3 Questions: Jeffrey Hoffman on the Space Shuttle at 30
Anniversary of the first shuttle flight comes just as it nears retirement, but the vehicle has changed space travel dramatically.
Video: Remembering astronaut, alum Ron McNair
On 25th anniversary of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, AeroAstro professor Jeffrey Hoffman remembers his colleague.
Earth’s final growth spurt
NASA team suggests that massive projectiles added mass to Earth, Mars and the Moon during final phase of planet formation
Building a list of Earth candidates
MIT researchers increase their odds of detecting an Earthlike planet by working on a combination of satellite missions.
Lending a hand
MIT researchers may be closer to understanding why spacesuit gloves hurt astronauts’ hands.
MIT-led team’s eco-aircraft receives Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Innovator Award
Unique plane offers significant reduction in emissions, noise and fuel use.
Telling time on the moon
New map of lunar craters sheds light on early solar-system activity and points to oldest parts of the moon’s surface.
Robert J. Butler, former design research engineer at MIT, dies at 89
An MIT engineer for 25 years, he helped design instruments for NASA’s Voyager spacecraft.
Scientist-astronaut and former MIT professor William B. Lenoir dies at 71
An MIT junior faculty member in the 1960s, he later flew on the space shuttle and became a NASA associate administrator.
Personal cushion of air
Inspired by seeds, proposed air-bag system would surround astronauts and protect them during bumpy landings
Operating in orbit
Astronaut and alumnus Bobby Satcher recounts his experience as the first orthopedic surgeon in space
A look back in time
By linking the odd geometry of bacterial growths to photosynthesis, researchers may have a new way to study Earth’s oldest fossils.
Fly the eco-friendly skies
MIT-led team designs airplanes that would use 70 percent less fuel than current models.
NASA chief defends Obama’s space plan
In MIT visit, Charles Bolden touts proposed expansion in R&D funding
The pull of artificial gravity
MIT researchers say a centrifuge on the International Space Station — hinted at in Obama’s NASA proposal — would be a boon for physiological research