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

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

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

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

Duckweed is an incredible, radiation-fighting astronaut food – and by changing how it is grown, we made it better

Duckweed is the perfect space food: small, fast-growing and nutritious. By studying how light levels changed the production of radiation-fighting antioxidants, researchers made it even better.

Barbara Demmig-Adams, Professor of Plant Ecology and Molecular Biology, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
July 14, 2020 • ~6 min

Meteorites from Mars contain clues about the red planet's geology

Martian meteorites allow scientists here on Earth to decode that planet's geology, more than a decade before the first missions are scheduled to bring rocks back home from Mars.

Arya Udry, Assistant Professor of Igneous Petrology, Planetary Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas • conversation
June 16, 2020 • ~6 min

Have you got what it takes to become an astronaut in the new era of human spaceflight?

Empathy and scientific knowledge will be key for astronauts looking to travel to Mars.

Adam Hawkey, Associate Professor, School of Sport, Health and Social Sciences, Solent University • conversation
June 11, 2020 • ~8 min

First space tourists will face big risks, as private companies gear up for paid suborbital flights

When it comes to commercial space tourism, suborbital flight are the first frontier. But what are the risks? Are there health requirements? What should you know before taking such a way-out trip?

Sara M. Langston, Assistant Professor of Spaceflight Operations, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University • conversation
June 11, 2020 • ~9 min

SpaceX astronaut launch: here's the rocket science

To intercept the ISS, the capsule must match the station’s speed, altitude and inclination.

Ian Whittaker, Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
May 27, 2020 • ~6 min

SpaceX astronaut launch: here's the rocket science it must get right

To intercept the ISS, the capsule must match the station’s speed, altitude and inclination.

Ian Whittaker, Lecturer in Physics, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
May 27, 2020 • ~6 min

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