Space Exploration

According to a Durham University-led study, young Uranus was hit by a protoplanet about twice the size of Earth that caused the ice giant to tilt and could explain its extremely cold temperatures. Uranus. Image credit: NASA. “Uranus spins on its side, with its axis pointing almost at right angles …

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft has spent more than three years alone in the emptiness of space on its way to rendezvous with an asteroid. The Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) has now confirmed that Hayabusa 2 is in position to begin its primary science operations. On the agenda are numerous mapping …

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket flared to life in the early hours of Friday morning to launch a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The rocket carried, among other things, a floating robot head. That’s not the only reason this launch was special. Both the Falcon 9 first …

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in the wee hours Friday morning. The unmanned mission will bring new supplied and instruments to the station, along with something a bit… different. A floating robotic head called CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile Companion) will soon be buzzing …

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has suffered numerous setbacks and delays, but it continues to inch ever closer to launch. The agency established an Independent Review Board (IRB) to analyze the project and recommend how to proceed. There’s good news and bad news on that front. The IRB says …

Astronomers around the world were positively tickled last year when we detected our first interstellar object inside the solar system. The object was named ‘Oumuamua, a term of Hawaiian origin meaning “a messenger from afar arriving first.” Telescopes around the world turned to watch as our visitor rocketed off into …

Scientists are busily working on a framework for assessing exoplanets for the presence of life, but what about extraterrestrial life a little closer to home? There are a few moons in the solar system that could conceivably support life. After analyzing data collected in the final days of the Cassini …

Using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, a research team led by University of Heidelberg scientists Frank Postberg and Nozair Khawaja found that complex, carbon-rich molecules with molecular masses above 200 atomic mass units are ejected from cracks in the surface of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus. This artist’s painting of the …

Ever since humans began observing the wider universe, we’ve been struck by how empty space can be. With all the uncountable stars out there, it seems like there should be someone looking back at us. Still, we haven’t found anyone yet—this is known as the Fermi Paradox. The Drake Equation …

There are still many unanswered questions about the existence of extraterrestrial life. Maybe the universe is teeming with intelligent beings, or there might just be some pond scum on some out-of-the-way moon. It’s even possible there is no other life. An international team of scientists has laid the groundwork for …