Space Exploration

  Astronomers have been pondering the nature of our first interstellar visitor ever since its discovery. ‘Oumuamua is bizarre — not only is it from beyond the stars, but it’s also long and cigar-shaped. That led some to wonder if it wasn’t really an alien spacecraft, but past studies of …

  NASA’s Orion spacecraft is one step closer to carrying humans into space today. The agency confirms that all systems performed perfectly during the second ascent abort test, proving that astronauts aboard Orion could be safely wrenched free of a rocket in the event of an emergency. Launch abort systems …

  Traveling through space isn’t just about knowing where you are. You also need to know what time it is, and a wristwatch won’t do. Spacecraft rely on extremely accurate measurements of time to coordinate maneuvers, and these systems will become even more important as we aim for distant destinations. …

  Boeing and SpaceX have traded the lead a few times in the race to send a crewed spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). Initially, Boeing was the favorite due to its long history navigating the intricacies of government contracts, but SpaceX pulled ahead on the strength of the …

  Humanity is a long way from being able to colonize a single star, let alone the entire Milky Way galaxy. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) issued an interesting challenge to scientists around the world as part of the 10th Global Trajectory Optimisation Competition (GTOC X). Teams had to devise …

  NASA’s Curiosity rover has been exploring the red planet for almost seven years, spending most of its time analyzing the geology and taking selfies. However, it also has some instruments that can detect possible signs of life on Mars. The agency reports that Curiosity just detected an unusually high …

Saturn’s small icy moon Enceladus contains a global subsurface ocean. According to new research from the University of Washington, the ice-covered ocean probably has a more Earthlike pH level and higher than previously known concentrations of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, providing more favorable conditions for microbial life in the ocean …

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) tunable laser spectrometer onboard Curiosity last week detected surprisingly high levels of the gas methane at Gale Crater: about 21 parts per billion units by volume (ppbv), the largest amount of methane the rover has ever found. Mosaic of the Valles Marineris hemisphere of …

  Saturn’s moon Titan has a lot in common with Earth, but it’s also extremely alien. It’s one of the only objects in the solar system aside from Earth with a thick atmosphere, a toxic organonitrogen haze. It has permanent bodies of liquid on the surface like Earth, but they’re …

  NASA’s upcoming Mars rover is coming together piece by piece as engineers put the finishing touches on its cameras and flying scout drone. Mars 2020 is looking much more like a rover today, though. NASA has attached the wheels and suspension to the starboard side of the frame. We’re …