SpaceX Inspiration4 mission will send 4 people with minimal training into orbit – and bring space tourism closer to reality

The Inspiration4 mission is sending four civilians to space for three days. Though still funded by a billionaire, the mission is a step forward in the nascent space tourism industry.

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies • conversation
Sept. 10, 2021 • ~7 min

Space travel for billionaires is the surprise topic with bipartisan American support – but not from Gen Z

According to a new poll, people across political and demographic lines think the private space race is good for the future but still just an ego trip for the billionaires involved.

Joseph Cabosky, Associate Professor of Public Relations, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • conversation
Aug. 6, 2021 • ~7 min

Moon lacked a magnetic field for nearly all its history – new research resolves mystery sparked by rocks brought back on Apollo

Without a magnetic field, the Moon’s surface is exposed to solar wind. These could have been depositing resources like water and potential rocket fuel on the Moon’s surface for billions of years.

John Tarduno, Professor of Geophysics, University of Rochester • conversation
Aug. 4, 2021 • ~11 min

Why does gravity pull us down and not up?

Gravity is something every person on Earth intuitively understands: It is what keeps you on the ground. But how come gravity pulls down, rather than pushes up? Einstein came up with the answer.

Mario Borunda, Associate Professor of Physics, Oklahoma State University • conversation
July 26, 2021 • ~5 min

Are there any planets outside of our solar system?

Billions of galaxies are in the universe, with billions of stars in every galaxy. Could billions of planets be out there too?

Jean-Luc Margot, Professor of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
July 19, 2021 • ~7 min

John Glenn’s fan mail shows many girls dreamed of the stars – but sexism in the early space program thwarted their ambitions

John Glenn would have turned 100 on July 18, 2021. Today's space program is a giant leap more inclusive than when he made his pioneering orbit of the Earth in 1962.

Roshanna P. Sylvester, Associate Professor of Critical Media Practices and Digital Humanities, University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
July 13, 2021 • ~12 min

What's a suborbital flight? An aerospace engineer explains

Both Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are sending spacecrafts – and their billionaire founders – into suborbital flight. But what differentiates a suborbital flight from a trip around Earth?

John M. Horack, Neil Armstrong Chair and Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University • conversation
July 9, 2021 • ~4 min

From flying boats to secret Soviet weapons to alien visitors – a brief cultural history of UFOs

The history of UFOs weaves together public fascination, government secrecy and cultural phenomena. Recent news and shifts in the government's stance on UFOs are giving new life to the mystery.

Greg Eghigian, Professor of History, Penn State • conversation
July 8, 2021 • ~9 min

US intelligence report on UFOs: No aliens, but government transparency and desire for better data might bring science to the UFO world

A new nine-page report, requested by Congress, doesn't say what the 144 UFO sightings from 2004 to 2021 are, but does say that the government wants to learn more.

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
June 30, 2021 • ~9 min

Pentagon UFO report: No aliens, but government transparency and desire for better data might bring science to the UFO world

In 2020, Congress ordered the Pentagon to produce a report on UFOs. The nine-page report doesn't say what the 144 sightings from 2004 to 2021 are, but does say that the government wants to learn more.

Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona • conversation
June 30, 2021 • ~9 min

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