Space and planetary science – Page 2
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Research
Space dust has more organic contamination than the average US home
First ever analysis of persistent organic chemicals in the International Space Station’s air could guide future spacecraft design
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Opinion
Can life exist outside of the habitable zone?
Speculation about conditions on Venus raises questions about our existing definitions
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Research
Liquid water could have carved Mars’ famous gullies
CO2 sublimation could have raised atmospheric pressure enough for liquid water to form
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News
Drones take flight to go where scientists dare not
From making chemical plants safer to sampling volcanoes and even exploring other planets uncrewed aerial systems could revolutionise science
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Research
Ingredient for life detected in icy plume from Saturn’s moon Enceladus
First discovery of phosphorus in an ocean beyond Earth reveals that the bio-essential element may be abundant on the moon
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Research
Life might be able to prosper in sulfuric acid clouds of Venus
Nucleic acid bases found to be stable in conditions found in the planet’s atmosphere
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Research
Aromatic molecules in a galaxy far, far away
JWST IR observations suggest star formation was rapid and uneven in early galaxy
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Opinion
Returning to the moon
It’s been a while, but space agencies are starting to plan their trips back to our satellite, with the goal of building semi-permanent bases
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Feature
The race to build a base on the moon
Nina Notman talks to scientists helping to return humans to the moon – for good this time
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Research
Saturn’s rings found to be a youthful, recent addition to the planet
Nasa’s Cassini probe reveals dust and ice around the planet is only a few hundred million years old
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Research
Moon still holds surprises as vast amounts of water found in glass beads in lunar soil
Lunar water formed by the solar wind could one day aid exploration of the moon
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Research
RNA building block uracil recovered from near-Earth asteroid Ryugu
Japanese mission returns pristine sample to bolster idea that prebiotic chemicals could have been delivered by meteorites
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Opinion
Analysing the Winchcombe meteor fireball
The story behind the first spectrum of a meteor which became a recovered meteorite in the UK
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Webinar
Uranus: 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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Feature
Mission 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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News
The most complete list ever of Martian organic compounds compiled
Catalogue includes organic compounds from the five Martian meteorites that have been found on Earth
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News
European 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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Research
Mars’ 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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Research
Perseverance rover reveals rocks on Mars were repeatedly exposed to liquid water
Suite of analytical tools provides new insight into red planet’s geochemistry