Nerdvana • space

The Near Earth Object Surveyor infrared telescope is moving toward its preliminary design phase, led by University of Arizona professor Amy Mainzer. NASA plans to launch the surveyor in 2026. (Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Arizona professor will lead NASA project to locate menacing objects near Earth

NASA has appointed a professor at the University of Arizona to lead the Near Earth Object Surveyor project.

This artist’s concept depicts astronauts and human habitats on Mars. But that’s years off, after several missions to the moon, NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner says. (Photo courtesy of NASA)

Destination Mars: Elon Musk’s plan to colonize space starts with test flight this month

In his quest to start a colony on Mars, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is launching his Starship into orbit this month to test whether it’s possible to send passengers...

This fall, SpaceX will launch the Dragon spacecraft with the first all-civilian crew on board. Sian Proctor, a science communicator from Phoenix, will pilot the multiday mission, which will orbit Earth every 90 minutes. (Photo courtesy of SpaceX)

Phoenix explorer, entrepreneur will be on first civilian crew to go into space

A Phoenix professor will be among the crew members to fly on the first all-civilian space flight that SpaceX launches this fall.

Hardspace: Shipbreaker preview: a relaxing deconstruction

Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a zenlike, first-person deconstruction game that launched June 16 for Steam. Do you have what it takes to make the cut?

Space cat Felicette statue unveiled at French university

A bronze Felicette statue memorializing the first feline astronaut now stands at a French university.

Space cat monument evolves

Plans are finally advancing for a crowdfunded space cat memorial in France.

Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin ride “Grover,” a lunar roving vehicle simulator during geology training at the Cinder Lake crater field in northern Arizona. (Photo courtesy of NASA)

50 years later, Arizona still plays a big role in exploring the universe

Arizona helped put men on the moon, and the state’s institutions continue to make strides in mapping the cosmos.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis on display at Kennedy Space Center.

PHOTOS: Kennedy Space Center – big buildings, rockets, and shuttle … plus big value and fun

Visiting NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the Florida coast is an absolute must for anyone who's ever watched a Space Shuttle launch (or land) with baited breath.

In the still from the short film Cassini's Grand Finale, the spacecraft is shown diving between Saturn and the planet's innermost ring. (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Cassini’s ‘Grand Finale’ just the beginning of NASA’s renaissance

Cassini's "Grand Finale" is giving the mission fresh life at a time when NASA is seeking a new path in the universe.

Jupiter like you’ve never seen it before

Jupiter's south pole is consumed by cyclones in a new enhanced image highlighted by NASA on Instagram.