The new space race: why we need a human mission to Mars
We could learn a lot from any mission to send people to Mars, such as whether there's life elsewhere in the universe or even the technology for new household appliances.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on NASA
Displaying 1 - 20 of 142 articles
How to backup life on Earth ahead of any doomsday event
NASA says there are ten "potentially hazardous" asteroids close to Earth. Good reason to make sure we have a backup plan should any catastrophic event wipe of much of life on Earth.
Ten ways that astronauts are helping you stay healthy
Many technologies in healthcare on Earth originated from human space exploration - here are ten examples.
Space babies: study suggests humans may be able to have healthy offspring in orbit
Sperm that's been to space is good enough to get mice pregnant – and give birth to healthy offspring.
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.
Curious Kids: What plants could grow in the Goldilocks zone of space?
Plants on other planets are bound to be even weirder than the strangest ones we find on Earth – if they even exist.
Space bling: ‘jewelled’ LAGEOS satellites help us to measure the Earth
We know much about the true shape of our planet is thanks to two satellites that act as targets for lasers fired from Earth.
Japanese space agency’s mission aims to uncover how moons of Mars formed
JAXA has announced a mission to visit the two moons of Mars and return a rock sample to Earth.
Watching the planet breathe: Studying Earth’s carbon cycle from space
Why use satellites to study Earth's climate? Researchers leading a new mission explain how images from space will help them analyze which parts of the Americas soak up the most carbon.
Fly me to the Moon? Why the world should be wary of Elon Musk’s space race
The Moon belongs to all of us. Let's share in its beauty from afar without splashing around $100 million on a showy space trip.
It’s our Solar System in miniature, but could TRAPPIST-1 host another Earth?
Scientists have discovered seven Earth-sized planets packed around a dim star.
Solar system with seven Earth-like planets found around nearby star – here’s what they could be like
If there's life on one of the Earth's seven sisters, chances are it has spread to all of them.
Hidden Figures takes us back to a time when computers were people, women, and black
Hidden Figures is certainly inspirational, but the racial politics of the space programme were hardly so easily settled.
Why it’s time for Australia to launch its own space agency
An Australian Space Agency could capitalise on our history working with NASA and the ESA and boost our entry into the expanding commercial space industry.
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.
Shallow impact: when crackpot conspiracy theories are touted as news, we all lose
The reporting of crackpot theories as news by mainstream news outlets only damages the credibility of the media and science, and undermines public trust in both.
‘Even though I am a girl…’: John Glenn’s fan mail and sexism in the early space program
Letters from would-be girl astronauts in the 1960s tell part of the complicated story of sexism – in both NASA and the US at large – at the dawn of the space age.
It’s been a turbulent start, but Juno is now delivering spectacular insights into Jupiter
NASA's Juno spacecraft has faced a series of challenges during its first 150 days.
Why is China so quiet in negotiations about fisheries in the central Arctic Ocean?
China has been very quiet in negotiations over fisheries regulations for the central Arctic Ocean. Why is the country's behaviour there so dramatically different from what it pursues in Antarctica?
Eyes in the sky: Cutting NASA Earth observations would be a costly mistake
President Trump's 2018 budget request cuts funding for NASA Earth observation research and cancels four missions. Weather forecasters, businesses, scientists and the armed forces rely on this data.
Top contributors
-
PhD Research Student, History & Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne
-
Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow, University of Southern Queensland
-
Alice Gorman is a Friend of The Conversation.
Senior Lecturer in archaeology and space studies, Flinders University
-
Professor of Hypersonic Aerodynamics, The University of Queensland
-
Instrument Scientist, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
-
Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University
-
Professor of Planetary Geosciences, The Open University
-
Professor of Astrobiology, UNSW
-
Adjunct Faculty, History and Philosophy of Science and Department of Management and Marketing, University of Melbourne
-
Professor and Associate Dean (Research), UNSW
-
Earth and paleo-climate scientist, Australian National University
-
Science Communicator and Media Producer, CSIRO
-
Researcher, School of Geosciences, Monash University
-
Visiting Researcher & Senior Project Engineer, Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research, UNSW
-
Associate Professor, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Most read on The Conversation
‘Cow economics’ are killing India’s working class
‘I’m so sorry’: when Indian advertisements turn around sexism
Kepler Mission has released its catalogue of exoplanets, but what have we learnt about these worlds?
Wonder Woman: feminist icon or symbol of oppression?
Selling sex: Wonder Woman and the ancient fantasy of hot lady warriors
Two Swedish economists foresaw the backlash against globalisation – here’s how to mitigate it
Refugee or migrant? Sometimes the line is blurred
When a river is a person: from Ecuador to New Zealand, nature gets its day in court
India’s wells are running dry, fast