Amy Thompson

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover captures epic view of Martian surface

NASA's Curiosity rover is quite the photographer. As most Americans were busy chowing down on their favorite Thanksgiving dinner, the six-wheeled…

Meet Earth’s newly-discovered companion, a mini-moon named 2020 CD3

Earth has a new companion: a mini-moon called 2020 CD3. On Feb. 15, scientists discovered a small rocky chunk that…

DARPA’s $12 million launch challenge will go unanswered

Astra, a stealthy aerospace startup operated out of Alameda, CA, emerged from the shadows last month as it attempted to…

‘Marsquakes’ are a thing and they can tell us a lot about the red planet

NASA's InSight lander has spent the last year listening to the deep rumble of the red planet's interior. And its…

Mars could have a Leap Day like Earth but way more complicated

February 29, "leap day",  is an oddity on the calendar that occurs every four years in an attempt to sync…

SpaceX wins launch contract for NASA mission to study unique metal asteroid

SpaceX has been awarded a $117 million launch contract for NASA's Psyche mission that will study a unique metal asteroid…

NASA’s Mars Lander finds that the Red Planet’s magnetic field is really weird

Researchers studying the red planet uncovered a big surprise: the Martian magnetic field is about 10 times stronger than previously…

NASA’s next mission could study one of these bizarre moons

Venus, Triton, or Io? Where would you send NASA's newest mission? The space agency is in the midst of planning…

Martian dust storms are driving away spacecraft-saving dust devils

Dust devils are pretty common on Mars - the Red Planet is, after all, a very dusty and windy place.…

Solar Orbiter heads to the sun in mission to unravel its mysteries, takes first space measurements

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Solar Orbiter spacecraft is traveling through the cosmos. Its destination: the inner solar system. The…

NASA Mars 2020 rover arrives in Florida to prep for July launch to the red planet

NASA's next Mars rover arrived in Florida this week (Feb. 12) to begin final preparations ahead of its planned July…

NASA ramps Mars preparations with groundbreaking for new antenna

Ever wonder how spacecraft spread throughout our solar system communicate with Earth? They do so through an international array of…

Mars sample-return mission gets boost from Trump’s 2021 budget request

On Monday, Feb. 10, the White House released its 2021 federal budget request, and in it, the administration identified NASA's…

SpaceX wins NASA contract to launch Earth Observing System, but current administration has other plans

SpaceX recently snagged an $80.4 million NASA contract to launch an upcoming Earth-observing satellite sometime in 2022. That is, if…

Mars’ longtime polar mystery may have finally been solved

From the surface, Mars may seem like a dry, desert-like world lacking water, but a closer look at the planet's…

Scientists explore yarn made from human tissue for wound repair

A group of researchers from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux have produced what they…

Mars’ atmosphere could help us better understand radio interference here on Earth

Have you ever tuned in to your favorite radio station only to hear another station playing on top of it?…

Space ‘superstorms’ and their impact on Earth’s protective shield

The European Space Agency (ESA) together with NASA is gearing up for the launch of the Solar Orbiter spacecraft —…

Mars buildings could be built using components made from bacteria

Bacteria could be useful construction tools when it comes to building cities on Mars. Elon Musk recently detailed his plans…

NASA’s newest space observatory could sniff exoplanet atmospheres for signs of life

Over the course of our existence, humanity has struggled to definitively answer the question: "Are we alone?" Is Earth the…