phobos_grunt

NASA instruments riding aboard an Indian lunar probe are giving us a new view of the moon: inside craters. Cold, dark craters—north and south The first pictures show craters at the lunar poles—both north and south. Scientists hope to find water ice inside. But the instruments are still being calibrated and prepared for a more [...]

It seems like the shuttle became a lot more fragile in recent years. In the first 25 years or so, the shuttle seemed pretty robust. Now, on almost every launch, foam crashes into the vehicle, possibly causing critical damage. The first job of most shuttle flights, after liftoff, is to inspect itself to see if [...]

Sometimes I forget how many national space agencies there are. Of course, I never forget NASA and China and Russia. Or the European Space Agency. Even India is visibly active enough for me to remember them. But others? Not so much. Here’s a (no long being updated) page with links to national space agencies. I’ll [...]