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
"Solar System"
Extraterrestrial Life
Cultural Bias Distorts the Search for Alien Life
“Decolonizing” the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) could boost its chances of success, says science historian Rebecca Charbonneau
Extraterrestrial Life
With New Study, NASA Seeks the Science behind UFOs
Although modest in scope, a NASA research project reflects shifting attitudes toward the formerly taboo subject of UFOs
Space Exploration
Astronauts Will Wear These Spacesuits on the Moon—And Maybe Mars, Too
The suits, supplied by Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace, will be used in NASA’s upcoming Artemis lunar missions and will protect space travellers from micrometeoroids, moon dust and even vomit...
Space Exploration
NASA’s Tiny CAPSTONE CubeSat Launches on Pioneering Moon Mission
The spacecraft will arrive in lunar orbit in mid-November to help prepare for a future moon-orbiting outpost
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.
Extraterrestrial Life
Scientists Sprout First-Ever Seedlings in Apollo Moon Dirt
We now know that plants survive but fail to thrive in lunar soil
Extraterrestrial Life
Origin of Life Theory Involving RNA-Protein Hybrid Gets New Support
A structure that links amino acids suggests that early organisms could have been based on an RNA-protein mix
Space Exploration
Europe Cancels Joint Moon Missions with Russia
Russia will move forward with lunar exploration without its European partners
Planetary Science
Next Stop, Uranus? Icy Planet Tops Priority List for Next Big NASA Mission
An influential panel’s recommendation makes the ice giant a likely destination for a flagship space mission
Planetary Science
Hubble Confirms Megacomet Bound for Inner Solar System Is Largest Ever Seen
The icy nucleus of Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is about 80 miles (129 kilometers) wide
Space Exploration
Spy Satellites Confirmed Our Discovery of the First Meteor from beyond the Solar System
A high-speed fireball that struck Earth in 2014 looked to be interstellar in origin, but verifying this extraordinary claim required extraordinary cooperation from secretive defense programs...
Space Exploration
Ax-1, First Private Crewed Space Station Mission, Launches Successfully
Axiom Space’s visit to the International Space Station is a milestone for commercial human spaceflight
Space Exploration
NASA Criticized for Ending Pronoun Project
More than 100 employees at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center were surprised when a test project allowing them to add their pronouns to their agency identifiers was abruptly canceled...
Space Exploration
Looming Rocket Impact Forecasts Trouble for Future Lunar Exploration
Although the space-junk strike on March 4 will probably be harmless, such events may soon become more common—and dangerous
Space Exploration
China Plans Asteroid Missions, Space Telescopes and a Moon Base
In the next five years, the nation hopes to launch a robotic craft to an asteroid, two lunar missions and an orbital observatory
Space Exploration
NASA Eyes Electric Car Tech for Future Moon Rovers
Space agencies are partnering with car manufacturers to custom build new rovers—or retrofit commercial vehicles—for future missions to the moon and Mars
Planetary Science
Earth Has a New Asteroid Companion but Not for Long
The Trojan asteroid 2020 XL5 is projected to linger in our planet’s vicinity for the next 4,000 years
Astronomy
SpaceX’s Starlink Satellites Leave Streaks in Asteroid-Hunting Telescope’s Images
Despite efforts to reduce light pollution from the satellites, their disruptions of astronomical observations are increasing at an alarming pace
Astronomy
James Webb Space Telescope Completes Crucial Sunshield Deployment
The successful unfurling of the five-layered, tennis court-sized assemblage is a major milestone for the new observatory
