NASA's OSIRIS-REx will land on an asteroid to bring home rocks and dust – if it can avoid Mt. Doom

OSIRIS-REx will touch down on asteroid Bennu, collect a sample of the dust and begin its journey back to Earth, where scientists will study it, hoping to learn secrets of the solar system's origin.

Elizabeth Cantwell, Professor of Practice for Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation, University of Arizona • conversation
yesterday • ~8 min

Tags:  space  astronomy  solar-system  nasa  asteroid  astrobiology  innovation-and-invention  bennu  near-earth-asteroids  sample-return-mission

Nasa Wallops launch: Astronauts to test new $23m toilet at space station

Astronauts will test the female-friendly toilet before its probable use in a future lunar mission.

BBC Science News • bbcnews
Oct. 2, 2020 • ~4 min
Tags: nasa united-states toilets

The detection of phosphine in Venus' clouds is a big deal – here's how we can find out if it's a sign of life

News that Venus may harbor life has swept the globe. So how do we find out for sure? A planetary scientist explains what's next.

Paul K. Byrne, Associate Professor of Planetary Science, North Carolina State University • conversation
Sept. 18, 2020 • ~7 min

Tags:  space  astronomy  nasa  life  extraterrestrial-life  venus  astrobiology

The detection of phosphine in Venus' clouds is a big deal – here's how we can find out if it really is life

News that Venus may harbor life has swept the globe. So how do we find out for sure? A planetary scientist explains what's next.

Paul K. Byrne, Associate Professor of Planetary Science, North Carolina State University • conversation
Sept. 18, 2020 • ~7 min

Tags:  space  astronomy  nasa  life  extraterrestrial-life  venus  astrobiology

MIT-led team to develop software to help forecast space storms

National Science Foundation awards proposal for space weather modeling.

Sara Cody | Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics • mit
Sept. 10, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: mathematics physics solar solar-system funding nasa data research school-of-engineering school-of-science computer-science-and-technology aeronautical-and-astronautical-engineering national-science-foundation-nsf computer-modeling space-astronomy-and-planetary-science grants software haystack-observatory computation

Hilary Swank on Netflix's sci-fi Away and the ultimate work-life dilemma

Hilary Swank talks about her role for Netflix as the commander on the first manned mission to Mars.

By Ian Youngs • bbcnews
Aug. 30, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: nasa mars film television astronauts netflix

SpaceX: Crew Dragon is returning to Earth – here’s when to hold your breath

Extreme velocities and temperatures makes the return flight to Earth the most perilous part of a space mission.

Heather Muir, PhD in Computational Physics, University of Cambridge • conversation
July 30, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: nasa space-exploration international-space-station spacex rocket-science

Mars 2020: the hunt for life on the red planet is about to get serious

The Perseverance rover onboard Mars 2020 is our best bet for finding life on the red planet.

Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University • conversation
July 30, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: nasa mars space-exploration alien-life extraterrestrial-life mars-rover

Nasa Mars rover: Perseverance robot poised for launch

The one-tonne vehicle will search for signs of Martian life and prepare rocks to send home to Earth.

By Jonathan Amos • bbcnews
July 29, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: nasa-perseverance-mars-rover

NASA's big move to search for life on Mars – and to bring rocks home

This summer, NASA's Mars Perseverance rover is taking the next giant leap in our search for signs of life beyond Earth.

Melissa Rice, Associate Professor of Planetary Science, Western Washington University • conversation
July 29, 2020 • ~7 min

Tags:  space  nasa  mars  life-on-mars  microbial-life  mars-mission-2020

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