How to spot aliens? Look at Earth, scientists propose. By Mindy Weisberger published 25 March 21 Revisiting how Earth looks from space could offer scientists clues for finding alien life on distant worlds.
The Perseverance rover's 1st month on Mars has been super smooth, scientists say By Mike Wall published 17 March 21 For the past month, the mission team has been checking out Perseverance's seven science instruments and its various subsystems. The rover has jumped through every hoop on cue.
Curious Kids: We have been trying to contact aliens – but do they want to contact us? By Jacco van Loon published 14 March 21 This is a great question – and the truth is that we don’t know the answer.
Ancient Mars' warm spells probably didn't last long By Mike Wall published 9 March 21 Ancient Mars was warm and wet only intermittently, a new study suggests.
Can super-rotating oceans cool off extreme exoplanets? By Paul Sutter published 8 March 21 New research suggests a way to move heat around "tidally locked" alien planets: ocean currents whipping around the worlds faster than they rotate.
NASA's Perseverance rover landing on Mars was a giant leap for America, President Biden says By Mike Wall published 5 March 21 The reverberations from the epic touchdown of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover will extend far beyond the science and spaceflight communities, President Biden said.
Perseverance rover: NASA's Mars car to seek signs of ancient life By Nola Taylor Tillman, Mike Wall published 2 March 21 NASA's Perseverance rover isn't just exploring the Red Planet. The life-hunting robot will also help a little bit of Mars make it to Earth a decade or so from now, if all goes according to plan.
Here's what we know about planetary protection on China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission By Meghan Bartels published 25 February 21 In anticipation of China's first Mars landing attempt, scientists are wondering whether the Tianwen-1 rover may carry Earthly contamination with it to the surface.
Perseverance rover snaps gorgeous HD panorama of Mars landing site By Mike Wall published 24 February 21 Perseverance has captured a high-definition, 360-degree panorama of its surroundings on the floor of Mars' Jezero Crater, which harbored a lake and a river delta billions of years ago.
Wow! See the Perseverance rover dangling above Mars in this amazing landing photo By Mike Wall published 19 February 21 NASA just released an image showing its Perseverance Mars rover dangling about 6.5 feet (2 meters) above the red dirt during its picture-perfect touchdown inside Jezero Crater yesterday (Feb. 18).
What's next for NASA's Perseverance Mars rover after its landing success? By Mike Wall published 19 February 21 Great photos are just around the corner, but it'll likely be a few months before Perseverance really starts sinking its teeth into its science work.
Touchdown! NASA's Perseverance rover lands on Mars to begin hunt for signs of ancient life By Mike Wall published 18 February 21 The car-sized Perseverance, the most advanced robot ever sent to the Red Planet, aced its "seven minutes of terror" touchdown this afternoon (Feb. 18).
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is about to land in Jezero Crater. Here's what we know about the place. By Elizabeth Howell published 17 February 21 Jezero Crater may be the proving ground in our search for Martian life.
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance landing: Everything you need to know By Mike Wall published 15 February 21 NASA's next Mars rover is about to touch down! See Space.com's complete coverage of the Feb. 18 landing of the Mars 2020 rover Perseverance.
Potentially habitable exoplanet candidate spotted around Alpha Centauri A in Earth's backyard By Mike Wall published 10 February 21 The nearest solar system to our own may actually host two potentially life-supporting planets as a new candidate emerges around Alpha Centauri A, a new study reports.
We don't really understand the habitable zones of alien planets By Paul Sutter published 10 February 21 It turns out we don't really understand habitable zones.
Aliens could be sucking energy from black holes. That may be how we'll find them. By Tom Metcalfe published 31 January 21
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance is in the home stretch of its journey to Red Planet By Mike Wall published 28 January 21 The car-size Perseverance rover, which launched on July 30 of last year, is scheduled to land inside the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater on Feb. 18.
Prebiotic ingredients for life found around young star By Paul Sutter published 27 January 21 Where did the ingredients for life on Earth come from? A team of astronomers has found a crucial new link: the observation of essential "prebiotic" molecules around a still-forming star.
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance lands on the Red Planet in less than a month! By Mike Wall published 21 January 21 The car-size Perseverance rover, the core of NASA's $2.7 billion Mars 2020 mission, will land Feb. 18, kicking off a new era of Red Planet exploration.
