space

Who owns the moon? A space lawyer answers

By Frans von der Dunk, The Conversation

Since the beginning of the space race, the United States knew that for many people around the world the sight of a U.S. flag on the Moon would raise major political issues.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will ‘shake’ hands with sun, thanks to small push from Venus

By Anna Kusmer

With the Parker Solar Probe, NASA must strike the perfect balance between flying close enough to collect data but not so close that it burns up. Here’s what the mission will take.

‘Oumuamua, the first known interstellar visitor, is just a comet

By Nola Taylor Redd, Scientific American

Oumuamua is almost certainly a comet, albeit one fittingly alien from those we find orbiting the sun, according to a new study published Wednesday.

Hayabusa2, a Japanese spacecraft, arrives at Ryugu asteroid to retrieve minerals

By Jeremy Hsu, Scientific American

If all goes according to plan, two spacecraft will commence close encounters with two asteroids by the end of August, in order to retrieve organic materials dating back to the solar system’s birth.

Will launching plants into orbit yield new medicines?

By Eric Boodman, STAT

A team of biologists and chemists hopes that this alien environment might prod these floral cosmonauts into producing new and improved molecules for drugs.

Why a U.S. ‘Space Force’ is ‘premature’ but ‘inevitable’

By Nsikan Akpan

What would a space force look like? Why now? Will NASA play a role? Three experts, including a retired Air Force Lieutenant General, explain the rationale behind President Trump's announcement.

The science behind the summer solstice

By Stephen Schneider, The Conversation

The summer solstice brings the longest day and shortest night of the year for 88 percent of Earth’s people.

NASA Rover knocked out as giant dust storm engulfs Mars

By Amel Ahmed, KQED

Flight controllers tried late Tuesday night to contact Opportunity, but the rover did not respond. The storm has been growing since the end of May and now covers one-quarter of the planet.

What Kilauea’s eruption can reveal about volcanoes on other worlds—and possibly, alien life

By Fedor Kossakovski

The Kilauea volcano provides a natural laboratory on Earth to study volcanoes found on other planets and moons in our solar system.

WATCH LIVE: SpaceX to launch Bangabandhu-1 satellite atop Block 5, the most powerful Falcon 9 rocket to date

By Nsikan Akpan

On Friday, SpaceX is slated to launch Bangabandhu Satellite-1, Bangladesh’s first communications satellite. But Block 5 -- the souped-up SpaceX rocket carrying the satellite -- may be the real headliner.