Space Exploration

The oldest megamaser ever measured, estimated to have been emitted some 5 to 6 billion years ago, was observed in 2022 from a radio telescope in South Africa.

By Valerie Stimac

An unplanned rocket booster crash into the surface of the moon will hopefully shed some light on the mysterious physics of planetary impacts.

By Paul Hayne

NASA's DART mission will test a technology that someday could protect the Earth from a killer asteroid.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of scientists discovered what could very well be the first exoplanet outside the Milky Way. It's massive and might even orbit a black hole.

By Valerie Stimac

Two mission scientists working with the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter give us the breakdown of the historic achievements the two Martian ships have made in the months on the Red Planet.

By Melissa Rice & Briony Horgan

Before humans can go to Mars, NASA needs to know how to prepare for the challenges. So, they're looking for a few brave men and women to live in isolation for a year at the Johnson Space Center. Want to join them?

By Valerie Stimac

The Chinese space station Tiangong, now with its first crew of astronauts, is scheduled for completion in 2022. What does that mean for the future of the aging International Space Station and multinational space cooperation?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Yep, two small-bodied Russian tortoises made it to the moon and back before man did.

By Mark Mancini

NASA will be sending two new missions to Venus between 2028 and 2030, but why is this so exciting and what do they hope to accomplish?

By Ian Whittaker

One of the three-man crew of Apollo 11, the mission that first set foot on the moon, Michael Collins was a true American hero.

By Mark Mancini

Missions to Mars are increasing and the dream of landing a human on the red planet is no longer far-fetched — it might even happen in the next decade. So, how long does it take to get there?

By Valerie Stimac

The law is the first of its kind by any nation, but how much weight it has is yet to be seen. It is perhaps just one small step to preserve human heritage in space.

By Michelle L.D. Hanlon

Until recently, Arecibo had the biggest radio telescope in the world, and its ability to detect distant signals made it a very powerful tool for studying the universe. It even starred in two movies.

By Patrick J. Kiger

A distant asteroid made mostly of iron is potentially worth $10,000 quadrillion, making it many times more valuable than the global economy.

By Patrick J. Kiger

NASA is sending astronauts to the moon as soon as 2024. And they'll have 4G cell service when they get there.

By David Warmflash, M.D.

The Perseverance rover will explore Mars' Jezero Crater, gathering rock samples which may prove that life once existed on the red planet.

By Patrick J. Kiger

A new kind of survival story: Scientists discovered a star that came near a black hole and lived to tell the tale – at least temporarily.

By Nathan Chandler

Lettuce has key nutrients that give both astronauts and Earth-dwellers alike a physical and psychological boost. And the lettuce grown in space is no less nutritious than the Earth-bound variety.

By Katie Carman

You know Apollo 11. But what did the other Apollo missions accomplish after Neil Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind?

By Mark Mancini

While alcohol consumption is not completely alien to the space program, not much is known about its effects on the body outside our atmosphere.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, or LISA, will be able to detect the gravitational waves generated by massive collisions in the deep cosmos.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D.

It's been more than 50 years since humans first landed on the moon. Pull up a lunar module and let's see how much you know about Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and the adventure that immortalized them.

By Mark Mancini

And one of the exoplanets in the Teegarden star system could have a temperature range between 32 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

By Ian O'Neill, Ph.D.

Will this groundbreaking clock revolutionize space travel? NASA is banking on it.

By Mark Mancini

Eugene Shoemaker's contributions to lunar science were legendary. In a fitting tribute, NASA sent his ashes to the moon.

By Mark Mancini