NASA's Mars rover Perseverance mated to rocket ahead of July 30 launch By Mike Wall Perseverance just took another big step toward liftoff.
Most of the Milky Way's life-hosting planets may have formed early on By Elizabeth Howell Rocky planets that formed early in our Milky Way galaxy's 13.2-billion-year history have a better chance of supporting life than worlds that were later to the party, a new study suggests.
'The Sirens of Mars' tells of the search for life on Mars By Meghan Bartels Studying Mars has been by turns tantalizing and heart-breaking, a constant dance as improving technology builds or dims hopes of finding life on our red neighbor.
Book excerpt: 'The Sirens of Mars' on early views of the Red Planet By Sarah Stewart Johnson For centuries, humans have looked to the bright, reddish dot moving across our skies and wondered about its secrets.
It's the month of Mars! 3 Red Planet missions set to launch in July By Mike Wall Three missions are poised to launch toward the Red Planet this month, including NASA's life-hunting, sample-caching Perseverance rover.
NASA delays launch of next Mars rover to no earlier than July 30 By Mike Wall NASA has delayed the launch of its Mars rover Perseverance again, this time to no earlier than July 30, due to rocket preparation delays.
Steampunk space exploration? Icy moon robot could hop around on steam power. By Elizabeth Howell Icy moon explorers may someday hunt for life using an old-fashioned method: steam power.
Pentagon should release UFO report, Senate intelligence committee argues By Rafi Letzter How much would a report like this really tell us?
Newfound 'super-Earth' exoplanets bear clues about atmospheres of alien worlds By Charles Q. Choi The brightest red dwarf star in the sky may be the best chance astronomers have yet to analyze the atmospheres of alien worlds ? and perhaps detect whether those worlds have life, a new study finds.
Heat gave Jupiter's icy moon Europa layers. That may be good news for the search for life. By Doris Elin Urrutia There are many items on the habitability checklist, and Europa may have experienced an important life-supporting phenomenon.
Launch of NASA's next Mars rover delayed again by 'contamination concern' on the ground By Tariq Malik The launch of NASA's next Mars rover has been delayed to no earlier than July 22 due to a contamination issue with ground support equipment.
Our Milky Way galaxy may be teeming with ocean worlds By Chelsea Gohd Far-off alien planets covered in vast oceans might be common in our Milky Way galaxy, scientists find.
NASA's next Mars rover is just one month away from launch By Mike Wall The launch of NASA's next Mars rover, the life-hunting, sample-caching Perseverance, is just a month away.
NASA's next Mars rover carries tribute to healthcare workers fighting coronavirus By Mike Wall NASA's next Mars rover will bear to the Red Planet a tribute to brave healthcare workers fighting a pandemic here on Earth.
Is the Milky Way harboring dozens of intelligent alien civilizations? By Chelsea Gohd Are dozens of intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations lurking right in our home galaxy?
NASA delays launch of Mars rover Perseverance to July 20 By Mike Wall The liftoff of the Perseverance Mars rover has been pushed back three days to deal with a faulty crane at the launch site.
Life on Mars? Meet the new rover built to give us the answer By Roger Wiens NASA's Curiosity rover has shown that Mars was habitable billions of years ago. And NASA is about to launch another rover, called Perseverance, to look for signs of Red Planet life.
Ready, SETI, go: Is there a race to contact E.T.? By Leonard David Researchers using China's huge new FAST radio telescope are piecing together a technological strategy to carry out a major and sweeping search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
Mars may be wetter than we thought (but still not that habitable) By Mike Wall Mars is wetter than previously thought, but not in a way that boosts its life-hosting potential, a new study suggests.
Could life thrive on hydrogen-rich alien worlds? By Chelsea Gohd Life can thrive in a 100% hydrogen atmosphere, according to a new study. The finding could completely change our understanding of how (and where) life might exist in the universe.