The 1st-ever Mars helicopter will start flying next year. Here's how. By Elizabeth Howell NASA's Perseverance rover will have a special passenger when it alights inside Mars' Jezero Crater in February 2021 — the first helicopter ever to fly on another world.
Tiny, simple moon rovers will bring cubesat science to the lunar surface By Meghan Bartels Cubesats have revolutionized orbital science, and a rover counterpart may soon do the same for surface science, beginning on the moon.
Steampunk space exploration? Icy moon robot could hop around on steam power. By Elizabeth Howell Icy moon explorers may someday hunt for life using an old-fashioned method: steam power.
To safely explore the solar system and beyond, spaceships need to go faster—nuclear-powered rockets may be the answer By Iain Boyd There are a lot of reasons that a faster spaceship is a better one, and nuclear-powered rockets are a way to do this.
How will astronauts poop on the moon? New NASA challenge aims to flush this mystery By Chelsea Gohd This is one crappy challenge.
Foam 'spider webs' from tiny satellites could help clean up space junk By Mike Wall The Russian startup StartRocket is developing a "Foam Debris Catcher," a small, autonomous satellite that would snag and de-orbit space debris using sticky polymer foam.
NASA needs your help teaching its Curiosity rover how to drive on Mars By Elizabeth Howell NASA is asking for your help to guide its Curiosity rover around sand traps, sharp rocks and other obstacles on the Red Planet.
NASA has built a helicopter to explore Mars and it's finally ready to launch By Meghan Bartels NASA is ready to take its first spin at flying a helicopter on another world as the agency's Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, prepares for launch in July.
The International Space Station is getting a new toilet this year By Meghan Bartels Later this year, if all goes well, the International Space Station will receive a very important delivery: a new and improved toilet system.
Yes, there's ice on the moon. But it's not the 1st lunar resource we'll use. By Meghan Bartels Listen to a couple ideas about humanity's future on the moon and you'll likely hear about the game-changing potential of a substance you probably have in your freezer: water ice.
Virtual reality will be a big part of Boeing's Starliner astronaut training By Mike Wall Astronauts will get some next-gen training before they ride Boeing's next-gen spacecraft.
Astronomers and SpaceX coming together to make Starlink megaconstellation less disruptive to science By Meghan Bartels Astronomers are praising SpaceX's response to months of outcry over the visibility of the company's Starlink internet satellites from scientists dismayed by interference with observations.
Celestron FirstScope 76: Full review By Gemma Lavender, All About Space magazine The fuss-free Celestron FirstScope 76 is an easy telescope to use, but expectations should be tailored when looking through the eyepiece
The 'mole' on Mars is finally underground after a push from NASA's InSight lander By Meghan Bartels There's a light at the end of the tunnel for the first mole to burrow into the surface of Mars, scientists hope.
Colonizing Mars may require humanity to tweak its DNA By Mike Wall Genetic enhancement could allow humanity to push surprisingly far out into the final frontier.
Why a microwave-beam experiment will launch aboard the Air Force’s secretive X-37B space plane By Rafi Letzter There's a microwave power experiment heading to space Saturday (May 16) aboard the Air Force's secretive X-37B spaceplane. Researchers hope it could lead to a new global power source.
Satellite operator Intelsat files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy By Tariq Malik Satellite operator Intelsat, which launched the world's first communications satellite in 1965, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to ease some debt and join an FCC spectrum clearing program.
Astronauts to ride NASA-adorned Tesla Model X to SpaceX launchpad By Robert Z. Pearlman The first NASA astronauts to launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket will have more than one new ride designed by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: a Tesla Model X.
Future Mars and moon rovers may paddle their way out of sand traps By Mike Wall Researchers recently took a new look at novel locomotory strategies developed for a NASA moon-exploration project, and the results were encouraging.
Space technologies can help solve Earth's challenges (op-ed) By Dylan Taylor Space exploration technologies have already helped benefit Earth in many ways, especially when it comes to communications, Earth observation and even fostering economic growth.
