Inflatable space habitats, like the one installed on the International Space Station this week, could see wide application in space and planetary exploration.
This attractive specimen, collected from a doorknob in New York, loved being in space.
Alex Alexiev/UC Davis
One common terrestrial bacterium has been found to grow in the microgravity of the International Space Station than on Earth, although it remains a mystery why.
Soviet’s Mir space station in 1986.
NASA/wikimedia
Soviet space station Mir hosted astronauts from a significant number of countries – laying the foundation for the ISS. But how long will this collaborative spirit last?
Nice night for a stroll: Scott Kelly working outside the International Space Station in 2015.
NASA
What does it feel like to prepare for a journey to space? Space scientist Monica Grady followed astronaut Tim Peake around for a few days before his launch to find out.
Nope, a flag is not enough to make the moon a colony.
NASA/wikimedia
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?
Andreas Mogensen, Aidyn Aimbetov and Gennady Padalka rest outside their spacecraft and are surrounded by support personnel after landing.
NASA
Gennady Padalka has returned to Earth from the International Space Station. He has broken the record for time in space and will be the first person on Earth to have eaten salad grown in space.
Hurricane Arthur photographed by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst.
ESA/NASA
Plants on the International Space Station must figure out how to grow in a completely novel environment. Their adaptability hints at how they’ll react to changes here on Earth – or in future space outposts.
The Falcon 9 firmly rooted to the ground, for now.
SpaceX
The recent failure of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket presents something of a dilemma for NASA, which still has no domestic launch capability of its own to reach the International Space Station.