MIT welcomes 2023 Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellow Juliana García-Mejía
The fellowship supports research contributing to the field of planetary science and astronomy.
Planet hunting and the origins of life
George Ricker and his team at the MIT Kavli Institute are mapping the entire sky for signs of life.
Mix-and-match kit could enable astronauts to build a menagerie of lunar exploration bots
Robotic parts could be assembled into nimble spider bots for exploring lava tubes or heavy-duty elephant bots for transporting solar panels.
3Q: What we learned from the asteroid-smashing DART mission
Saverio Cambioni discusses new results revealing the redirected asteroid Dimorphos to be a dust-trailing rubble-pile.
White House names Daniel Hastings to space advisory group
National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group will guide the Biden-Harris administration on space preservation and industry.
Tiny satellite tests autonomy in space
Lincoln Laboratory’s Agile MicroSat will be the first small satellite to demonstrate long-duration, low-altitude flight with autonomous maneuvering.
Study: Without more data, a black hole’s origins can be “spun” in any direction
Current measurements of black holes are not enough to nail down how the invisible giants form in the universe, researchers say.
Communications system achieves fastest laser link from space yet
Lincoln Laboratory’s TeraByte InfraRed Delivery system sent data from a satellite to Earth at 100 Gbps — a rate that will transform future science missions.
Mysteriously bright flash is a black hole jet pointing straight toward Earth, astronomers say
The observations could illuminate how supermassive black holes feed and grow.
International team observes innermost structure of quasar jet
New observations show the deepest parts of the quasar's plasma jet in a project led by MIT Haystack Observatory.
3 Questions: Looking to Artemis I for a return to the moon
As NASA launches Artemis I, MIT experts weigh in on the importance of the mission to future space exploration.
Expanding horizons through astronomy and art
Whether spending late nights at the observatory or working on animated films, senior Skylar Larsen is reaching for the stars.
Method for decoding asteroid interiors could help aim asteroid-deflecting missions
Astronomers have found a way to determine an asteroid’s interior structure based on how its spin changes during a close encounter with Earth.
Documentary featuring Professor Sara Seager wins Emmy Award
“The Hunt for Planet B” follows Seager and others on their search for extraterrestrial life; three other nominated films feature MIT affiliates.
Astronomers find a “cataclysmic” pair of stars with the shortest orbit yet
The stars circle each other every 51 minutes, confirming a decades-old prediction.