NASA’s asteroid sampling spacecraft OSRIS-APEX will have an exciting new mission in 2029, when it will watch an exciting asteroid encounter like no other in recorded human history. The craft, formerly known as OSIRIS-REx, will bear witness as the asteroid Apophis— named after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos— comes so close to our planet that it […]
NASA astronauts tested SpaceX’s elevator concept for the Artemis lunar lander that will bring humans back to the surface of the moon as early as 2025. SpaceX was selected to build the spacecraft that NASA will use for future Artemis program missions to the moon. The company’s Starship human landing system (HLS) will carry two […]
NASA is building a roadmap for robots that could visit ocean worlds through future space missions and crack the worlds’ thick, icy shells to explore subsurface seas in search of life. Recently, the space agency revealed results from a NASA-sponsored workshop held in Feb. 2023 at which scientists and engineers gathered to discuss possible “cryobot” […]
It has been a busy year for NASA with the agency’s solid list of historic missions and inspiring milestones that continue to push the limits of human exploration. The space agency shared a new video showcasing its 2023 achievements, ranging from the successful return of its first asteroid sample all the way to plans for […]
I’m used to seeing old moon spacecraft surrounded by museum crowds. So it was rather strange in August to not only visit the Artemis 2 lunar spacecraft under construction in Florida, but to speak with its four-astronaut crew standing nearby. NASA invited a small group of reporters Aug. 8 to see three Orion spacecraft for […]
If there is indeed a multiverse where in every possible outcome happens, then in one of those universes Marv Murchins, one half of the “Wet Bandits” from “Home Alone,” is serving as NASA administrator. As unlikely as that might seem, such a thing is sort of playing out in the current season of “For All […]
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An international astronaut will join U.S. astronauts on the moon by decade’s end under an agreement announced Wednesday by NASA and the White House. The news came as Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting in Washington of the National Space Council, the third such gathering under the Biden administration. […]
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. New images captured by two of NASA’s space telescopes showcase how the light from young stars can deck the cosmos with holiday cheer. Groupings of stars resembling a Christmas tree aglow with lights and a scintillating […]
Instead of a sleigh ride, the next moon astronauts had a slide ride ahead of their 2024 mission. The Artemis 2 moon crew practiced how to get safely out of their Orion spacecraft after an ocean splashdown should they need to leave in a hurry, and they recorded the activities on video. As you can […]
We finally have imagery of NASA’s lost space tomato — and surprise, there are two. NASA released footage of two tiny tomatoes that were lost in 2022 after astronaut Frank Rubio harvested them on the International Space Station. The chance discovery in the six-bedroom complex showed us how the 17% humidity onboard affects food in […]
As far as we know, life needs water. Due to this simple truth, astronomers and astrobiologists have naturally focused their efforts on identifying exoplanets that might harbor liquid oceans. Water in its liquid form can exist on a planet’s surface, where direct heat from its host star can keep the substance from freezing — but […]
The Smithsonian would love to display the first vehicle to achieve powered flight on another world, but with NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter still busy setting records on Mars, the Washington, D.C. institution has accepted the next best thing. Officials from NASA and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum marked the agency’s donation of the aerial […]