Tag: NASA

Picture of Uranus
Fall 2024 Weekly News Profile

Uranus Isn’t Actually That Weird: New Research Suggests Potential for Life on the Distant Planet

Rachel Pak November 23, 2024

When Voyager 2 became the first and only mission to fly by Uranus in 1986, the data collected by the probe defined the way astronomers understood the ice giant for the next 40 years. However, a new study published suggests Voyager 2 just happened to zoom by the distant planet on a particularly weird day. These findings mean it might be easier for future missions to search for oceans beneath the surface of Uranus’ moons. This study reminds us that not only are we constantly making new discoveries, but that discoveries we considered facts are ever changing.

View More Uranus Isn’t Actually That Weird: New Research Suggests Potential for Life on the Distant Planet
Fall 2024 Weekly News Profile

A Long Way From Home: Starliner Crew’s Extended Stay in Space 

Janessi Diaz October 12, 2024

On June 5, the spacecraft Starliner, docked at the ISS. Starliner transported Suni Williams and Butch Willmore who were originally scheduled for an eight day mission. However, the duo did not return with Starliner as planned. Instead, they will stay on the ISS for an extra eight months, joining NASA’s Crew 9 to complete Expedition 72. Their last minute addition to the team is fortunate, but is ultimately a result of irresponsible engineering.

View More A Long Way From Home: Starliner Crew’s Extended Stay in Space 
Picture of Astronaut in space
Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

Houston, We Have a Problem

Janessi Diaz May 1, 2024

Starliner’s long-awaited Crew Flight Test will finally happen on May 6. Starliner is the Boeing-produced capsule that will hold the astronauts on their journey to the International Space Station. Although the launch date is set in stone, the constant malfunctions that have plagued Starliner and Boeing’s declining credibility indicate that a further delay would be the safest thing to do to ensure the crew’s safety.

View More Houston, We Have a Problem
Spring 2024 Weekly News Profile

The Legacy of NASA’s Ingenuity

Jackie Finnemeyer January 31, 2024

After three successful years, the Mars helicopter Ingenuity has just taken its last flight. During a landing, a brief loss of communication with the chopper occurred, only for the vehicle to resume communications the next day with a damaged rotor blade. Being the first helicopter to operate on another planet, Ingenuity is a trailblazer in more ways than one. However, budgetary constraints leave the future of additional Marscopter missions up in the air.

View More The Legacy of NASA’s Ingenuity
Fall 2023 Weekly News Profile

NASA’s “Asteroid Autumn” Reveals the Future of the Space Industry

Rachel Pak November 22, 2023

This “Asteroid Autumn,” NASA has made significant steps forward in three of their asteroid-focused space missions. On September 24, 2023, OSIRIS-REx successfully returned an estimated half-pound sample of asteroid rock. Psyche, launched on October 13, will travel out to examine the metal-rich asteroid 16-Psyche. Finally, on November 1, Lucy flew by her first asteroid out of the twelve along her planned trajectory. These missions highlight the growing interest in identifying and collecting the resources found in space. The economic and political advantages gained from access to space resources will shape the future of the space industry.

View More NASA’s “Asteroid Autumn” Reveals the Future of the Space Industry
Spring 2022 Weekly News Profile

The James Webb Space Telescope’s Cloud of Controversy

Jackie Finnemeyer February 14, 2022

With the James Webb Space Telescope’s recent launch, professional and amateur astronomers alike will soon have access to images of the first formations of stars and galaxies in our universe. But will the history of the telescope’s namesake cast a shadow over its potential discoveries?

View More The James Webb Space Telescope’s Cloud of Controversy
Spring 2020 Volume 4 Issue 1

Not My Space Administration

Ashlynn Smith May 19, 2020

Microbial and mechanical contamination of other planets is an ethical risk versus reward battle that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grapples with each mission. Humankind strives to explore and discover, but potentially at the expense of ecosystems apart from our own. Humanity must evaluate the consequences of planetary contamination, as we are the only known species with access to the external universe. There is an imminent responsibility to preserve and protect outer worlds and be noble in our quest in conquering the final frontier.

View More Not My Space Administration
Fall 2017 Volume 1 Issue 1

Utilitarian Rights-based Arguments for Planetary Protection

John Rising December 13, 2017

Protecting solar system bodies from contamination by Earth life has been an active research topic since the start of the space race. The prospect of finding and possibly contaminating extraterrestrial life has caused the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) to set technical standards for planetary protection; planetary protection is essential to preserve humanity’s ability to study other worlds in their natural states, to avoid contamination that would obscure the ability to find life elsewhere, and to ensure that Earth’s biosphere is protected from alien life. Until recently, these utilitarian considerations have been sufficient in addressing all ethical concerns while exploring outer space. However, the prospect of terraforming Mars has sparked a debate over the ethical implications of destroying possible alien organisms. This paper provides a historical background regarding the ethical considerations in human space exploration and argues that the utilitarian considerations provided by the NASA Office of Planetary Protection are sufficient for answering ethical questions regarding planetary protection within the solar system.

View More Utilitarian Rights-based Arguments for Planetary Protection