February’s Gonna Be a Big Month for Mars
On the 9th, the first of three spacecraft will arrive at the Red Planet and inaugurate a new era of Martian exploration.
NASA Is Training an AI to Detect Fresh Craters on Mars
An algorithm discovered dozens of Martian craters. It’s a promising remote method for exploring our solar system and understanding planetary history.
Virgin Orbit Just Launched a Rocket From a 747
Launching rockets from planes is a decades-old concept that never really took off. Billionaire Richard Branson thinks its time has come.
The Plan to Build a Global Network of Floating Power Stations
A lot of thermal energy is trapped in the ocean. An ex-NASA researcher has figured out how it might generate unlimited clean power for aquatic robots.
This Cobalt-Free Battery Is Good for the Planet—and It Actually Works
Reducing the cobalt content in lithium-ion batteries is good for the environment, human rights, and maybe even the performance of the battery itself.
The Iconic Arecibo Telescope Goes Quiet After Major Damage
A cable cut a large gash into the radio telescope this week and it’s uncertain when it will be back in working order.
SpaceX Brings Astronauts Home Safely in a Historic First
That’s a wrap on SpaceX’s crewed demo mission, which clears the way for the company to regularly launch astronauts for NASA.
NASA Just Launched Its New Perseverance Rover to Mars
The new rover is its biggest, most autonomous yet and may lead us to the first signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.
NASA’s Mars Rover Will Be Powered by US-Made Plutonium
In 2015, Oak Ridge National Laboratory produced the first plutonium fuel in the US in nearly 30 years. Now it’s headed to another planet.