Tapping into the source
These are the days of frenetic crossborder data networking. Electronic cilia have crawled into almost every nook in the world where information …
Ice ice baby
Satellite images revealing vast quantities of ice on Mars rekindle hopes about life existing on the planet
Kalpana Chawla—a mission becomes impossible
In all the media hype, the legacy left behind by the Columbia (STS-107) crew was almost forgotten–a wealth of information gathered from …
The most powerful space telescope ever built will look back in time to the Dark Ages of the universe
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch into orbit and usher in the next era of astronomy December 18, 2021
Spending time in space can harm the human body — but scientists are working to mitigate these risks
Space radiation can harm the nervous and cardiovascular systems including heart and arteries
China became the first country to sprout a seed on the moon
This is the farthest point from the Earth where humans have grown plants. A lone cottonseed sprouted in a canister aboard the Chang’e-4, …
Sugar molecule found in DNA could be floating in deep space
NASA-led study sheds light on the possibility of these molecules being scattered across the universe, potentially aiding life forms on other planets
The Earth has not one, but three moons
New research confirms a 1961 discovery of two new moons, made up of extremely tiny dust particles and located at the same distance as the Earth&…
NASA's Juno arrives at Jupiter to lift cloudy veil
The Juno mission could help reveal how Jupiter formed, whether it has a rocky core and whether it influenced life on earth
How much radiation damage do astronauts really suffer in space?
Astronauts get the equivalent of a lethal x-ray dose during a six-month stay at the ISS. We don't have to worry too much though.
Countdown to self-reliance
Indian space scientists have been forced on the indigenisation track to launch communications satellites
The model man
Whether it is his well-known monsoon model or his new population model, Vasant Gowarikar enjoys defying the classical definitions of a specialist.…
The halo is hotter than the star
An astrophysicist tries to explain why, in violation of the laws of thermodynamics, the corona is hotter than the Sun.
2008 A lunar odyssey
From a pariah after Pokhran II to scientific self esteem, India raced its way to the moon. Archita Bhatta tracked the nation's voyage to find …
Cutting-edge tech at low cost behind India’s first private rocket
Down To Earth catches up with Pawan Kr Chandana, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, whose Vikram-S became the first privately made rocket to …
Japan’s space probe first to capture material beneath asteroid surface
Hayabusa2 made its first touchdown on Ryugu — a kilometre-wide asteriod, with a relatively dark surface and almost zero gravity — in …
India’s Chandrayaan-2 will facilitate an American’s return to the moon
Starting July 15, both India and the US will work out hectic lunar activities for the next five years
AstroSat peers into the heart of Jellyfish galaxy
According to the authors, this galaxy is unique as it provides direct evidence of internal and external mechanisms at work to halt the formation …
Milky Way to collide with another galaxy
UK researchers find that this will happen in the next two billion years and will send our solar system hurtling into space
Scientist who called mysterious Oumuamua object alien probe explains why
Abraham Loeb, one of the Harvard scientists who came up with this theory, talks about this extraordinary conclusion and the media frenzy it generated
Scientists discover a new source of neutrinos in space – opening up another window into the universe
A giant detector at the South Pole has discovered that a “blazar”, a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its centre, also …
10 things to know about NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter
With the Juno spacecraft successfully in place in the orbit of the largest planet of our solar system, we bring you quick facts about the …
Russia's role raises hopes and fears
With Russia participating in the first unified space station project, international cooperation reaches new heights. But there are also doubts …
The back up man
BOOK>> MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION, THE LONG JOURNEY HOME FROM THE MOON • by Buzz Aldrin and Ken Abraham • Bloomsbury • Rs 750
Fast radio bursts detected in the Milky Way for the first time
The superpower blasts of radio waves, ascribed to sources ranging from alien ships to colliding black holes, are actually generated by dead stars …