Blue Origin's explosion and the ethics of human space exploration

NASA’s Quantum Lab is about the size of a mini fridge, but it allows NASA and international partners to study some of the biggest physics principles. By studying these atoms at these freezing temperatures, scientists can better understand how subatomic particles work and behave throughout the universe. Plus, human missions to the Mars could soon be a reality.

Data, it runs the world, and now one company is creating data centers in space. Plus, a rescue mission to save the falling Swift Observatory is launching later this month.

SpaceX’s launched its initial public offering. It’s a big move for SpaceX, not only to continue to develop some of its current projects like Starship, but it also brings a new wave of people hoping to invest in the company’s future. Plus, NASA lost contact with Maven, a satellite studying Mars. After efforts to contact Maven failed, the space agency officially declared the mission unrecoverable.

NASA has named the crew of the Artemis III mission that the agency is calling “one of the most highly complex missions NASA has undertaken.”

Blue Origin says it expects to fly its New Glenn rocket by the end of this year. That’s after an explosion last week destroyed a rocket and damaged the company’s launch facility at Cape Canaveral.

NPR's Geoff Brumfiel brings us up to speed on SpaceX's latest Starship test. Plus, the Roman space telescope is closer to launch. What might it find?

Some things in the universe we just can’t see through visible light, so instead, astronomers rely on radio waves and radio astronomy. Plus, from trips to the International Space Station to flybys around the moon, there’s a lot that goes into meal prepping for crews that leave the planet, including taste and dietary needs.

From 10-day moon missions like Artemis II, to months-long stays on the International Space Station, there’s a lot that goes into thinking about what foods to pack for those astronauts. Plus, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, founded by some of the original members of Mercury Seven astronauts, awards merit-based scholarships for STEM education.

Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins speaks on Christina Koch’s journey to becoming the first woman to fly to the moon. Plus, one professor is cooking space food with his students.

From metals to rare elements, there are a lot of materials that can come from mining objects in space.