How do we extract energy from space around a spacecraft? If there are differences in the speed of the solar wind or differences in flows of particles around a spacecraft or where a spacecraft is ...

The main benefit of an interstellar mission is to carry out in-situ measurements within a target star system. To allow for extended in-situ measurements, the spacecraft needs to be decelerated. One of ...

Our nearest stellar neighbor, Alpha Centauri, is just four light-years from Earth, and while that's pretty close in the grand scheme of things, we can't just pop over to borrow some milk. With our ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The Church publishes the Monitor ...

We’ve found quite a few planets in our galactic neighborhood that look like they might be habitable. But if these worlds don’t have any life, should we seed them with life from our own planet? The ...

With a miniaturised space probe capable of being accelerated to a quarter of the speed of light, we could reach Alpha Centauri, our nearest star, in 20 to 50 years. However, without a mechanism to ...

Imagine a place like our solar system. A place with a ‘central’ star orbited by planets but light years away. There might be a planet there with water and living organisms. Now imagine if you could ...

For the past 30 years, popular opinion about where in space humans should go next has swayed between a new mission to the Red Planet and a return to the Moon. Considering the smorgasbord of problems ...

Stand on a coastal shore and watch how eagles, ravens, seagulls, and crows take flight in high winds. It’s an inspiring sight, to be sure. Additionally, it illustrates an important concept in aerial ...

With a miniaturized space probe capable of being accelerated to a quarter of the speed of light, we could reach Alpha Centauri, our nearest star, in 20 to 50 years. However, without a mechanism to ...