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

Solar power stations in space could be the answer to our energy needs

How solar power stations in orbit could become a reality in the coming decades.

Stefania Soldini, Lecturer in Aerospace Engineering, University of Liverpool • conversation
Nov. 19, 2020 • ~6 min

The International Space Station at 20 offers hope and a template for future cooperation

Humans have been living on the International Space Station for two full decades. So what comes next for this ailing technology, and what does it mean for future International ventures in space?

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies • conversation
Nov. 4, 2020 • ~7 min

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

The UAE's Mars mission seeks to bring Hope to more places than the red planet

A new country launches a mission to Mars. A space expert explains what this means for the Middle East and the African continent.

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies • conversation
July 13, 2020 • ~6 min

Why are scientists trying to manufacture organs in space?

Why are scientists trying to grow organs at the International Space Station? People live on Earth not in zero-gravity. A stem cell expert explains why it is useful to do these experiments in space.

Alysson R. Muotri, Professor of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego • conversation
July 8, 2020 • ~5 min

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