Human spaceflight safety in a new commercial era

This week, as NASA marks the 20th anniversary of the loss of Columbia, the agency says it's redoubling its efforts to learn from that and past accidents to avoid another. Jeff Foust reports that those efforts come as human spaceflight shifts to the private sector, creating a new set of issues to ensure safety.

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Space-to-ground capabilities are the answer to deterring invasion of Taiwan

The US military raised concerns last year that China may be developing fractional orbital bombardment systems and other space-to-ground weapons. Christopher Stone argues that the best way to counter such weapons is for the US to develop similar ones.

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Our solar system is filled with asteroids that are particularly hard to destroy

The recent success of NASA's DART mission might suggest that scientists have figured out how to deal with a potentially hazardous asteroid. Fred Jourdan and Nick Timms explain their research that shows that asteroids like the one DART hit might actually be difficult to handle.

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Review: Apollo's Creed

Many astronaut memoirs follow similar paths recounting experience before, during, and after NASA. Jeff Foust reviews a book that offers a different approach, looking at the post-NASA life of an Apollo-era astronaut as remembered by his stepdaughter.

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Persistent cooperation on the space station

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NASA officials have emphasized that operations of the ISS remained unaffected. Jeff Foust reports that was put to the test when a Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station was damaged last month.

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Not-so ancient astronauts and Area 51: the Skylab Incident

During the final Skylab mission, astronauts photographed a secretive base in Nevada, creating a headache for the CIA. Dwayne Day revisits that incident to explore the issue of secrecy and classification.

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What the United States should do regarding space leadership?

The United States is a leader in space, but that future leadership is not assured. Namrata Goswami argues that the US needs to revise its space priorities to address growing interest in using space for economic development.

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Mawu and Artemis: Why the United States should make Africa a priority for space diplomacy

Rwanda and Nigeria became the first African nations to sign the Artemis Accords last month. Nico Wood discusses why, despite this milestone, the United States needs to do more to work with African nations in space diplomacy.

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Unlocking the next great observatories

At a conference last week, astronomers celebrated the James Webb Space Telescope as it continued to surpass expectations. Jeff Foust reports that they also discussed how to develop future space telescopes, including a series of new "great observatories" that may take decades to launch.

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From the sand to the stars: Saddam Hussein's failed space program

Shortly before the first Gulf War, Iraq embarked on an effort to launch its own satellite. Dwayne Day examines what we know about efforts to build a satellite and small launch vehicle, and potential ties to missile development.

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