NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s − a crewed mission could unlock some of the red planet’s geologic mysteries

Before sending humans to Mars, NASA will first return humans to the Moon’s surface to test its technology and train astronauts.

Joel S. Levine, Research Professor, Department of Applied Science, William & Mary • conversation
Oct. 7, 2024 • ~7 min

Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time − but designing the reactors that would power them isn’t easy

Sending a nuclear fission reactor into space means lots of technical questions. One research group is coming up with models that could improve how a nuclear rocket starts up and powers down.

Dan Kotlyar, Associate Professor of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
Oct. 4, 2024 • ~9 min

Nasa’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will investigate whether an icy moon of Jupiter can support alien life

The mission will investigate the potential for life at the icy moon of Jupiter.

James O'Donoghue, Research Associate Professor in Planetary Astronomy, Meteorology, University of Reading • conversation
Oct. 4, 2024 • ~7 min

The earliest galaxies formed amazingly fast after the Big Bang. Do they break the universe or change its age?

Some of the earliest galaxies found with JWST are also the brightest. That’s a problem for our ideas about the universe.

Sandro Tacchella, Assistant Professor in Astrophysics, Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge • conversation
Oct. 3, 2024 • ~16 min

Boeing can recover from its Starliner troubles, but it can’t afford any other misfires

The company can recover from its problems, but will need to deliver on promises to get its house in order.

Loizos Heracleous, Professor of Strategy, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick • conversation
Oct. 1, 2024 • ~8 min

Astronomers can’t agree on how fast the universe is expanding. New approaches are aiming to break the impasse

The Hubble tension has been described as a “crisis” for cosmology. Can it be resolved?

Alex Hall, Royal Society University Research Fellow, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh • conversation
Sept. 19, 2024 • ~12 min

Astronomers are getting better at detecting asteroids before they hit Earth – and it could save us from catastrophe

This month, they spotted just the ninth asteroid to be detected before impact with Earth.

Daniel Brown, Lecturer in Astronomy, Nottingham Trent University • conversation
Sept. 16, 2024 • ~7 min

The Boeing Starliner has returned to Earth without its crew – a former astronaut details what that means for NASA, Boeing and the astronauts still up in space

NASA’s decision to send Starliner’s crew home on a SpaceX capsule will have implications for Boeing, the agency itself and the astronauts still on the space station.

Michael E. Fossum, Vice President, Texas A&M University • conversation
Sept. 7, 2024 • ~8 min

The Moon had surprisingly recent volcanic activity, samples from Chinese space mission confirm

Lunar volcanism was thought to have stopped two billion years ago.

Lionel Wilson, Emeritus Professor, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University • conversation
Sept. 6, 2024 • ~6 min

Space travel comes with risk − and SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than any private mission has before

Traveling to space is riskier than many extreme sports − an increase in private missions could mean more civilians taking that risk.

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
Sept. 6, 2024 • ~9 min

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