Space

A sign marks the path leading to a supposed UFO crash site outside Roswell, N.M.

Science

UFO Investigations: The Science And The Will To Believe

12:20pm January 03, 2018

by Marcelo Gleiser

Employing science's methodology is key — as it's the best antidote we have to the very human propensity to turn something we want to believe into a reality, says astrophysicist Marcelo Gleiser.

Science

The Year In Space Discoveries

8:12am December 31, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

It's been a banner year in space. We hear about 2017's biggest highlights, including the "Great American Eclipse" and NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Nuku'alofa, Tonga. A new island called Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai appeared in Tonga via volcanic activity.

What Does A Newly Born Pacific Island Say About Life On Mars?

9:21am December 26, 2017

by Adam Frank

Take five minutes of your day, watch this amazing video of the birth of a new island in Tonga, and let its story and science knock you to the floor, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.

The contrail from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen from Long Beach, Calif., more than 100 miles southeast from its launch site, the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Friday.

SpaceX Rocket Launch Lights Up The California Sky, Freaks Out Some Residents

4:46pm December 23, 2017

by Amy Held

The rocket carrying 10 satellites into low-earth orbit sparked alarm among some fearing a UFO. The Los Angeles Fire Department was prompted to release a statement about the "mysterious light."

National

Bruce McCandless, First Astronaut To Fly Untethered In Space, Has Died

4:47pm December 22, 2017

by Russell Lewis

He helped develop the jet-powered backpack that allowed him to float away from the shuttle and safely back again. He said he wanted to inspire people to say, "I can do better than that."

Queue Listen Now

Ayanna Howard, a roboticist at Georgia Tech, was always interested in building robots.

Science

Being Different Helped A NASA Roboticist Achieve Her Dream

9:50am December 19, 2017

Ayanna Howard was 27 when she headed her first team at NASA. She talks about feeling like an outsider, and discovering that diversity drives innovation.

Science

The Mystery Of The 'Oumuamua' Asteroid

7:48am December 16, 2017

NPR's Scott Simon asks the SETI Institute's Seth Shostak about what scientists have learned so far about a recently detected interstellar object.

This artist's impression shows the first sighted interstellar asteroid, Oumuamua, discovered on Oct. 19, 2017.

Science

What If Life On Earth Didn't Start On Earth?

1:24pm December 15, 2017

by Adam Frank

Oumuamua marks the first time humans have seen a visitor pass through our corner of the universe — renewing discussions of the origins of life, says astrophysicist Adam Frank.

Latest 'Star Wars' Movie Is Out Of This World

5:52am December 15, 2017

NASA plans to screen Star Wars: The Last Jedi to the International Space Station astronauts. The movie marks the return of actors Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and the late Carrie Fisher.

A photographer looks at the night sky to see the annual Geminid meteor shower in northern Italy in December 2015. This year's shower coincides with a close-range visit by its parent asteroid.

An Asteroid Gets Its Close-Up As Geminids Light Up The Sky

6:50pm December 12, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

The Earth's encounter with asteroid 3200 Phaethon on Saturday will be its closest since 1974 — and the closest it will be until 2093. The flyby means good gazing for amateur astronomers.