Long, unplanned stay in space will have taken a toll on minds and bodies of stranded astronauts

The astronauts were due to spend eight days on the ISS but ended up staying for nine months.

Craig Jackson, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology, Birmingham City University • conversation
March 18, 2025 • ~8 min

3D printing will help space pioneers make homes, tools and other stuff they need to colonize the Moon and Mars

3D printing in outer space and on alien planets comes with otherworldly challenges.

Sven Bilén, Professor of Engineering Design, Electrical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, Penn State • conversation
March 13, 2025 • ~9 min

How does the International Space Station orbit Earth without burning up?

The International Space Station is an engineering feat that has led to countless scientific discoveries. Like the thousands of satellites in orbit, it manages to stay up in the atmosphere.

Kelly Griendling, Lecturer of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
Dec. 16, 2024 • ~8 min

I’ve been studying astronaut psychology since Apollo − a long voyage to Mars in a confined space could raise stress levels and make the journey more challenging

Can astronauts spend prolonged time in close quarters millions of miles from Earth without killing each other?

Nick Kanas, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
Feb. 21, 2024 • ~8 min

Spending time in space can harm the human body − but scientists are working to mitigate these risks before sending people to Mars

Space can damage everything from your cardiovascular and nervous systems to your mental health – long voyages can feel isolating for many.

Rachael Seidler, Professor of Applied Physiology & Kinesiology, University of Florida • conversation
Sept. 19, 2023 • ~8 min

Space experiments could shed light on osteoporosis

Researchers sent experiments to the International Space Station in order to learn more about bone density loss in space and back on Earth.

Jim Lynch-Michigan • futurity
Nov. 14, 2022 • ~7 min

Lessons on diplomacy, sustainability of International Space Station

Soyeon Yi, the first Korean astronaut, details her experiences with Americans and Russians while on a mission on the International Space Station.

Nikki Rojas • harvard
May 10, 2022 • ~5 min

Life in space: Preparing for an increasingly tangible reality

The Space Exploration Initiative supports research across and beyond MIT in two microgravity flights this spring.

Sarah Beckmann | MIT Media Lab • mit
July 28, 2021 • ~10 min

Team ignites ‘cool flames’ in microgravity of space

Experiments in microgravity aboard the International Space Station have allowed researchers to observe "cool flames" that can't be created on Earth.

Brandie Jefferson-WUSTL • futurity
July 26, 2021 • ~4 min

‘Gecko gripper’ could clean up space junk

The "gecko gripper," equipped with grippy but not sticky adhesives, could prove well-suited for space tasks such as collecting debris and fixing satellites.

Taylor Kubota-Stanford • futurity
May 21, 2021 • ~6 min

/

2