Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell

 

Elizabeth Howell is a freelance space journalist in Ottawa, Canada. You can see her latest work at @howellspace.

Vision of a future lunar base--will it happen this time?

It Takes a (Moon) Village

Let the lunar lobbying begin.

Mountains on Mars, as seen by the Curiosity rover. Finding mountains on exoplanets won't be as easy.

This Astronomer Wants to Hunt for Exomountains

Future telescopes may be able to tell how smooth or rugged alien landscapes are.

NanoMap researchers follow a drone as it navigates through a forest.

Drones Navigate on the Fly, Without Consulting a Map

Avoiding obstacles is still a tricky business for autonomous aircraft.

Visiting spaceship? Nope, just a SpaceX rocket launch over California.

When Reporting News About Aliens, Caution Is Advised

Astronomers struggle with how to handle announcements (or non-announcements) about extraterrestrial contact.

Looking out the window at Earth, gobbling chocolate? Sounds good to us.

Let’s Make Chocolate in Space!

Candy lovers aim for new heights.

The Chelyabinsk meteor went undetected until it exploded over Russia in 2013. The 60-foot-wide rock burst with a shock wave that injured 1,500 people and damaged 7,000 buildings across six cities.

Defenders of the Planet

A new NASA office pledges to save humans from the fate of the dinosaurs.

Some day the planet outside the window will be red. Might as well start practicing now.

Why Not Use the Space Station as a Mars Mission Simulator?

The ISS4Mars project would help astronauts get ready to venture farther from home.

Jack Schmitt strolling on the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.

Mr. Moonwalk

Walter Kuehnegger has been researching lunar locomotion for more than half a century.

Kestrel Eye being prepared for launch.

The Army Has a New Eye in the Sky

Kestrel Eye will demonstrate the usefulness of small imaging satellites for battlefield commanders.

One of 50 tether-equipped nanosats in a proposed asteroid touring fleet.

300 Asteroids in 3 Years

That’s the ambitious goal of a proposed Finnish nanosat mission.

If only it were this easy.

No, Quantum Teleportation Won’t Let Us Send Instant Messages to Alpha Centauri

Quantum computers may have other benefits for space exploration, however.

Stowage gets a little tight up there on the Space Station, as John Phillips illustrates in 2011.

These Companies Want to Revolutionize Trash Day on the Space Station

When the nearest dumpster is 250 miles away, recycling becomes a necessity.

Hubble Space Telescope view of two of the three stars in the Alpha Centauri system. That’s Alpha Centauri A on the left, B on the right. They may look close, but they’re not.

Suddenly, Alpha Centauri is a Popular Destination

Groups small and large set their sights on our neighboring star system.

Could we interrupt for a second to ask your help?

Planet-Hunting Scientists Turn to Online Gamers For Help

How to speed up the search for new worlds? Gamify it!

Bat Bot’s real-life inspiration, the Egyptian Fruit Bat.

The Bot That Flies Like a Bat

Robot researchers have created a lightweight, agile drone that mimics one of nature’s greatest fliers.

A concept (circa 1999) for an antimatter-fueled rocket.

Breakthrough in Antimatter Physics Has Some Dreaming of Starships

The cost is still a problem, though.

Astronaut David Saint-Jacques is due to test the Astroskin onboard the station in two years.

Canadian Astronaut Will Test a New Bio-Monitor Shirt in Space

Space doctors hope the “Astroskin” can replace some of those messy wires and electrodes.

A screen capture from the forthcoming game "Space Frontier: Dawn of Mars."

This Canadian Museum Has Got Game

Aerospace exhibits for the iPad generation.

Planetary Resources will launch the Arkyd 6 satellite later this year to test its Ceres Earth-observing instrument.

An Asteroid-Scouting Company Turns its Gaze on Earth

With its 40 multispectral eyes, the Ceres spacecraft enters a crowded market.

Technicians work on the Juno spacecraft’s solar arrays.

Juno is Powered by the Sun, and That’s a Big Deal

Solar panels for the outer solar system.

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