A 3D-printed rocket engine just launched a new era of space exploration
There are loads of applications for 3D printers in space.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Space travel
Displaying 1 - 20 of 69 articles
Mining the moon for rocket fuel to get us to Mars
To get us to Mars and beyond, a team of students from around the world has a plan involving lunar rovers mining ice and a space station between the Earth and the moon.
Aliens, very strange universes and Brexit – Martin Rees Q&A
The Astronomer Royal answers some of the world's – and the universe's – biggest questions.
Life on Earth is used to gravity – so what happens to our cells and tissues in space?
Every moment of life on our planet has had the force of gravity in the background. But the prospect of long-distance space travel means it's time to figure out what happens to our biology in its absence.
NASA sent a twin to space to study nature versus nurture – and we’re starting to get results
A twin experiment in space can help us prevent diseases on Earth.
Possibly habitable planet found around our nearest neighbour star
Scientists have finally found an Earth-like planet we may actually be able to visit.
Interstellar greenhouses: how a single molecule could be key to growing plants in microgravity
Scientists are working out how to grow plants in space, ready to use them as food when we visit other planets.
How much radiation damage do astronauts really suffer in space?
In theory, astronauts get the equivalent of a lethal x-ray dose during a six-month stay at the ISS. Here's why we don't have to worry too much though.
Q&A: Astronaut Ron Garan – space travel for all will make the Earth a better place
Former NASA astronaut Ron Garan speaks his mind about space travel, terraforming and religion.
Why sailing to the stars has suddenly become a realistic goal
Building a tiny starship may be doable. The big challenge will be making sure it survives all the hazards in interstellar space.
Living in a bubble: inflatable modules could be the future of space habitats
Inflatable space habitats, like the one installed on the International Space Station this week, could see wide application in space and planetary exploration.
Could humans hibernate?
The European Space Agency is exploring what we can learn from animals about long-term deep sleep.
Astronaut’s return to Earth will prepare us for mission to Mars – here’s why
Scott Kelly's year in space is over. Now we need to know what it did to his body.
Here’s how we could build a colony on an alien world
We already have much of the technology we’d need to start a colony on another planet.
Thirty years on: what the Challenger disaster meant for our race into space
We should honour the dead by striving to go further.
How to build a starship – and why we should start thinking about it now
No warp drives or worm holes required.
Star Wars inspired me to become an astrophysicist – and I wasn’t disappointed
Four decades later, I find myself surveying 13 billion years of cosmic history and mapping events that really did happen a long time ago in galaxies far, far away.
How business is taking the space race to new frontiers
Space is now big business. But is that good – or bad – news for NASA?
Don’t stop me now! Superluminal travel in Einstein’s universe
Many people think relativity puts a hard speed limit on the universe, but it actually opens up the possibility of faster-than-light travel - if we can overcome some significant practical hurdles.
What medicines would we pack for a trip to Mars?
Hollywood may already have done it but when we eventually send real astronauts to Mars, what medicines should we arm them with? And will they work the same way as they do on Earth?
Top contributors
-
Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University
-
Professor of Hypersonic Aerodynamics, The University of Queensland
-
Professor of Astrobiology, UNSW
-
PhD Research Student, History & Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne
-
Alice Gorman is a Friend of The Conversation.
Senior Lecturer in archaeology and space studies, Flinders University
-
Adjunct Professor, School of Computer and Security Science, Edith Cowan University
-
Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics, University of Cambridge
-
Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
-
Associate Professor of Musculoskeletal Health, Northumbria University, Newcastle
-
Lecturer in space systems engineering, University of Glasgow
-
Space Plasma Physicist, Queen Mary University of London
-
Andrew Dempster is a Friend of The Conversation.
Director, Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research; Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, UNSW
-
PhD candidate, University of Sydney
-
Associate Professor in Space Science, University of South Australia
-
Professor of Astrophysics, University of Sydney
Most read on The Conversation
How to safely watch an eclipse: Advice from an astronomer
Eclipse of reason: Why do people disbelieve scientists?
How to kill fruit flies, according to a scientist
Fun sex is healthy sex: Why isn’t that on the curriculum?
An inconvenient truth about An Inconvenient Truth
Charlottesville: White educators need to fight racism every day
Why kids need risk, fear and excitement in play
Legal weed: An accidental solution to the opioid crisis?
Teenage heartbreak doesn’t just hurt, it can kill