How the coronavirus pandemic can help us prepare for an asteroid impact By Leonard David The emergency preparedness activities now underway to combat the coronavirus pandemic offer insight about our readiness to deal with a dangerous incoming asteroid, experts say.
Ready, SETI, go: Is there a race to contact E.T.? By Leonard David Researchers using China's huge new FAST radio telescope are piecing together a technological strategy to carry out a major and sweeping search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
How amateur satellite trackers are keeping an 'eye' on objects around the Earth By Leonard David Around the planet, a loosely knit but closely woven band of amateurs monitor the whereabouts of satellites — be they secretive spacecraft, rocket stages, orbital debris or lost space probes.
'PANOSETI' prototypes: Ambitious alien-hunting project deploys 1st two telescopes By Leonard David The first two prototype telescopes for the ambitious PANOSETI project are up and running.
China wants a piece of the moon. Here's how it plans to handle lunar samples. By Leonard David A glimpse into China's readiness to handle samples from the moon reveals steps to be taken for storage, processing and preparation of the specimens.
Could Mars samples brought to Earth pose a threat to our planet? What the coronavirus (and 'Andromeda Strain') can teach us. By Leonard David NASA and the European Space Agency plan to haul pristine Mars samples to Earth in the near future. Should we worry about a possible 'Andromeda Strain' scenario?
How will NASA deal with the moon dust problem for Artemis lunar landings? By Leonard David Scientists and engineers are trying to work out ways to tamp down lunar dust so billowing clouds don't pose a problem to astronauts landing on the moon in 2024.
'See you in orbit?' New book tackles the enduring dream of public spaceflight By Leonard David In "See You In Orbit? Our Dream Of Spaceflight," former NASA manager Alan Ladwig takes a look back at the missions and milestones in developing public spaceflight opportunities.
A capital debate: Should Earth's natural satellite be 'Moon' or 'moon'? By Leonard David Planetary scientists and linguistic style makers don't agree about how to write the name of Earth's nearest neighbor.
Coronavirus fears have shuttered one physics meeting. Here's how space conferences could respond By Leonard David The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus is beginning to affect major upcoming space and science gatherings.
What can the coronavirus outbreak teach us about bringing Mars samples back to Earth? By Leonard David A new virus called SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus that has caused an outbreak of a disease called COVID-19. But what does that have to do with Mars?
Scientists eye the Martian underground in search for alien life By Leonard David While the cold, dry, radiation-blasted surface of Mars is widely considered to be uninhabitable, the subsurface may be a very different story.
Space Force: What will the new military branch actually do? By Leonard David The Space Force has been officially established, but it's still unclear exactly what the organization will do.
Are the aliens us? UFOs may be piloted by time-traveling humans, book argues By Leonard David The great distances covered by visiting "aliens" may be ones of time rather than space, a recent book argues.
On Far Side of the Moon, Chinese Lander and Rover Hit One-Year Mark By Leonard David China hit a historic milestone on the moon Friday (Jan. 3) as its Chang'e 4 lander and rover celebrated their first full year exploring the lunar far side.
An Astronaut Got a Blood Clot in Space. Here's How Doctors on Earth Fixed It. By Leonard David An unidentified astronaut aboard the International Space Station had a deep vein thrombosis — or blood clot — in the jugular vein of their neck, according to a new case study.
China Prepping for Comeback Launch of Heavy-Lift Long March 5 Rocket Friday By Leonard David The launch will be the third ever for the Long March 5, and the first since a July 2017 liftoff ended in failure.
Trump Officially Establishes US Space Force with 2020 Defense Bill Signing By Leonard David President Trump has signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act and with it directed the establishment of the U.S. Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.
China's Farside Moon Rover Breaks Lunar Longevity Record By Leonard David China’s farside rover, Yutu 2, has broken the longevity record for working on the surface of the moon.
Moon FARSIDE: Lunar Astronomy Proposal Takes Aim at Cosmic Dark Ages and Exoplanets By Leonard David The moon's farside is an attention grabber for many reasons. A new mission idea capitalizes on those reasons in a project dubbed FARSIDE.
China's Huge, Alien-Hunting Radio Telescope Is Finishing Its Testing Phase By Leonard David China's giant, alien-hunting radio telescope is finishing its testing-and-commissioning phase, which has occurred over the past three years.
Japanese Asteroid Probe Tests Ion Engine for Journey Home to Earth By Leonard David A recent test of the ion engine that powers Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft went well, clearing the hardware for full-on operations soon, mission team members announced late last week.
Will 2020 Be the Year We Find Intelligent Alien Life? By Leonard David Is 2020 the celestial payoff year, in which astronomers finally confirm a "technosignature" coming from an advanced alien civilization?
China's Microsatellite Crash Site on the Moon Spotted by NASA Lunar Orbiter By Leonard David A NASA spacecraft circling the moon has spotted the scar left by a Chinese satellite's impact.
