Author Archive
Tech
There’s Nothing Historic About Biden’s NASA Pick
After 62 years, the space agency will have to wait a little longer for its first female leader.
Tech
The Simple Task That Mars Made Impossible
NASA spent nearly two years trying to wrangle a probe designed to burrow into the planet’s soil.
Tech
A Historic Docking, 250 Miles Above Earth
Two NASA astronauts just arrived at the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule.
Tech
The Thorniest Subject at NASA Right Now
The space agency is carefully following pandemic measures. Elon Musk thinks they’re overblown. But both are going to the moon together.
Tech
The Mission NASA Doesn’t Want to Postpone
So far, the pandemic isn’t stopping the space agency from moving forward with a historic SpaceX launch next month.
Tech
How to Survive Pandemic Re-entry
Astronauts have given us some useful tips for surviving isolation, but we’ll need more to weather a pandemic.
Tech
The Coronavirus Has Tied Us to Earth
Space missions around the world are on hold—a poignant reminder of how the pandemic has upended civilization.
Workforce
The Legacy of a Hidden NASA Figure
The stories of black women at the space agency were once buried so deep that it felt like a revelation when they were brought to light.
Tech
NASA Will Only Tolerate So Much Danger
An investigation into what really went wrong with Boeing's last space mission turned up serious issues.
Tech
The Next Big Milestone in American Spaceflight
This was supposed to be the year NASA astronauts launched into space from U.S. soil again.
Tech
The Mystery at the Center of the Solar System
A spacecraft has finally gotten close enough to the sun to gather clues about some lingering questions.
Workforce
The False Promise of Morning Routines
Why everyone’s mornings seem more productive than yours.
Tech
A Hitch at NASA Headquarters
NASA has carried out its first all-female spacewalk, but hints of outdated thinking about women in space remain.
Tech
The Exquisite Boredom of Spacewalking
A trip outside the International Space Station is, at its core, a home-improvement project.
Tech
NASA Hands Elon Musk a Reality Check
A shared effort to deliver NASA astronauts to space recently got a little awkward.
Tech
SpaceX Missed Some Urgent Emails About a Satellite Standoff
Stopping collisions in space starts with good communication.
Tech
Why Soviets Sent Dogs to Space While Americans Used Primates
Researchers didn’t know how people would react to weightlessness. So they sent animals first.
Tech
The Great NASA Bake-Off
High-tech agriculture would keep far-flung astronauts alive, but making something delicious would keep them happy.
Tech
The Apollo Engineer Who Almost Wasn’t Allowed in the Control Room
JoAnn Morgan stood out against the sea of men in skinny ties and glasses. But she was right where she belonged.
