Nancy Atkinson
Simulating a Piece of Space Junk
When a spacecraft dies, it loses the ability to maintain its direction in space. Additionally, as the spacecraft’s orbit begins…
Aerocapture is a Free Lunch in Space Exploration
This article was updated on 11/28/23 When spacecraft return to Earth, they don't need to shed all their velocity by…
A Chinese Booster (and Additional Secret Payload) Caused a Double Crater on the Moon
Last year, astronomers warned that a large piece of debris was on a collision course with the Moon. Initially, they…
Simulating How Moon Landings Will Kick Up Dust
When spacecraft land on the Moon, their exhaust strikes the powdery regolith on the lunar surface. The Moon has low…
Gaze Into the Heart of the Milky Way in This Latest JWST Image
Thanks to its infrared capabilities, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) allows astronomers to peer through the gas and dust…
Some of the Moon's Craters are From Interstellar Impacts. Can We Tell Which?
By discovering two interstellar objects (ISOs), we know that asteroids and comets from other star systems pass through the Solar…
Curiosity has Seen its 4,000th Martian Sunrise
Not to make anyone feel old, but it's been over 11 years since NASA's Curiosity Rover landed on Mars. The…
Jupiter Looks Bizarre in Hubble's New Ultraviolet Image
Jupiter has gone pastel! Check out this ultra-cool image of Jupiter taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a…
Devastating Clouds of Dust Helped End the Reign of the Dinosaurs
When a giant meteor crashed into Earth 66 million years ago, the impact pulverized cubic kilometers of rock and blasted…
Vera Rubin Observatory Could Find Up to 70 Interstellar Objects a Year
Astronomers have discovered two known interstellar objects (ISO), ‘Oumuamua and 21/Borisov. But there could be thousands of these objects passing…