NASA

New Endeavour for an MIT experimentSpace shuttle propels MIT-led Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station.

3 Questions: Jeffrey Hoffman on the Space Shuttle at 30Anniversary of the first shuttle flight comes just as it nears retirement, but the vehicle has changed space travel dramatically.

Video: Remembering astronaut, alum Ron McNairOn 25th anniversary of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, AeroAstro professor Jeffrey Hoffman remembers his colleague.

Earth’s final growth spurtNASA team suggests that massive projectiles added mass to Earth, Mars and the Moon during final phase of planet formation

Building a list of Earth candidatesMIT researchers increase their odds of detecting an Earthlike planet by working on a combination of satellite missions.

Lending a handMIT researchers may be closer to understanding why spacesuit gloves hurt astronauts’ hands.

MIT-led team’s eco-aircraft receives Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Innovator AwardUnique plane offers significant reduction in emissions, noise and fuel use.

Telling time on the moonNew 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 89An 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 71An MIT junior faculty member in the 1960s, he later flew on the space shuttle and became a NASA associate administrator.

Personal cushion of airInspired by seeds, proposed air-bag system would surround astronauts and protect them during bumpy landings

Operating in orbitAstronaut and alumnus Bobby Satcher recounts his experience as the first orthopedic surgeon in space

A look back in timeBy 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 skiesMIT-led team designs airplanes that would use 70 percent less fuel than current models.

NASA chief defends Obama’s space planIn MIT visit, Charles Bolden touts proposed expansion in R&D funding

The pull of artificial gravityMIT researchers say a centrifuge on the International Space Station — hinted at in Obama’s NASA proposal — would be a boon for physiological research

Volcanic VenusNew research highlights recent volcanic activity on Venus, indicating that Earth’s sister planet is alive — geologically speaking

Professor Emeritus Norman D. Ham, helicopter rotor design expert, dies at age 80

3 Questions: David Mindell on Obama’s NASA proposalMIT space researcher predicts that if adopted, Obama’s proposed budget and policy will lead to more joint human-robotic space exploration

First tweets in space made by alumnusAstronaut Creamer says 'Hello Twitterverse!' from the ISS

Professor Young gives Portuguese students a glimpse into future Mars missionsMIT Professor and former astronaut Laurence R. Young recently traveled to Lisbon to describe possible future Mars missions to an overflow crowd at a Lisbon high school, on behalf of an MIT Portugal Program outreach project.

Team predicts satellite could locate hundreds of Earth-sized planetsResearchers say proposed satellite could represent astronomy’s ‘next big leap’ — one that may help find signs of life elsewhere in the universe.

Reporter’s Notebook: Where do we go from here?At MIT forum, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine and other aerospace experts discuss the future of human spaceflight.