NASA has only mapped 40% of the potentially dangerous asteroids that could crash into Earth. New projects will boost that number, and upcoming missions will test tech that could prevent collisions.
It only takes light about eight minutes to go from the Sun to Earth.
loops7/E+ via Getty Images
The fastest things ever made by humans are spacecraft, and the fastest spacecraft reached 330,000 mph – only 0.05% the speed of light. But there are ways to go faster.
A telescope in the outer solar system would be able to do unique science that is impossible closer to the Sun.
Michael Zemcov
Such a mission could be developed soon, allowing astrophysicists to take selfies of the solar system and use the Sun’s gravity as a lens to peer deep into space.
Thousands of the satellites orbiting Earth are small – like this cubical satellite seen here being released from the International Space Station.
NASA
In the past decade, the number of satellites in orbit has skyrocketed thanks to tiny electronics and cheap launches. The crowded night sky is posing problems for astronomers and astronauts.
Four people – none of them trained astronauts – launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule on Sept. 15, 2021.
NASA Johnson/Flickr
The Inspiration4 mission sent 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.
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson launches Virgin Galactic.
Terry Caws/Alamy Stock Photo
Improved rocket technology and tactics have made the ongoing Gaza-Israel conflict different from the one in 2014. Israel’s defences have been stressed.
It’s unlikely falling space junk will destroy property or kill a person.
Petrovich9/iStock via Getty Images
Chances are small that space junk will destroy property or harm a person, and existing space law could deal with such an event. But current law doesn’t address the bigger problem of space pollution.
Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson on the International Space Station with a view many more are likely to see soon.
NASA/Tracy Caldwell Dyson/WIkimediaCommons
The first space tourist left Earth 20 years ago aboard a Russian rocket. Now, private companies like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are offering trips to the stars for those who can pay.
Space tourism has been slow to get off the ground.
Nadia Bormotova/iStock via Getty Images Plus
The first space tourist left Earth 20 years ago aboard a Russian rocket. Now, private companies are on the cusp of offering trips off Earth for those who can pay.
The Perseverance Rover’s first image sent back to NASA from Mars shows the surface of the Jezero crater.
NASA/JPL
NASA’s Mars 2020 mission has arrived and landed the Perseverance Rover on the red planet. The rover’s goal is to collect rock and soil samples to be brought back to Earth in the future.
We’ve already sent probes to land on Mars. The challenge now is to get people there and bring them home again.
Over the last 50 years, a lot has changed in rocketry. The fuel that powers spaceflight might finally be changing too.
CSA-Printstock/DIgital Vision Vectors via Getty Images
An update of 50-year-old regulations has kickstarted research into the next generation of rockets. Powered by nuclear fission, these new systems could be the key to faster, safer exploration of space.
An artist’s conception of WASP-18b, a giant exoplanet that orbits very close to its star.
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/I.Pillitteri et al; Optical: DSS
Sometimes it is difficult to take a photograph of an exoplanet because the star illuminating it is too bright. Now there is a new ‘deluminator’ telescope that can block out the extra light.
Spaceports close to the equator are ideal for low-orbit launches. Currently there are only two, both in South America.
Shutterstock
India may soon follow in the footsteps of Asian space giants China and India, after the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) announced a plan to build a spaceport in Papua.
China is the NBA’s second-biggest market.
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
The National Basketball Association’s difficulty dealing with a tweet in support of Hong Kong protesters shows the challenges of having values and expanding into new markets.
In the future, people may be able to go to Mars.
Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com
While the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing is an opportunity to celebrate a remarkable technological achievement, it’s worth reflecting upon the creative vision that made it possible.