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Spaceflight

A blue ball in a black field surrounded by white, tiny dots.

Got space junk? Wooden satellites may be the solution.

Science & Technology

Space junk — debris from defunct satellites and other man-made items — is a growing problem. Wooden satellites, an idea spearheaded by astronaut and professor Takao Doi of Kyoto University, may be the solution.

A US flag flutters in the breeze. In the background, a rocket launchpad

What private companies could mean for NASA space exploration

Science & Technology
A woman floats in a spacecraft

Need tips on surviving self-isolation? Ask this astronaut.

COVID-19
A radio telescope dish at sunset.

How Australia helped show the world the live moon landing

Arts, Culture & Media
Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational space junk removal system. Just maybe not this exact one.

Astronauts could soon be blasting space junk with lasers

Science
Former astronaut Mark Kelly, left, stands across from his brother, Scott Kelly, the current commander of the International Space Station.

A study of astronaut twins will give NASA some key genetic insight

Science

Scott and Mark Kelly, like many twins, are taking part in a genetic study to see how environment affects them differently. There’s one key twist, though: Scott is commanding the International Space Station, and NASA hopes to see what his yearlong mission might do to his genes.

A screenshot from a NASA video explaining the development of the zero-gravity cup.

A zero-gravity cup lets astronauts get a handle on their coffee

Science

For decades, astronauts have had to drink from plastic bags to keep their water and coffee from floating away. Now NASA is trying out a new “zero-gravity cup” that uses physics to simulate taking a normal sip back on the ground.

nasa

For decades, NASA has woken up its astronauts with music

Culture

Space Oddity, Rocket Man, It’s a Wonderful World, Brown-eyed Girl, La Cucuracha, all of those songs have at one time been piped up to space. NASA astronauts have a tradition of waking up with music.

A vista from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity

That one-way ticket to Mars you were hoping for may not be such a good idea

Science

The Mars One mission was once a media darling, but a critical MIT report has triggered a backlash against the project that even includes one of its own potential astronauts.

This artist's concept shows NASA's Dawn spacecraft arriving at the dwarf planet Ceres

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is already historic, and it’s just getting started

Science

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft already racked up several firsts during its seven-year flight from Earth, and now it’s the first-ever spacecraft to orbit a dwarf planet. Scientists are hoping its yearlong stay at Ceres, in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, will help reveal clues about how Earth got its water.