Emerging Tech
When Will Astronauts Launch From U.S. Soil Again?
NASA is hopeful SpaceX and Boeing will soon free the country from dependency on Russia, but delays abound.
Emerging Tech
A High-Stakes Dress Rehearsal for SpaceX
Elon Musk plans to launch the Falcon Heavy later this month—but first, the rocket has to survive a big test.
Emerging Tech
Everything You Never Thought to Ask About Astronaut Food
“Burping in microgravity is probably not something you want to do a lot of.”
Emerging Tech
The Microbes Making Themselves at Home on the Space Station
The bacteria living with astronauts more closely resemble the kind living in homes on Earth, rather than on humans themselves.
Digital Government
Budget-Managing Tips, but for Space Telescopes
NASA is scrambling to cut the growing cost of its latest big astronomy mission.
Digital Government
Puerto Rico's Massive Telescope Is Still Running on Generators
The Arecibo Observatory is facing months of costly repairs after Hurricane Maria struck in September.
Emerging Tech
Trump's NASA Pivot
His administration has made the moon a destination, not just a pit stop, on the way to Mars.
Emerging Tech
How Sputnik Launched an Era of Technological Fragility
Sixty years after the historic achievement, a world without satellites seems difficult to imagine.
Emerging Tech
What Would Flying From New York to Shanghai in 39 Minutes Feel Like?
Elon Musk’s proposed Earth transport system better stock barf bags.
Emerging Tech
NASA's New Space Telescope Is in Harvey's Path
Here’s how they’re protecting the $8.6 billion project.
Modernization
Using Twitter to Save a Newborn From a Flood
Search and rescue is evolving fast in the social-media age.
Emerging Tech
Why the Curiosity Rover Stopped Singing 'Happy Birthday' to Itself
The answer, a NASA engineer warned, “will sound rather cold and unfeeling.”
Digital Government
The Street View From Space
The newest images on Google Maps were taken by an astronaut as he floated from module to module.
Artificial Intelligence
The Mars Robot Making Decisions on Its Own
Thanks to artificial-intelligence software, the Curiosity rover can target rocks without human input.
Digital Government
Space: Trump's Least Controversial Frontier
Unlike in other policy areas, the president can pay significant attention to the U.S. space program with little risk of backlash.
Digital Government
America's Space Commanders Rattle Their Lightsabers
A steady drumbeat of remarks from Pentagon officials suggest they’re worried that warfare in orbit could soon become a reality.
Emerging Tech
Elon Musk’s Moon Mission Would Vault SpaceX Past NASA
The company plans to take two people—not astronauts, but private citizens—on a trip around the moon next year.
Emerging Tech
Seven Earth-Sized Planets Have Been Spotted Around a Nearby Star
And all of them are in the temperate zone.
Emerging Tech
Trump's Advisers Want to Return Humans to the Moon in 3 Years
The plan could dramatically shift the mission of the space agency, prioritizing low-Earth orbit activity over distant exploration.
Almost There!
Help us tailor content specifically for you: