Space & PhysicsDecember 21, 2020
Trump Signs Directive to Bolster Nuclear Power in Space Exploration
One goal laid out in the new policy is the testing of a fission power system on the moon by the mid- to late 2020s
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Space & PhysicsDecember 10, 2020
SpaceX’s Starship SN8 Prototype Soars on Epic Test Launch, with Explosive Landing
Despite its “rapid unplanned disassembly,” the company’s highest-yet flight of its next-generation rocket was a success
Space & PhysicsDecember 7, 2020
Japanese Space Capsule Carrying Pristine Asteroid Samples Lands in Australia
Gathered by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, the material from asteroid Ryugu will deepen scientists’ knowledge of early solar system history
Space & PhysicsDecember 1, 2020
China’s Chang’e 5 Lands on Moon to Collect Fresh Samples
The ambitious mission is the first effort since 1976 to bring lunar material back to Earth
Space & PhysicsDecember 1, 2020
The Arecibo Radio Telescope’s Massive Platform Has Collapsed
The hanging structure crashed through Arecibo’s dish after major cable failures
Space & PhysicsNovember 24, 2020
China’s Chang’e-5 Mission Launches to Collect Lunar Samples
After a 44-year hiatus, humans are on the verge of returning fresh material from the moon
Space & PhysicsNovember 17, 2020
NASA Celebrates Crew-1 Arrival at Space Station
SpaceX’s first 4-astronaut mission for the agency is a milestone in human spaceflight
Space & PhysicsNovember 6, 2020
Mark Kelly Becomes 4th Astronaut Elected to Congress
After a special election in Arizona, the veteran spacefarer is set to become a senator
Space & PhysicsNovember 3, 2020
The International Space Station Is Doomed to Die by Fire
Twenty years after the famed orbital outpost went up, scientists and engineers are deciding how and when it will come back down
Space & PhysicsOctober 31, 2020
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Probe Successfully Stows Space-Rock Sample
The spacecraft will deliver the pristine material from asteroid Bennu back to Earth in 2023
Space & PhysicsOctober 28, 2020
In the Hunt for Planet Nine, Astronomers Eye a New Search Technique
“Shifting and stacking” method could unveil the elusive world and other objects in the outer solar system
Space & PhysicsOctober 26, 2020
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Is Overflowing with Asteroid Samples
The mission team is working to stow the sample as fast as possible to minimize losses
Space & PhysicsOctober 21, 2020
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Successfully Touches Asteroid Bennu
The spacecraft attempted to collect samples from the asteroid for eventual return to Earth
Space & PhysicsSeptember 17, 2020
Scientists Spot Giant Planet Orbiting Dead Star’s Corpse
The discovery around a white dwarf suggests planets can survive their star’s demise
Space & PhysicsSeptember 16, 2020
Life on Venus? Breakthrough Initiatives Funds Study of Possible Biosignature
A team of scientists will examine the astrobiological prospects for phosphine on Earth’s hellish twin
Space & PhysicsAugust 27, 2020
Could Carbon-Foam Probes Sail to Nearby Stars?
Boosted by sunlight, “bubblecraft” might reach Proxima Centauri after a 185-year voyage
Space & PhysicsAugust 26, 2020
Hubble Captures Close-Up of Comet NEOWISE
The new image shows the comet emerged intact from its perilous passage through the inner solar system
Space & PhysicsAugust 19, 2020
Asteroid Makes the Closest Earth Flyby a Space Rock Has Ever Survived
The car-sized object zoomed by just 1,830 miles away
Space & PhysicsAugust 12, 2020
NASA’s TESS Planet-Hunting Space Telescope Completes Its Primary Mission
The observatory has found 66 confirmed worlds, plus 2,100 additional candidates—and the search goes on
Space & PhysicsAugust 5, 2020
SpaceX's Starship SN5 Prototype Soars in First Test Flight
The short hop could be a big leap toward future missions to Mars
Space & PhysicsAugust 3, 2020
NASA Astronauts Splashdown Safely after Historic SpaceX Mission
The first-ever crew-carrying commercial orbital mission is a major spaceflight milestone
Space & PhysicsJuly 29, 2020
Why NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Uses Nuclear Energy
Radioactive plutonium is crucial for keeping this and other power-hungry deep-space missions warm and working for years on end
Space & PhysicsJune 23, 2020
Surprise! Pluto May Have Possessed a Subsurface Ocean at Birth
The dwarf planet could be a more habitable world than scientists had thought
Space & PhysicsJune 1, 2020
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Docks with Space Station
The first-ever orbital flight of astronauts on a private spacecraft has been a historic success