A big challenge humanity faces in venturing off Earth and into deep space is how to tackle the dangers of cosmic radiation. A team has now discovered a drug treatment that could not only prevent cognitive deficits caused by this radiation, but actually repair damage in the brain after exposure.
Continue Reading
It's a nightmare scenario. An unconscious astronaut on a spacewalk gone wrong floats off into deep space with no way to get back. To prevent this, engineering firm Draper has patented a "take me home" rescue system that allows a disabled astronaut to return to safety at the push of a button.
Continue Reading
Overpacking isn't exactly an option for trips into space, even for longer trips like an eventual manned mission to Mars. Now, researchers are recruiting microorganisms to solve the problem, by engineering them to make nutrients and 3D-printable plastics out of human waste.
Continue Reading
As far as many people are concerned, there are just two ways of exploring other planets – either robots do it while all the humans stay back on Earth, or astronauts go and do so in person. According to a trio of scientists, however, the best idea may lie somewhere between the two.
Continue Reading
ISS Commander Peggy Whitson has broken the record for cumulative time spent in space by a NASA astronaut. Whitson is currently serving her third stint aboard the ISS, and with 5 months of her mission remaining, is set to rack up over 650 days in space before touching back down on Earth.
Continue Reading
Building habitats, tools and parts out of local resources would be ideal for the first human colonists of Mars. So researchers from NASA and UCF are investigating how metals could be extracted from the Martian soil, refined, and used as “ink” to 3D print vital components.
Continue Reading
We can't think about going to Mars until we know how to contain human waste on deep space missions, a problem that has stumped many of the best minds. Can the winning entries from NASA's Space Poop Challenge take astronauts beyond the adult diaper?
Continue Reading
We know that human beings will be going to Mars eventually but where are we going to live once we get there? The latest design concept unveiled by NASA researchers uses ice to bring the igloo into the space age.
Continue Reading
Florida State University Professor Michael Delp has identified a link between deep space radiation exposure, and a high rate of mortality due to vascular deterioration in astronauts who flew beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) during the Apollo program.
Continue Reading
Engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center, Virginia, are putting a team of advanced crash-test dummies through astronaut hell as they test the potential injuries that could be inflicted on future crews splashing down in the Orion spacecraft.
Continue Reading
See the stories that matter in your inbox every morning