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Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell is a contributing writer for Space.com who is one of the few Canadian journalists to report regularly on space exploration. She is pursuing a Ph.D. part-time in aerospace sciences (University of North Dakota) after completing an M.Sc. (space studies) at the same institution. She also holds a bachelor of journalism degree from Carleton University. Besides writing, Elizabeth teaches communications at the university and community college level. To see her latest projects, follow Elizabeth on Twitter at @HowellSpace.

Articles by: Elizabeth Howell

An artist's depiction of a stellar flare from an L dwarf star.

Tiny star's violent outburst catches astronomers' attention — years late

By Elizabeth Howell

Just like any small child, a tiny star had a huge yet unexpected temper tantrum.

Two Chinese astronauts as seen on the space station Tiangong-2 on Oct. 19, 2016.

China wants to build a new space station. A planned launch in April will set the stage.

By Elizabeth Howell

China is planning a launch in April to prepare for building the country's next space station.

In addition to puzzling science measurements, Juno is taking stunning photos in its tour of Jupiter.

Surprise! There's more water on Jupiter than anyone thought

By Elizabeth Howell

Jupiter appears to have more water than anyone expected.

A Russian Soyuz-2.1a rocket launches the Meridian M communications satellite from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, on Feb. 20, 2020.

Rocket glitch fixed, Russia launches satellite to enhance military communications

By Elizabeth Howell

Russia successfully launched a military communications satellite into orbit Thursday (Feb. 20). The launch took place about one month later than planned due to a technical issue.

China's Long March 2D rocket lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Feb. 19, 2020, carrying four Xin Jishu Shiyan test satellites to orbit.

Coronavirus isn't stopping China from launching rockets

By Elizabeth Howell

China resumed satellite launches Wednesday (Feb. 19) amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, lofting a Long March 2D rocket in the country's first launch since the Chinese New Year.

Artist’s concept of DARPA's Glide Breaker anti-hypersonic-weapon system.

DARPA's hypersonic 'Glide Breaker' could blast missile threats out of the sky

By Elizabeth Howell

Aerojet Rocketdyne will develop "enabling technologies" for DARPA's Glide Breaker program under a newly announced contract, which is worth up to $19.6 million.

Kendra Horn (D-Okla.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, speaks during a hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, on July 10, 2019.

NASA needs to put a price on its moon landing missions to gain support from Congress

By Elizabeth Howell

When planning for human moon landing missions in the 2020s, NASA needs detailed budgetary estimates to get a better chance of securing Congress' support.

An Ariane 5 rocket lifts off from the Guiana Space Center near Kourou, French Guiana, on Feb. 18, 2020.

Ariane 5 rocket launches satellites for Japan, South Korea into orbit

By Elizabeth Howell

Arianespace's third flight of 2020 saw a rocket boost a Japanese telecommunications satellite and a Korean oceanography satellite into orbit from the Guiana Space Center.

An artist's concept of the orbital debris field around Earth, based on real data from the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office.

Avoiding space debris might require new legal framework, US lawmakers say

By Elizabeth Howell

The ever-growing number of satellites in space prompted calls for change at a House hearing, although how this will be legislated is still under consideration.

An artist's depiction of satellites orbiting Earth.

Satellite crashes, asteroid impacts and space weather pose big risks, US lawmakers say

By Elizabeth Howell

One of the most pressing problems when it comes to keeping our planet safe from space threats is data, which sounds so simple to address. It's not.

Tom Hanks (Jim Lovell), Gary Sinise (Ken Mattingly) and Bill Paxton (Fred Haise) in the movie Apollo 13.

'Apollo 13' launching back into theaters for NASA moonshot's 50th anniversary

By Elizabeth Howell

If you missed your chance to see "Apollo 13" in theaters when it was first released in 1995, do we have a special treat for you.

Solar Orbiter (launch scheduled for 2020)

The greatest missions to the sun

By Elizabeth Howell

Betelgeuse and its constellation, Orion, as seen in the evening sky in February 2020.

The dimming star Betelgeuse is acting weird. Here's how to spot it in Orion's shoulder.

By Elizabeth Howell

One of the brightest stars you'll see in the sky these days is Betelgeuse, whose red tones provide a fun skywatching target in February.

A scene from the new film "The Aeronauts."

Real-life 'Aeronauts': the true stories of high-altitude balloonists

By Elizabeth Howell

While "The Aeronauts," a new Amazon Prime movie about high-altitude ballooning, is fictional, it's attracting new people to this field of aviation.

An animation of Solar Orbiter, a spacecraft created through a collaboration between NASA and ESA.

Heat shield 'sandwich' will keep Solar Orbiter cool close to the sun

By Elizabeth Howell

When Solar Orbiter launches (currently scheduled for Feb. 10), its protection from the sun will come from a very special "sandwich": its heat shield.

The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter will take the first-ever direct images of the sun's poles.

Joint US-European Solar Orbiter 'go' for Sunday launch to study sun's poles

By Elizabeth Howell

This probe is ready to head for the sun.

Boeing's first CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on the ground at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, shortly after landing on Dec. 22, 2019.

Boeing's Starliner test flight had a 2nd critical software issue, NASA panel finds (report)

By Elizabeth Howell

Boeing is considering another test flight for its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew spacecraft amid concerns from a NASA safety panel about its first flight.

NASA astronaut Harrison Schmitt collected the moon dust later used in this sample as part of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

A single grain of Apollo moon dust opens new world of lunar science

By Elizabeth Howell

Scientists found a new way to analyze moon dust based on only a single grain of the material.

Retired U.S. Air Force Honorary Brig. Gen. Charles McGee speaks with NASA astronaut Alvin Drew during a Black History Month program titled "Trailblazers, The Story of a Tuskegee Airman," on Feb. 5, 2020, at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA honors Tuskegee Airman lauded by Trump in State of the Union address

By Elizabeth Howell

A 100-year-old Tuskegee Airman made a special visit to NASA Headquarters in Washington on Wednesday (Feb. 5), the day after he was cited in President Donald Trump's State of the Union address.

An illustration of the proposed Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) spacecraft, one of several Earth science missions that would be cancelled in the administration's 2018 NASA budget proposal.

NASA taps SpaceX to launch PACE satellite to study Earth's oceans, climate change

By Elizabeth Howell

SpaceX has won a NASA contract to launch an Earth science satellite that has fended off cancellation from the Trump administration three separate times.

An artist's depiction of NASA's MAVEN spacecraft studying Mars.

Discovery of 'rifts' and 'layers' above Mars may aid radio communications on Earth

By Elizabeth Howell

A NASA probe at Mars made a finding that could help scientists better understand radio interference at Earth.

Aurora Over Abisko National Park in Sweden

Where to see the northern lights: 2020 aurora borealis guide

By Mike Wall, Elizabeth Howell

Where should you go to get the best look at the dancing, dazzling display known as the aurora borealis?

Walmart's new extended Super Bowl LIV commercial shows characters from all across the universe making food runs in between their intergalactic adventures.

Walmart's Super Bowl 2020 commercial recruits Martians, 'Star Trek,' Lego and sci-fi icons

By Elizabeth Howell

Who knew that something as mundane as grocery pickup could be this relevant to sci-fi space exploration?

The character Christmas Flint from "Troop Zero."

Amazon Prime's 'Troop Zero' shows inspiring effect of Voyager's 'Golden Record' on kids

By Elizabeth Howell

The new movie "Troop Zero" fictionalizes the cultural impact of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft's famous message.

The Martian author Andy Weir, seen at NASA's Mission Control in Houston in May 2015, is writing the script for Mission Control, a new TV series for CBS.

Sci-fi author Andy Weir says NASA didn't name 'Artemis' moon program after his book

By Elizabeth Howell

Andy Weir, the best-selling author of "The Martian" and "Artemis," was just as surprised as the rest of us when NASA gave its new crewed moon landing program a familiar name: "Artemis."