Astronomy beyond sight

Breathtaking space images inspire us. But what if you couldn't see them? Amelia Ortiz Gil explains how tactile models of the constellations, moon and planets can give people - blind or sighted - a better appreciation of the universe.

Meet ESA’s SpaceBok robot

The walking and hopping SpaceBok robot is being tested now in ESA's Mars Yard, in the Netherlands. Someday these little robots might help explore the moon, or Mars.

NASA hears MarCO CubeSats loud and clear from Mars

After cruising along behind NASA's InSight for 7 months, the 2 briefcase-sized spacecraft successfully relayed data back down to Earth from Insight during its descent to the Martian surface on Monday, November 26.

A billionaire’s plan to search for life on Enceladus

Russian entrepreneur and physicist Yuri Milner wants to send a probe back to Saturn's ocean moon Enceladus, to search for evidence of life there. NASA wants to help him.

Astronomers glimpse Comet Wirtanen’s telltale spin

This comet is due to pass closest to our sun and Earth in December 2018. It's already the brightest comet in the night sky, visible to astronomers with telescopes and binoculars. A new image shows the comet's rotation!

InSight lander sets down safely on Mars

There's a new robot on Mars' surface, the InSight spacecraft, designed to study the planet's interior. It set down safely Monday after nearly 7 months of flight from Earth and a 7-minute nail-biting plummet through Mars' thin atmosphere.

Hear Opportunity’s 5,000th sunrise on Mars

Scientists used data sonification to transform a photo of the now-silent Opportunity rover's 5,000th sunrise on Mars into a piece of music.

Landing on Mars is still hard

There's a reason space engineers describe landing on Mars as "7 minutes of terror."

How will NASA know when InSight touches down?

Signals from Mars will take 8 minutes to travel to Earth on Monday. By the time we hear that InSight has reached the top of Mars' atmosphere, the lander will have already touched down safely ... or crashed.

How to watch the InSight Mars landing November 26

On November 26, 2018, NASA’s InSight lander will make its daring descent to Mars' surface. NASA engineers hope to broadcast word of a successful touchdown at 20:00 UTC (3 p.m. EST), with live landing commentary starting about an hour before.