Planetary science – Page 2
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WebinarUranus: exploring the ice-cold chemistry of the ‘frozen frontier’
Find out why scientists are planning a new space mission to explore the planetary ice giant Uranus
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FeatureMission to Uranus
With no spacecraft visiting the ice giants for over 30 years, Anthony King speaks to the planetary scientists planning a return visit
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NewsEuropean Space Agency unveils plans to get troubled rover to Mars
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended European cooperation on launch of Rosalind Franklin rover
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ResearchMars’ water came from outer space
Asteroids from the outer solar system would have delivered enough water to cover the red planet in a 300m-deep ocean
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ResearchPerseverance rover reveals rocks on Mars were repeatedly exposed to liquid water
Suite of analytical tools provides new insight into red planet’s geochemistry
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OpinionJames Lovelock, a gentleman scientist
Philip Ball reflects on the legacy of the creator of the Gaia hypothesis, who has died aged 103
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OpinionFarsighted science
The Webb telescope looks set to deliver on its promise to change the way we see the universe
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ResearchLunar soil shows promise as a catalyst for extraterrestrial photosynthesis
Moon rock could one day be used to accelerate water splitting and carbon dioxide conversion in space to support crewed missions
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ResearchDimethyl ether found in a planet-forming disc for the first time
Discovery of dimethyl ether, nitric oxide and other small molecules offers insight into early chemical evolution on planets
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NewsEurope’s Mars rover faces launch delays due to sanctions on Russia
Mars probe is ‘very unlikely’ to launch in 2022 due to deteriorating relationship between Europe and Russia after invasion of Ukraine
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ResearchFreefall flights test feasibility of making oxygen on the moon and Mars
Efficiency of water electrolysis is reduced at lower gravity
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FeatureDrilling deep to discover the secrets of the mantle
Nina Notman hears from the scientists trying to pierce the Earth’s crust below the seafloor to learn more about our home planet
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ResearchAncient Mars meteorites’ organic chemistry cracked – and it’s not alien microbes
Study uncovers geochemical processes that formed organic compounds millions of years ago, at a time when the red planet still had liquid water
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ResearchMysterious nitrogen ice patterns on Pluto linked to sublimation
Scientists use modelling to show that sublimation of nitrogen ice fuels convection in Pluto’s Sputnik Planitia impact crater by cooling its surface
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ResearchThe sun may have been the surprising source of Earth’s water
Dust grains pounded by solar wind and then delivered to Earth are a significant source of the planet’s oceans
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NewsAirbus to build Ariel telescope to examine exoplanets' chemical composition
European Space Agency’s mission to study chemical composition of 1000 exoplanets will launch in 2029
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NewsJames Webb Space Telescope poised to provide insight into chemical evolution of universe
Launch later this month could provide new understanding of exoplanets and the origins of heavier elements
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NewsNasa makes plans to return to Venus to probe the hellish chemistry of its atmosphere
Probe set to launch in 2029 may be able to establish whether life ever existed there and answer the phosphine question
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ResearchMethane mystery on Saturn’s moon rekindles search for life on other planets
Researchers struggle to explain suspicious amounts of methane on Enceladus while a new chapter opens in the debate around the source of Venus’s phosphine. Why is it so hard to decide what counts as a sign of life?
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CareersExploring the space economy
In the words of Jean-Luc Picard, ‘things are only impossible until they are not’