Space Exploration

New data from two instruments on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft — the OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (OVIRS) and the OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emissions Spectrometer (OTES) — reveal the presence of hydroxyls, molecules that contain oxygen and hydrogen atoms bonded together, on the surface of asteroid Bennu. According to the mission science …

On December 1, 2018, NASA’s InSight lander captured a haunting low rumble caused by vibrations from the Martian wind, estimated to be blowing between 10 to 15 mph (5-7 m/sec) from northwest to southeast. The wind was consistent with the direction of dust devil streaks in the landing area, which …

We often hear about the dust storms and wind on Mars, but it’s hard to visualize conditions on the ground when the planet’s only inhabitants are robots. Today, the Curiosity rover has provided a handy visual example of how the wind blows on the red planet. The record consists of …

The BepiColombo Mercury probe is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The probe is intended to study Mercury’s magnetic field, magnetosphere, interior, and surface structures. It consists of two vehicles — the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetosphere Orbiter …

Our local star is very bright by human standards—just looking at it for a few seconds can wreck your vision. That’s just an infinitesimal fraction of the total brightness of the universe. How bright is it? Well, we finally have an answer to that. Using new measurement techniques, researchers have …

After traveling through space for more than two years and 1.2 billion miles (2 billion km), NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) spacecraft arrived at its destination — asteroid Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36) — on December 3, 2018. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is on a mission to explore …

After two years in space, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe has reached its destination: the asteroid Bennu. The rendezvous is already a significant achievement, but the mission is far from over. Eventually, OSIRIS-REx will graze the surface of Bennu to pick up a tiny bit of material to send back to Earth. …

On November 26, 2018, NASA’s InSight probe touched down on the western side of a flat, smooth expanse of lava called Elysium Planitia. Now the mission team has determined that the lander sits slightly tilted in a sand-filled impact crater. InSight flipped open the lens cover on its Instrument Context …

The moon is huge, and it’s not very far away in the grand scheme of things. With with uncountable trillions of tons of “moon” out there, you wouldn’t think tiny pieces it would be so valuable, but humanity has only managed to bring a tiny bit of lunar material back …

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine hosted a press conference today to reveal the next phase of the agency’s lunar ambitions. The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) has its first official partners. The nine companies announced at the event will begin developing technology to support the upcoming Gateway lunar station and land …