A robot that can inch up icy surfaces may help scientists reach new heights in some of Earth’s most dangerous and remote landscapes.
NASA
Hello, Goodbye: First Interplanetary CubeSats Zip Past Mars
The InSight lander safely arrived on Mars early last week. Two tiny spacecraft made up part of its communications array and transmitted landing data back to Earth.
Martian Crater Will Be the Landing Site for a Future Rover
The impact crater is a dry lake bed that contains evidence of ancient water flows and perhaps signs of ancient microbial life.
U.S. Mint Unveils Design for Special Apollo 11 Coin
The showcase of a commemorative coin kicks off national celebrations of the Apollo anniversaries.
New Exoplanet Telescope Detects Its First Two Planets
The two possible planets, each larger than Earth and too hot to be habitable, are the first of hundreds of Earth-sized exoplanets expected to be discovered by a recently launched telescope.
How Well Can the Webb Telescope Detect Signs of Exoplanet Life?
Recent research suggests that NASA’s next-generation space telescope will be good—but not the best—at finding life-sustaining levels of oxygen in an exoplanet’s atmosphere.
Global Ice Monitoring Satellite to Launch as Early as This Week
The soon-to-launch satellite will measure the height and thickness of sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost around the world to an unprecedentedly high precision.
How Much Land Surface Is Under Water at Any Given Time?
NASA Workshop on Remote Sensing of Inundation Extent; Boulder, Colorado, 21–22 May 2018
First Spacecraft to Touch the Sun Awaiting Launch
The Parker Solar Probe will study the Sun’s corona and its electric and magnetic fields, as well as the mechanisms that drive the solar wind, all from behind an advanced protective heat shield.
U.S. Senate Reviews NASA’s Science Priorities
The search for life, developing flagship telescopes, partnering with the private sector, and maintaining Earth science programs should be top priorities for the space agency, say witnesses.