Esa at 50: how the space agency helped keep Europe at the frontiers of science

Space exploration would have been poorer without the successes of Esa.

Martin Barstow, Professor of Astrophysics and Space Science, University of Leicester • conversation
June 6, 2025 ~7 min

Uncertainty at NASA − Trump withdraws his nominee for administrator while the agency faces a steep proposed budget cut

Under the proposed budget, several major projects, such as the Mars Sample Return and the Space Launch System, would face cancellation.

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University • conversation
June 3, 2025 ~8 min


New model helps to figure out which distant planets may host life

As NASA rolls out more powerful telescopes in the future, scientists will need a way to determine where to point them. A new approach could help.

Daniel Apai, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona • conversation
June 2, 2025 ~11 min

Is the bar higher for scientific claims of alien life?

There is growing evidence for the existence of life on other planets.

Chris Carter, Analyst, Science and Emerging Technology Team, RAND Europe • conversation
May 28, 2025 ~7 min

After 50 successful years, the European Space Agency has some big challenges ahead

The space agency faces major competition from rising space powers such as China and India.

Daniel Brown, Lecturer in Astronomy, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
May 22, 2025 ~8 min

A decade after the release of ‘The Martian’ and a decade out from the world it envisions, a planetary scientist checks in on real-life Mars exploration

NASA hasn’t landed humans on Mars yet. But thanks to robotic missions, scientists now know more about the planet’s surface than they did when the movie was released.

Ari Koeppel, Postdoctoral Scientist in Earth and Planetary Science, Dartmouth College • conversation
May 22, 2025 ~9 min

Landing on the Moon is an incredibly difficult feat − 2025 has brought successes and shortfalls for companies and space agencies

NASA’s learned a lot about the Moon since Apollo. But a perfect landing still requires incredible planning and scientific precision.

Zhenbo Wang, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Tennessee • conversation
May 16, 2025 ~10 min

Nasa’s planned budget cuts could set back space science, but show how to future-proof the agency

Major science missions could be cancelled, along with vehicles designed to return astronauts to the Moon.

Loizos Heracleous, Professor of Strategy, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick • conversation
May 9, 2025 ~7 min


Scientists found a potential sign of life on a distant planet – an astronomer explains why many are still skeptical

The exoplanet K2-18b could harbor a massive ocean, but scientists will need to study the planet more to see if it’s really likely to host life.

Daniel Apai, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona • conversation
April 18, 2025 ~9 min

Why the meteorites that hit Earth have less water than the asteroid bits brought back by space probes – a planetary scientist explains new research

Water-rich meteorites contain key ingredients for life, yet they barely appear in meteorite collections. Recent research using shooting stars may explain why.

Patrick M. Shober, Postdoctoral Fellow in Planetary Sciences, NASA • conversation
April 14, 2025 ~8 min

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