Dr. Ian Whiitaker is a senior lecturer in physics at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, England in the United Kingdom. He earned a master's of physics with space science and technology from the University of Leicester in 2006 and earned his Ph.D. in space physics from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 2010 while studying the interaction of the sun with the upper atmosphere of Venus. Ian has lectured at Nottingham Trent University since 2017 and has a special interest in space science outreach. In addition to his lecturing duties, Ian is a contributor to The Conversation, where he writes about a wide range of issues on space exploration and science.
Latest articles by Ian Whittaker

By Lesley Masters, Ian Whittaker Published
When a piece of debris hits another object in space, it can also create more space debris, adding to the problem.

By Ian Whittaker Published
While the term “planet” has a clear definition, there is no strict definition of a moon. We can either say that there is one moon around Earth, or more than 160 million moons.

By Ian Whittaker Published
The exoplanet K2-18b might host a water ocean.

By Ian Whittaker Published
Unlike the short "joyrides" of Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, this mission will be reaching the roughly 400km altitude needed to dock with the ISS.

By Ian Whittaker Published
A space station on the moon could be very useful to provide future space missions with a stopping point between Earth and deeper space. Why haven't we built one yet?

By Gareth Dorrian, Ian Whittaker Published
Three astronauts on China's new space station have performed the country's first spacewalk and are busy configuring the module for future crews.

By Ian Whittaker Published
The continuing research with exoplanets involves trying to identify their atmospheric composition, specifically to answer the question of whether life could exist there.

By Gareth Dorrian, Ian Whittaker Published
No-one has visited the Moon since 1972. But with the advent of commercial human spaceflight, the urge to return is resurgent and generating a new space race.

By Ian Whittaker, Gareth Dorrian Published
So how is space exploration likely to change going forward?

By Gareth Dorrian, Ian Whittaker Published
Neowise is the first bright comet to be visible with the naked eye from the northern hemisphere since the mid-1990s.

By Gareth Dorrian, Ian Whittaker Last updated
Almost as interesting as what they knew, however, is what they did not know.

By Gareth Dorrian, Ian Whittaker Published
It will be one of the most daunting, complicated and, potentially, scientifically rewarding missions ever undertaken to the red planet.

By Gareth Dorrian, Ian Whittaker Published
At an upcoming summit in early December, NATO is expected to declare space as a "warfighting domain," partly in response to new developments in technology.

By Gareth Dorrian, Ian Whittaker Published
But how is such a mission even possible?
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