Space Exploration
Mars Has Bizarre Dunes Thanks to its Low Atmospheric Pressure and Strange Winds
In a recent study published in Nature Communications, an international team of researchers led by Stanford University used artificial intelligence…
“Good Night Oppy” Beautifully Illustrates the Unbreakable Bond Between Humans and our Robotic Explorers
In January 2004, NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity (aka “Oppy”) landed in two completely different locations on Mars. Their missions…
What if we’re truly alone?
At least once, you’ve looked up at the night sky and asked the same longstanding question we’ve all asked at…
Why ‘Contact’ still resonates after 25 years
25 years ago, the film Contact made its theatrical debut starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey and told the story…
The Sun Could Hurl Powerful Storms at Earth From its Goofy Smile
Our Sun is the very reason we’re alive. It provides warmth and the energy our planet needs to keep going.…
Will Triton finally answer, ‘Are we alone?’
We recently examined how and why Saturn’s icy moon, Enceladus, could answer the longstanding question: Are we alone? With its…
Searching for Life on Highly Eccentric Exoplanets
When we think about finding life beyond Earth, especially on exoplanets, we immediately want to search for the next Earth,…
The International Space Station Gets a Clean Bill of Health. Despite a Few Opportunistic Microbes, the Station is “Safe” for Astronauts
In a recent study published in Microbiome, a team of researchers led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory conducted a five-year…
Would Mark Watney Have Survived in Real Life, and What This Can Teach Us About Sending Humans to Mars
We want to send humans to Mars eventually, and while this will be both a historic and exciting journey, it…
Will Enceladus finally answer, ‘Are we alone?’
We recently examined how and why the planet Mars could answer the longstanding question: Are we alone? There is evidence…