Space Exploration

When Google launched its (now-defunct) Lunar X-Prize competition, a number of teams from around the world joined up to try and hit the deadline. The first German team, PTScientists, may have failed to hit the launch window Google specified, but it hasn’t given up on the larger mission. In fact, …

When one considers the types of equipment shipped up to the International Space Station, there’s a certain list of default equipment that makes sense. Spare parts? Check. Food and medical supplies? Check. Some manner of entertainment options? Check. Eleven-pound robot head? Not so much. But IBM has visions of how …

A team of planetary scientists from Brown University and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has mapped the mineralogy of the South Pole-Aitken basin, a vast impact structure on the far side of the Moon. Published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, the findings could help guide future exploration of …

The discovery of an Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri back in August 2016 was an exciting moment for astronomers and space exploration enthusiasts alike. Not only was the planet nearly the same size as Earth (1.3x larger), it also existed within the narrow habitable range of its host star. Unfortunately, …

A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience indicates that water may be more prevalent on the lunar surface than previously thought. If the Moon has enough water, and if it’s reasonably convenient to access, future explorers might be able to use it as drinking water or to convert …

Researchers at CERN have gotten comfortable with antimatter — so comfortable, in fact, they’re planning to load a billion antimatter particles into a van for a quick field trip. Transporting the highly volatile antiprotons could help scientists understand the inner workings of neutron stars, but that’s not related to the …

NASA’s Juno orbiter successfully made its eleventh flyby of Jupiter on February 7, 2018. This color-enhanced image shows swirling cloud formations in the northern area of Jupiter’s north temperate belt. The image was taken on February 7 at 8:42 a.m. EST (5:42 a.m. PST), as Juno performed its eleventh close …

NASA’s Kepler satellite has confirmed once and for all that planets are not a rarity in the universe. In more than eight years in space, the observatory has detected more than 2,000 confirmed exoplanets in orbit of other stars, and now you can add more to the list. A review …

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is an important tool for scientists studying the red planet. Not only can it take high-resolution images of Mars from its position in space, it serves as a vital communications link for rovers on the planet. That’s why NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory took aggressive action …

It’s common for NASA’s meticulous engineering to yield above average results. Most space missions are active much longer than the original mission parameters require. It’s not uncommon for probes and rovers to last years longer than expected, but the Opportunity rover is in a completely different league. This plucky little …