Tag: NASA

How Elon Musk’s SpaceX is changing American space flight

05.27.20.

It has been nearly a decade since an American space crew last lifted off from U.S. soil in a spacecraft built here. That’s expected to change Wednesday afternoon with the relaunch of manned space flight. But the occasion will be very different from past launches, as this time, a private company is leading the way…
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How NASA is preparing to launch another mission to the moon

05.02.19.

The Trump administration wants NASA to get back to the moon by 2024, using any means necessary. But will the money and the commitment be there to support the effort? PBS NewsHour science correspondent Miles O’Brien talks to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine about technical and political risk, international competition and his broader vision for the…
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Successful Mars landing, OSIRIS-Rex arrives at asteroid, gene editing scandal: science roundup

12.07.18.

Here’s a look at the most interesting happenings in science, with stories you don’t want to miss. Landing on the Red Planet to study marsquakes Mars is hard. The odds of a safe landing on the surface are less than 50-50. But last Monday, the team at NASA/CalTech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory once again made it…
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How this spacecraft will sample an asteroid’s rocks, without even landing on it

11.29.18.

More than two years after it launched, a spacecraft called OSIRIS-REx is approaching its target, an asteroid named Bennu. Scientists hope that rock samples from Bennu will provide insight into the likelihood of life on other planets, as well as the risk the asteroid poses to earth. PBS NewsHour science correspondent Miles O’Brien explains the…
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Why Europa is the most likely spot we’ll find aliens – with NASA’s Kevin Peter Hand

11.26.18.

Jupiter has many moons, but none are quite like Europa: it has a thick crust of ice and a huge amount of liquid saltwater underneath its surface. In fact, many believe it’s the best place in the Solar System that we could find other lifeforms. To dive deeper into the mysteries of this icy world–and…
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Flying into hurricanes, scientists search for more certainty

09.13.18.

How do meteorologists and scientists make predictions about the power and trajectory of a hurricane? Buckle up. PBS NewsHour science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins a crew of scientists who fly right into the eye of Hurricane Florence. TRANSCRIPT Judy Woodruff: Naturally, we and most news organizations are spending a lot of time this week trying…
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