Nancy Atkinson

Nancy has been with Universe Today since 2004, and has published over 6,000 articles on space exploration, astronomy, science and technology. She is the author of two books: "Eight Years to the Moon: the History of the Apollo Missions," (2019) which shares the stories of 60 engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make landing on the Moon possible; and "Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos" (2016) tells the stories of those who work on NASA's robotic missions to explore the Solar System and beyond. Follow Nancy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Nancy_A and and Instagram at and https://www.instagram.com/nancyatkinson_ut/

The New Mars Landing Approach: How We’ll Land Large Payloads on the Red Planet

Back in 2007, I talked with Rob Manning, engineer extraordinaire at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and he told me something…

3 days ago

Three More “Galactic Monster” Ultra-Massive Galaxies Found

One of the surprise findings with the James Webb Space Telescope is the discovery of massive galaxies in the early…

3 days ago

Our Breathtaking Cosmos: New Zealand Astrophotography Winners Announced

The New Zealand Astrophotography Competition showcases and recognizes some of the most stunning images of the southern hemisphere’s night sky.…

1 week ago

NASA’s JPL Lays Off Another 325 People

NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab has announced a second round of layoffs for 2024, this time laying off 325 people -…

1 week ago

A Trash Compactor is Going to the Space Station

Astronauts on the International Space Station generate their share of garbage, filling up cargo ships that then deorbit and burn…

2 weeks ago

New Glenn Booster Moves to Launch Complex 36

Nine years ago, Blue Origin revealed the plans for their New Glenn rocket, a heavy-lift vehicle with a reusable first…

2 weeks ago

NASA Wants to Move Heavy Cargo on the Moon

While new rockets and human missions to the Moon are in the press, NASA is quietly thinking through the nuts…

3 weeks ago

Astronomer Calculates When van Gogh Painted This

One of my favorite paintings is Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh -- for obvious astronomical reasons. But another favorite…

3 weeks ago

NASA Turns Off One of Voyager 2's Science Instruments

The two Voyager spacecraft have been speeding through space since 1977, powered by decaying chunks of plutonium that produce less…

2 months ago

Shape-Shifting Robots Mimic Muscle Movements

Researchers have developed a set of hexagon-shaped robotic components that can be snapped together into larger and larger structures. Each…

2 months ago