Off-World(Page 16)

Latest in Off-World

Would a head-on collision with a Cheeto orbiting the Earth be enough to destroy the International Space Station? Probably not, but it could do some damage.

Debate Rages Over Whether Single Speeding Cheeto Could Destroy Space Station

By Dan Robitzski

China is set to launch three missions to kick off the construction of its space station. The first launch could happen as soon as this spring.

China Is Launching Three Missions to Construct Its Space Station

By Victor Tangermann

A Japanese startup called Sumitomo Forestry is teaming up with Kyoto University to develop the world's first satellites — that are made out of wood.

A Japanese Startup Is Building Wooden Satellites

By Victor Tangermann

A space tourist smuggled remains of James Doohan, known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on the original "Star Trek" TV series, into space.

Astronaut Secretly Smuggled Human Remains to Space Station

By Victor Tangermann

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued Santa Claus and his sleigh special commercial flight permissions to visit the International Space Station.

FAA Issues Santa Claus Commercial License for Launch to Space Station

By Victor Tangermann

SpaceX has laid out its governmental laws for its future colonies on Mars. But lawyers have their doubts if those rules will be enforceable.

Elon Musk Will Run Into Trouble Setting up a Martian Government, Lawyers Say

By Victor Tangermann

Roscosmos director general Dmitry Rogozin is furious that the U.S. government imposed sanctions on the company that makes the Soyuz rocket.

Russian Space Chief Accuses US of Sabotaging Russian Space Program

By Dan Robitzski

A satellite company called Capella Space just launched its platform for SAR imaging satellites that can peer through clouds and even some buildings.

A New Satellite Can Peer Inside Some Buildings, Day or Night

By Dan Robitzski

On Wednesday, Trump signed SPD-6 which calls for off-world nuclear reactors and nuclear propulsion systems for spacecraft.

Trump Signs Directive Calling for Nuclear Reactors in Space

By Dan Robitzski

Etsy account "Makebuilder" will sell you a hand crafted ten-foot-tall "Utah monolith replica" made out of 7 gauge 304 stainless steel for $10,000.

You Can Now Buy a $10,000 Replica Monolith on Etsy

By Victor Tangermann

Scientists at Japan's space agency were left speechless upon opening asteroid samples collected by spacecraft Hayabusa-2.

Scientist Left “Speechless” After Opening Asteroid Samples

By Victor Tangermann

Scienitsts decided to bring spiders to the International Space Station to find out how important gravity was for their webs.

Whose Brilliant Idea Was It to Bring Spiders to the Space Station?

By Dan Robitzski

After spending more than a year studying Ryugu, an asteroid some 180 million miles away, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has returned to drop off some samples.

Japanese Spacecraft Returns Asteroid Samples to Earth

By Victor Tangermann

China has confirmed that its Chang'e-5 lunar lander's ascent vehicle has taken off, bringing with it the first lunar samples since the 1970s.

Breaking: Chinese Lander Takes Off From Lunar Surface

By Victor Tangermann

According to a new book, of course they do. Routinely! According to a phenomenal rundown of booze in space on Supercluster, astronauts are saucing in space all the time.

So, Uh, Astronauts Routinely Smuggle Booze Into Space

By Foster Kamer

China released video footage today of its Chang'e-5 spacecraft approaching and then safely landing on the surface of the near side of the Moon.

China Releases Footage of Lander Touching Down on Lunar Surface

By Victor Tangermann

A team of space law experts argues that we need strong international accords to prevent military conflicts either in or fought over space.

Here’s How We Could Avert Off-Planet Warfare

By Dan Robitzski

SETI Institute senior astronomer Seth Shostak is willing to bet you a cup of joe that we will find aliens by 2036, The Debrief reports.

SETI Institute Scientist Says We’ll Find Aliens by 2036

By Victor Tangermann

China is about to launch an ambitious mission to the Moon in an attempt to retrieve the first lunar samples and bring them back to Earth since the 1970s.

Watch China Launch Its Lunar Sample Return Mission Live

By Victor Tangermann

China is preparing to launch its Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission early next week and the rocket to get it to the Moon was just rolled out.

China Is About to Launch a Lunar Sample Return Mission

By Victor Tangermann

The First Selfie Ever Taken in Space Is For Sale

The First Selfie Ever Taken in Space Is For Sale

By Victor Tangermann

A company called Nanoracks has a plan to gather up orbital space junk and convert it into new space stations through in-orbit manufacturing.

Space Company Wants to Turn Orbital Junk Into Space Stations

By Dan Robitzski

Johns Hopkins University political scientist Daniel Deudney warns that space exploration could give rise to a totalitarian empire — and human extinction.

Johns Hopkins Professor Warns of Totalitarian Military Space Empire

By Dan Robitzski

Israeli startup Aleph Farms just launched a space program, which focuses on producing meat anywhere — even in the most hostile environments such as Mars.

Startup Exploring Lab-Grown Meat on Off-Planet Settlements

By Victor Tangermann

So far, the hunt for extraterrestrial life hasn't succeeded. But thankfully, there are loads of star systems with a clear view of us instead.

Aliens in These Star Systems Could See Life on Earth, Scientists Say

By Dan Robitzski

The International Space Station crew had a rough night. The same day they finally found an air leak, an oxygen system, toilet, and oven all broke down.

The Space Station’s Toilet, Oven, and Air Supply All Broke Last Night

By Dan Robitzski

The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation just laid our its five year plan to commercialize space, including plans for a spaceplane.

China Says It’ll Fly Astronauts to Orbit in New Spaceplane

By Victor Tangermann

In what sounds like a strange act of divination, the current crew of the International Space Station just used tea leaves to identity the station's leak.

They Found the Space Station Leak… Using Tea Leaves

By Victor Tangermann

A team of engineers argues that a spacecraft powered by nuclear fusion would radically improve our ability to explore the cosmos.

Fusion-Drive Spacecraft: Express Solar System Travel, If We Figure It Out

By Dan Robitzski

If a war were waged in space, it wouldn't look anything like Star Wars or Star Trek, reserachers argue. Any conflict would need to be planned in advance.

Experts: This Is What Actual Space Battles Will Be Like

By Dan Robitzski

The European Space Agency's Space Debris Office is warning that the risk of space debris explosions in orbit is on the rise.

Space Debris Trackers Warn of “Explosions in Orbit”

By Victor Tangermann

Watch an Astronaut Show You How to Poop in Space

Watch an Astronaut Show You How to Poop in Space

By Victor Tangermann

The CEO of space startup Rocket Lab Peter Beck told CNN that space in Earth's orbit is becoming worryingly congested.

Space Startup CEO Warns That Orbit Is Filling Up With Space Startups

By Victor Tangermann

China announced the next 18 astronauts that its space agency selected to serve on Tiangong-3, the space station planned for launch in the coming years.

China Names 18 More Crewmembers for Its Upcoming Space Station

By Dan Robitzski

Russia's space corporation just unveiled plans for its "Amur rocket" — a design that has some striking similarities with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket

Elon Musk Just Dissed Russia’s New Reusable Rocket Design

By Victor Tangermann

NASA engineers working on the Orion capsule meant to carry astronauts to the Moon have a smelly problem: how to design a space toilet that doesn't smell.

The Space Station Toilet Apparently Smells Horrible

By Victor Tangermann

The idea of deep space explorers growing their own food just became more feasible with the discovery that worms can still hunt pests in microgravity.

Scientists: Worms Could Kill Pests on Space Vegetables

By Dan Robitzski

Engineers designed a new orbital space habitat that tries to accomodate everyday people rather than just specially-trained astronauts.

A New Space Habitat Design Simulates Gravity by Spinning

By Dan Robitzski

According to satellite imagery and ship tracking data, China is preparing to launch its Chang'e-5 sample return mission to the Moon.

China Planning to Launch Lunar Sample Return Mission in November

By Victor Tangermann

For the first time, a team of astronomers has detected a massive planet orbiting a white dwarf at a very close distance, circling it every 34 hours.

Astronomers Detect First-Ever Planet Closely Orbiting a White Dwarf

By Victor Tangermann

China's largest defense contractor is constructing a floating spaceport to launch its rockets off the coast of Haiyang city on the Eastern coast.

China is Building a Floating Spaceport to Launch Rockets

By Victor Tangermann

A brain floating against a space scene background.

Zero Gravity Causes Worrisome Changes In Astronauts’ Brains

By Dan Robitzski

According to state media, China's mysterious recently launched spacecraft made it's way safely back down to Earth after spending two days in orbit.

China’s Mysterious Reusable Spacecraft Just Spent Two Days in Orbit

By Victor Tangermann

A bunch of mice got absolutely ripped before heading to space thanks to cutting edge gene-editing science. According to a new paper, they stayed ripped.

Gene-Hacked “Bodybuilder” Mice Stayed Ripped on Space Station

By Victor Tangermann

One of China's Long March 4B rocket boosters exploded in a cloud of orange smoke not far from a school after a successful launch.

Chinese Rocket Booster Crashes Near School, Explodes

By Victor Tangermann

A team of researchers have created a negative pressure "gravity suit" to help astronauts counteract some of the dangers of spending time in microgravity.

Researchers Built a “Gravity Suit” to Keep Astronauts Healthy

By Victor Tangermann

Scientists suggest that the key to settling Mars or the Moon is hiding underground in lava tubes. Now we know the caverns are actually big enough.

Scientists: Martian Lava Tubes Large Enough to Fit Planetary Base

By Dan Robitzski

Scientists have a bizarre idea for protecting astronauts from cosmic rays: Shield them with the radiation-absorbing fungus near Chernobyl.

Fungus Growing at Chernobyl Could Protect Astronauts From Cosmic Rays

By Dan Robitzski

In a sleek announcement video, Virgin Galactic has unveiled the cabin interior of its SpaceShipTwo space plane, a vehicle designed for space tourism.

Virgin Galactic Unveils Sleek Spaceship Cabin for Tourist Flights

By Victor Tangermann

A second stage of a Russian rocket that launched a mysterious spacecraft reentered the Earth's atmosphere over the weekend, burning up like a comet.

Texas Residents Spot Disintegrating Russian Rocket Booster in Sky

By Victor Tangermann

National security contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation has won a Pentagon contract to turn its Shooting Star cargo spacecraft into a space outpost.

The Pentagon Is Quietly Working on a Military Space Station Outpost

By Victor Tangermann

Rocket Lab's 13th launch ended in disaster when the rocket blew up and destroyed seven satellites. Elon Musk felt bad and provided some moral support.

Elon Musk Tweets Support For Startup That Exploded Rocket Launch

By Victor Tangermann

Performing surgeries in space could end up being a pretty messy — and potentially dangerous — reality for astronauts on future missions to Mars.

Scientists Ponder Gory Mayhem of Zero-Gravity Surgery

By Victor Tangermann

The team at Firefly Aerospace used one of its rocket engines to try to light all those pesky candles on a birthday cake for its co-founder Max Polakov.

Watch These Mad Geniuses Light Birthday Candles With a Rocket Engine

By Jon Christian

This is What Sunsets on Other Planets Would Look Like

This is What Sunsets on Other Planets Would Look Like

By Victor Tangermann

Virgin Galactic has signed a contract with NASA to start training astronauts for trips to the International Space Station.

Virgin Galactic to Start Training Astronauts for Trips to Space

By Victor Tangermann

Startup Says It’ll Launch You Into the Stratosphere on a Balloon

Startup Says It’ll Launch You Into the Stratosphere on a Balloon

By Victor Tangermann

A team of Harvard scientists were able to put mice into a state of hibernation by stimulating certain neurons in their brains.

Lab Puts Mice in Suspended Animation. Will It Work on Humans?

By Victor Tangermann

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took a jab at Roscosmos. Fuming, the head of Russia's space agency aired his frustration in a lengthy column for Forbes Russia.

Russia Is Furious, Saying the US is Mocking Its Space Program

By Victor Tangermann

"The trampoline is working," Musk said during a news conference on Saturday, a rebuttal to a jab by Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin from 2014.

Elon Musk Just Absolutely Roasted the Russian Space Program

By Victor Tangermann

China is planning to launch 11 missions before 2023 to construct an orbital, three-module space station.

China’s Plans for “Heavenly Palace” Space Station Are Dazzling

By Victor Tangermann

Watch the Astronauts Give Their Kids Virtual Hugs Before Launch

Watch the Astronauts Give Their Kids Virtual Hugs Before Launch

By Victor Tangermann

"I'm the chief engineer of the thing," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told CBS during a Tuesday interview. "Goes wrong, it's my fault."

Elon Musk: “It’s My Fault” If Launch Goes Wrong

By Victor Tangermann

Amazing Vid Shows What You’d See If Rockets Were Transparent

Amazing Vid Shows What You’d See If Rockets Were Transparent

By Victor Tangermann