Understanding boiling to help the nuclear industry and space missions
Florian Chavagnat seeks to answer fundamental questions about heat transfer that will shape the success of nuclear power plants — and extended missions in space.
George Clark, professor emeritus and X-ray astronomy leader, dies at 94
Longtime MIT faculty member led investigations into cosmic-ray physics and gamma-ray and X-ray astronomy.
MIT HUMANS project breaks down borders, empowering global voices to reach for the stars
The HUMANS nanowafer, an MIT Space Exploration Initiative student-led project, will travel to the ISS this month, and later to the moon, carrying messages in more than 64 languages from over 80 countries.
Research pulled Michael McDonald in and it won’t let go
Since his first encounter with a research telescope, the astrophysics professor hasn't slowed in his quest to understand the behavior of galaxies.
In a first, astronomers spot a star swallowing a planet
Earth will meet a similar fate in 5 billion years.
Astronomers detect the closest example yet of a black hole devouring a star
The event was spotted in infrared data — also a first — suggesting further searches in this band could turn up more such bursts.
Scientists map gusty winds in a far-off neutron star system
The 2D map of this “disk wind” may reveal clues to galaxy formation.
A portfolio that’s out of this world
Following an influential career at NASA, Ezinne Uzo-Okoro SM ’20, PhD ’22 now shapes space policy as a top White House advisor.
Planet hunting and the origins of life
George Ricker and his team at the MIT Kavli Institute are mapping the entire sky for signs of life.
Mix-and-match kit could enable astronauts to build a menagerie of lunar exploration bots
Robotic parts could be assembled into nimble spider bots for exploring lava tubes or heavy-duty elephant bots for transporting solar panels.
Study: Smoke particles from wildfires can erode the ozone layer
MIT chemists show the Australian wildfires widened the ozone hole by 10 percent in 2020.
3Q: What we learned from the asteroid-smashing DART mission
Saverio Cambioni discusses new results revealing the redirected asteroid Dimorphos to be a dust-trailing rubble-pile.
How to push, wiggle, or drill an object through granular material
A method for quickly predicting the forces needed to push objects through "flowable media" could help engineers drive robots or anchor ships.
Engineering in harmony
AeroAstro major and accomplished tuba player Frederick Ajisafe relishes the community he has found in the MIT Wind Ensemble.
White House names Daniel Hastings to space advisory group
National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group will guide the Biden-Harris administration on space preservation and industry.