NASA has awarded three new robotic missions to the Moon, taking another step toward its goal of building a permanent lunar base. The nearly $600 million initiative comes as the agency keeps its long-term plans on track despite recent setbacks involving one of its commercial launch partners. Before astronauts can spend extended periods on the…
Back to Article List The Wizard Nebula is a dim gas cloud surrounding a bright cluster of young stars, located within the bounds of Cepheus the King. The Wizard Nebula is a gas cloud surrounding a young cluster of stars; the former may only be visible in astrophotos, but the latter is easy to find…
Two of our leaders have won a major award. The American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Sciences has named Casey Dreier, our chief of space policy, and Jack Kiraly, our director of government relations, as recipients of the 2026 Harold Masursky Award for exceptional service to planetary science and space exploration. The recognition comes on…
From June 3 to 13, aircraft at Ellington Field in Houston gave students a firsthand look at how scientists study Earth from the air. Through NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program, or SARP, students learned how airborne field campaigns collect data used in atmospheric science, ecology, air quality research, and climate modeling. This year’s activity took place…
America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark A Smithsonian magazine special report Baker’s work was instrumental in the success of the NAACP and other organizations, but she did it in a way that didn’t put herself in the spotlight. That was by design Hsiao-Ron Cheng Ella Baker built in the background. Though her work as a grassroots…
It looks there for the taking, doesn’t it? The third rock from the sun just sitting there, all defenceless, run by squabbling politicians ruling over a human race who’d rather be sharing “get ready with me” videos than vigilantly watching the skies as they should be. But next time you set your sights on invading…
Recent estimates have come to the consensus that our planet hosts roughly six million species. But new research reveals that those counts may be drastically underestimated Soumya Sagar July 2, 2026 11:30 a.m. Researchers came up with the new count by studying insect biodiversity in a conservation area in Costa Rica. Alexey Protasov via Getty…
A potentially habitable rocky world has been found in the habitable zone around a red dwarf just 25 light-years from us. However, faced with a hostile wind of radiation from its host star, it remains unclear whether this new exoplanet supports an atmosphere, or the possibility of life. Nevertheless, astronomers are celebrating the discovery. “This…
Enabling & Support 15/06/2026 9532 views 97 likes In brief The next Ariane 6 launch is scheduled for 17 June This flight will feature upgraded boosters based on the P160C solid-propellant rocket motor Flight VA269 will launch 36 satellites for the Amazon Leo constellation In-depth P160C based booster for Ariane 6 arrives at the launch…
One of the biggest unanswered questions in solar physics may have gained an unexpected new lead. Researchers analyzing observations from NASA‘s Parker Solar Probe have found evidence that tiny charged dust grains close to the Sun could influence how energy travels through the solar corona, potentially helping explain why the corona reaches temperatures of millions…