanding of the moon’s precious deposits of ice. Then NASA cancelled the mission
After Falcon 9 Rocket Anomaly, SpaceX Seeks Rapid Return to Flight
SpaceX has filed a request with the Federal Aviation Administration to determine whether the company can resume launches of its recently grounded workhorse rocket
Europe Announces New Mission to Infamous Asteroid Apophis
ESA’s Ramses spacecraft will scout out Apophis before and after the asteroid’s super-close flyby of Earth in 2029
A New, Deadly Era of Space Junk Is Dawning, and No One Is Ready
A Saskatchewan farmer’s near miss with potentially lethal debris falling from orbit highlights the skyrocketing risks and murky politics of space junk
The Face on Mars and Other Cases of Cosmic Pareidolia
The human brain loves seeing patterns, even when they aren’t really there