Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell

Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022. She was contributing writer for Space.com (opens in new tab) for 10 years before that, since 2012. As a proud Trekkie and Canadian, she also tackles topics like diversity, science fiction, astronomy and gaming to help others explore the universe. Elizabeth's on-site reporting includes two human spaceflight launches from Kazakhstan, three space shuttle missions in Florida, and embedded reporting from a simulated Mars mission in Utah. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, and a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science since 2015. Her latest book, Leadership Moments from NASA, is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday.

Articles by: Elizabeth Howell

A large bright streak of light across the star-studded background with the aurora borealis shining below as a ribbon of green light.

Taurid meteor shower 2022: When, where & how to see it

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Reference The Taurid meteor shower is composed of two streams that peak around a month apart. We explore this impressive shower in more detail here.

A SpaceX Dragon Endurance capsule in the black of space with a blue Earth below after launch on Oct. 5, 2022.

SpaceX astronaut missions for NASA: Crew-5 live updates

By Elizabeth Howell published

Read the latest news about SpaceX's Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station for NASA.

A small Albert Einstein doll floats in weightlessness as the zero gravity indicator of the Crew-5 astronauts on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

Watch SpaceX's Crew-5 astronaut flight to the International Space Station live online

By Elizabeth Howell published

SpaceX's Crew-5 mission is flying four people, including a Russian cosmonaut, to the International Space Station. Watch it live through docking on Oct. 6 here.

People floating in an airplane during a parabolic flight. At the front, a person stretches out their hands while smiling.

16 disability ambassadors will take a Zero-G flight for inclusion

By Elizabeth Howell published

AstroAccess is hoping to redesign spaceflight to serve people with disabilities, starting with parabolic flights. Its December opportunity is the second dedicated flight for the organization.

astronaut standing on a spacecraft on an alien world with flying saucers and spacecraft behind

'No Man's Sky' recruits new players with Nintendo Switch expansion, 'relaxed' mode

By Elizabeth Howell published

Six years after the exploration game debuted, No Man's Sky is on the hunt for a larger fan base and has a few new features to reel new and returning players back to its massive universe.

cylinder shaped space station in deep space with earth in the far distance

Nanoracks tests tech to slice up space junk in orbit for 1st time

By Elizabeth Howell published

A robotic arm softened up metal in space in an aim to address the growing space debris problem.

perseverance rover sampling head on the surface of mars. the view is very dusty and a large plane of rocks is in the front

Perseverance Mars rover picks up 'lucky' 13th rock sample for return to Earth

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Perseverance rover snagged its 13th rock sample recently, part of a collection that could come to Earth as early as 2033.

rocket lifting off amid launch towers with the sun setting on the right

New rocket science course lets you learn about spaceflight online for free

By Elizabeth Howell published

Varsity Tutors launches the course on Friday (Oct. 7) for anybody who loves space.

television screen showing a north korean missile flying into the sky, in a store window. person walks past as a blur on the right

North Korea launches nuclear-capable missile into space over Japan: reports

By Elizabeth Howell published

The test on Tuesday (Oct. 4) marked the first time a North Korean missile overflew Japan in five years, according to media reports.

marc hagle (left) and sharon hagle in blue suits standing next to each other

Blue Origin will return husband-and-wife passengers to suborbital space

By Elizabeth Howell published

A launch date hasn't been set yet for the next flight carrying Sharon Hagle and Marc Hagle, who last flew in March.

satellite in orbit around earth

World Space Week 2022 centers space sustainability for the future

By Elizabeth Howell published

In the 65 years since humanity's first satellite, the number of those in orbit is causing issues for astronomy and space security.

shadow of helicopter on mars surface. debris shadow is visible in animation

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter spots debris on its leg on latest flight

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Ingenuity drone on Mars had a piece of debris stuck to its leg during a recent flight. While it finished the flight without incident, engineers are assessing what happened.

image of a shooting game with two guns in front and numerous spacecraft flying overhead. aliens are swarming in the background and a heads up display showcases enemies nearby

Earth From Another Sun space MMO is an amazing homage to Starfield and Halo

By Elizabeth Howell published

Earth From Another Sun offers a Starfield- and Halo-inspired approach to a space-based, first-person shooter.

raw image of jupiter moon europa

Behold! Our closest view of Jupiter's ocean moon Europa in 22 years

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Juno spacecraft skimmed close above the surface of icy Europa Thursday (Sept. 29), capturing a view of the crust that is just the start of our new study of this ocean world.

"Star Wars" is only the beginning when it comes to space and sci-fi stuff to watch on Disney Plus.

The best sci-fi movies and TV shows to stream on Disney Plus in October

By Elizabeth Howell published

Here are the best space and science fiction movies and TV shows to watch on Disney Plus in October.

small drone in front of a rocky hill with cloudy red sky in the background

Ingenuity Mars helicopter notches 33rd Red Planet flight

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has taken flight again, staying aloft for nearly a minute this past weekend on its 33rd extraterrestrial sortie.

eye of Hurricane Ian from space station

Astronaut looks inside eye of Hurricane Ian from space as storm weakens over Florida (photos)

By Elizabeth Howell published

An International Space Station astronaut photographed Hurricane Ian as the powerful storm battered Florida. NASA, SpaceX and others have postponed launches from the Space Coast.

three cosmonauts in white spacesuits sitting down in front of russian flag

You can watch 3 Russian cosmonauts return to Earth from International Space Station today

By Elizabeth Howell published

Expedition 67 cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov will come back to Earth on Thursday (Sept. 29), and you can watch the undocking and landing live.

Countless white lines streak across the image of the Milky Way bar along the center. The white lines represent the motion of stars.

Milky Way galaxy: Everything you need to know about our cosmic neighborhood

By Tereza Pultarova, Daisy Dobrijevic published

Reference We are living in a golden age of Milky Way research and exploration.

Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky shared this photo of the International Space Station on Twitter on Sept. 29, 2021. He and two colleagues were relocating a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from one port to another at the time.

International Space Station: Live updates

By Elizabeth Howell published

Find out what's going on at the International Space Station.

A multispectral satellite images of an artillery battalion actively firing in a southeasterly direction on March 11, 2022 as seen by the WorldView-2 satellite for Maxar Technologies.

Ukraine invasion's impacts on space exploration: Live updates

By Elizabeth Howell published

The Russia-Ukraine war has already stretched into space, with satellites providing internet and intel and longstanding international relations in outer space shifting rapidly.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in its deployed form as seen in an artist's illustration.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission: Live updates

By Elizabeth Howell published

Read the latest news about NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

group of astronauts and cosmonauts assembled in the international space station. samantha cristoforetti is in the front holding a mic

European woman takes command of International Space Station for 1st time

By Elizabeth Howell published

A Russian cosmonaut made a hopeful reference to the end of war while handing command of the ISS to Samantha Cristoforetti, the first European woman in charge of the orbiting lab.

nicole mann astronaut stretching out hands at the entrance of a spacecraft

SpaceX's Crew-5 mission will carry Native American woman to orbit for 1st time

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA astronaut Nicole Mann will head to the space station aboard SpaceX's Crew-5 mission for NASA, which is slated to lift off on Oct. 4.

artemis 1 beside vehicle assembly building at nasa's kennedy space center with clouds in behind

As Hurricane Ian closes in, NASA weighs options for Artemis 1 moon rocket launch

By Elizabeth Howell published

The agency says an October launch is unlikely, but it won't "take anything off the table" after the storm comes through.

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