Asteroids
Amazingly Detailed New Maps of Asteroid Vesta
Vesta is one of the largest asteroids in the Solar System. Comprising 9% of the mass in the Asteroid Belt,…
The Origins of Life Could Indeed Be “Interstellar”
Some of science's most pressing questions involve the origins of life on Earth. How did the first lifeforms emerge from…
OSIRIS-REx: The Audacious Plan To Scoop An Asteroid And Fly Back To Earth
We've been super-excited about the Philae landing recently, the first soft landing on a comet. But imagine if the spacecraft…
We are not Alone: Government Sensors Shed New Light on Asteroid Hazards
How hazardous are the thousands and millions of asteroids that surround the third rock from the Sun – Earth? Since…
Building A Space Base, Part 3: Making Remote Robots Smart
We're still a few years away from the cute robots in Moon or Interstellar that help their human explorers. But…
Building A Space Base, Part 2: How Much Money Would It Take?
How much would it cost to establish a space base close to Earth, say on the Moon or an asteroid?…
How an Ancient Angled Impact Created Vesta’s Groovy Belt
When NASA's Dawn spacecraft arrived at Vesta in July 2011, two features immediately jumped out at planetary scientists who had been so…
Building A Space Base, Part 1: Why Mine On The Moon Or An Asteroid?
So can we get off of Earth already and start building bases on the Moon or an asteroid? As highlighted…
Earth Dodges a Bullet — New Radar Images of Asteroid 2014 SC324
Looks like we dodged a bullet. A bullet-shaped asteroid that is. The 70-meter Goldstone radar dish, part of NASA's Deep…