3 Questions: Anna Frebel on searching for the oldest stars
New book details astronomers’ hunt for clues to the early universe.
New exoplanet in our neighborhood
Though likely uninhabitable, planet is rocky, Earth-sized, and near enough for study of its atmosphere.
Interplanetary architecture
Faculty and students grapple with 3-D printing a habitable structure on Mars.
To save on weight, a detour to the moon is the best route to Mars
For a piloted mission to Mars, fueling up on the moon could streamline cargo by 68 percent.
Amanda Bosh promoted to senior lecturer
Astronomer and planetary scientist has been a steady source of inspiration for students and community members interested in observational astronomy.
Advanced LIGO set to begin science operations
The world's most sensitive gravitational-wave detector is scheduled to go online this week, after seven years of enhancement.
Siberian Traps likely culprit for end-Permian extinction
New study finds massive eruptions likely triggered mass extinction.
Advice to students in planetary science: “Start young!”
MIT astronomer Richard Binzel describes lengthy preparation for this year’s successful flyby of Pluto.
Moon’s crust as fractured as can be
Study finds barrage of small asteroids shattered moon’s upper crust.
Pluto Revealed! An update from New Horizons
Professor Richard Binzel, NASA New Horizons science team co-PI, shares mission results on Sept. 9.
New Horizons data hint at underground ocean
Ice flows and water ice mountains spied by NASA spacecraft support the idea that an interior ocean may be driving geologic activity on Pluto.
3 Questions: Lennon Rodgers on docking in space
System for locking satellites together, initially developed for master’s thesis, to get first space test.
3 Questions: Richard Binzel on New Horizons’ closest view of Pluto
Spacecraft’s close-up images reveal a complex, frozen world.
Researchers identify zebra-like stripes of plasma in a patch of space
The structure may help scientists identify radiation-remediation strategies in space.