Planetary Science
Space Rocks Keep Hitting Jupiter: What’s the Deal with That?
The giant planet’s hefty gravitational tug helps explain a spate of recent asteroid strikes
"Solar System"
Planetary Science
Can Digital Replica of Earth Save the World from Climate Disaster?
A new virtual model of our planet could help resolve lingering climatic uncertainties
Astrophysics
Hunt for Alien Life Tops Next-Gen Wish List for U.S. Astronomy
A major report outlining the highest priorities and recommendations for U.S. astronomy has finally been released, revealing the shape of things to come
Space Exploration
Senate Debates Uncertain Future of U.S. Spaceflight
A congressional hearing about NASA’s budget and activities offered more questions than answers about the International Space Station, orbital debris hazards and returning astronauts to the moon...
Astronomy
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Will Face ‘29 Days on the Edge’
The observatory must complete about 50 major deployments after liftoff
Planetary Science
Meteorite Crashes into Woman’s Bed in Canada
The woman awoke to find the space rock laying next to her head
Space Exploration
Blue Origin Launches William Shatner and Crew to the Final Frontier
The 90-year-old Star Trek actor is now the oldest person to fly in space
Planetary Science
Planetary Defense Is Good—but Is Planetary Offense Better?
A new approach could mitigate the most damaging effects of an imminent asteroid or comet strike—or ensure many threatening objects never get close to striking Earth in the first place...
Space Exploration
Don’t Count on Billionaires to Get Humanity into Space
Far from pioneering wide access to orbit, privately funded spaceflight is geared to perpetuate inequities in space and on Earth
Planetary Science
NASA Unveils Ice-Hunting VIPER Rover’s Lunar Landing Site
The space agency’s first-ever robotic moon rover will touch down in late 2023 just west of Nobile, a crater near the lunar south pole
Space Exploration
SpaceX’s Private Inspiration4 Crew Is Back on Earth
The crew’s splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean marks the historic mission’s end
Space Exploration
SpaceX’s Starship Could Rocket-Boost Research in Space
The platform could aid climate science, space junk cleanup and planetary exploration
Planetary Science
Solar ‘Superflares’ Rocked Earth Less Than 10,000 Years Ago—and Could Strike Again
Although our sun is considered a quiet star, it is now thought to have repeatedly pelted our planet with enormous eruptions in the not too distant past. Could another occur in the near future?...
Space Exploration
Why Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin Is So Reviled
Economic inequality, an indulgent trip to space and an ongoing legal battle with NASA are putting the space company in the hot seat
Planetary Science
NASA Probe Finds Higher Chance of Asteroid Bennu Striking Earth
Using data from the OSIRIS-REx mission, scientists calculated slightly increased (but still low) odds the space rock will collide with our planet in the 2100s
Space Exploration
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Foiled in First Attempt to Grab Rock for Return to Earth
Seeking to collect its inaugural core sample, the mission hopes to begin what could be humanity’s boldest search for extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial Life
Future Space Travel Might Require Mushrooms
Mycologist Paul Stamets discusses the potential extraterrestrial uses of fungi, including terraforming planets, building human habitats—and providing psilocybin therapy to astronauts...
Planetary Science
Buried ‘Lakes’ on Mars May Just Be Frozen Clay
Mineral deposits, not salty water, are the most likely cause of radar reflections spotted beneath the planet’s south pole, a new study finds
Space Exploration
Can the U.S. and China Cooperate in Space?
China’s meteoric rise in space science and exploration—along with its new partnership with Russia—is spurring U.S. experts to reconsider a long-standing prohibition on bilateral collaborations...
Space & Physics
Unbinding Life, Unbounded
The blog’s author reflects as nine years of writing undergo an evolutionary change
