Two planetary bodies colliding.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Earth and the Moon were long thought to be virtually identical in composition. Now we know they are not.
Artist’s impression of Mars InSight.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The InSights mission is producing the first evidence-based picture of Mars’s interior.
As plans for space exploration expand, how will sex and desire be addressed in these larger, longer missions?
(Shutterstock)
Sex technologies and ‘erobots’ could help address issues related to human desire, and physical and emotional needs of astronauts in space.
The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) is a research facility designed to simulate conditions on Mars.
(Olave Krigolson)
In preparation for possible future missions to Mars, scientists figure out how to quickly and efficiently measure brain performance and mental fatigue.
They probably won’t look anything like this.
Martina Badini/Shutterstock
The Earth may be crawling with undiscovered creatures with a different biochemistry to life as we know it.
SpaceX’s Dragon 2 will carry humans for the first time in 2020.
NASA/SpaceX
From alien life to human spaceflight, 2020 may deliver some exciting news.
Shoot for the skies, but do it sustainably.
SpaceX/EPA/AAP Image
The opportunities in space are limitless. But without a sustainable approach to the space industry, our ability to exploit them won’t be.
An artist concept of the Starship following separation from the first stage Super Heavy.
SpaceX/flickr
Musk’s plans have potentially dire consequences for alien life, astronauts and the environment.
A composite image showing the distribution of dark matter, galaxies and hot gas in a merging galaxy cluster taken with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii.
NASA
The Canadian Long Range Plan 2020 for astronomy and astrophysics builds on Canadian research’s previous success to extend Canada’s role.
Earthrise.
NASA
Current plans for lunar exploration may end up destroying ancient, genetic samples from Earth that have ended up on the moon.
Much of Mars’s surface is covered by fine-grained materials that hide the bedrock. The above bedrock is mostly exposed and it is in these areas that micrometeorites likely to accumulate.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
It’s established Mars was once a planet with surface-level water. So with multiple MARS missions starting next year, the key to seeking out martian life may instead lie in the contents of its ‘dust’.
Artist concept of lunar flashlight.
NASA
NASA and the European Space Agency are planning a series of lunar missions using tiny ‘CubeSats’ to map the moon for resources.
Enigmatic Europa.
NASA
NASA’s Europa Clipper mission just got the green light - here’s what it could achieve.
The Deep Space Gateway.
NASA
By 2069, we could be seeing the start of regular journeys from the moon to Mars.
The fifth episode of the To the moon and beyond podcast series explores where we will be travelling in 2069.
Artist’s impression of a lunar base.
NASA
Any base on the moon would need very thick walls.
Ever since the Parkes dish helped broadcast the Moon landings, Australia has been hiding its light under a bushel when it comes to space science.
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Australia played a vital role in beaming the Apollo 11 Moon landing to the world. But since then we’ve passed up the opportunity to cement our place in exploring outer space.
A Sept. 20 citizen “raid” on Area 51, a secretive military installation long fancied to hold alien remains, has drawn worldwide interest.
Fer Gregory/Shutterstock.com
As more than a million people have indicated plans to partake in a citizen ‘raid’ on the famed Area 51 to ‘see them aliens,’ a scholar on the search for extraterrestrial life weighs in on the hype.
One giant leap for robotkind? Future space travel will only be possible through extensive advances in space robotics.
Shutterstock
The future of lunar exploration and space travel will be possible only through advances in robotic design and implementation.
This second era of space exploration will include a diverse corp of astronauts.
studiostoks/Shutterstock.com
The new era of space exploration is characterized by an emphasis on diversity and international cooperation. But there’s a lot of work to do before there’s gender equality in STEM fields and at NASA.