Read the latest positive news, breakthroughs, and inspiring stories about asteroid research, curated daily by BrightWire.
Researchers studying 75 meteorites discovered that space rocks go through seven distinct phases as they journey through our atmosphere, losing up to 40% of their mass along the way. The breakthrough could help us better prepare for potentially dangerous asteroids heading toward Earth.
Three researchers at NASA Ames are being celebrated for keeping critical space science projects on track and breaking new ground. Their work spans from making NASA data accessible to everyone to analyzing samples from an actual asteroid.
After a 400-day journey across a billion kilometers, China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft just sent back the first close-up images of Kamo'oalewa, a tiny asteroid that shadows Earth's orbit around the sun. If successful, this mission could unlock secrets about how our solar system formed billions of years ago.
Japan's spacecraft just completed one of the closest asteroid flybys ever attempted, racing past a space rock at 11,000 miles per hour. The mission could help scientists learn how to protect Earth from future asteroid threats.
A team of 20 undergraduates at China's Tsinghua University is building a spacecraft to study asteroid Apophis when it passes closer to Earth than some satellites in 2029. Their $2.8 million mission proves cutting-edge space science doesn't need a billion-dollar budget.
Two space agencies are joining forces to study asteroid Apophis when it zooms past Earth in 2029, offering scientists a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn how gravity reshapes space rocks. The mission shows international cooperation reaching new heights in planetary defense.
Japan and Europe just signed a historic agreement to study an asteroid that will fly closer to Earth than satellites in 2029. The mission will help protect our planet from future space rocks.
A Brazilian cosmologist studying asteroids stumbled upon a geometric shortcut that could slash Mars mission times from three years to just five months. The discovery transforms old asteroid data into a potential roadmap for faster space travel.
A Brazilian cosmologist discovered an asteroid-inspired shortcut that could slash Mars travel time to five months round trip. The 2031 planetary alignment offers a once-in-a-decade opportunity for faster space exploration.
Scientists peering inside rocks from asteroid Bennu discovered something unexpected: tiny crack networks that solve a puzzle about how asteroids behave in space. The discovery came from samples that traveled 4 billion miles to reach Earth.
Scientists discovered all five nucleobases that form DNA and RNA in samples from asteroid Ryugu, suggesting life's essential ingredients exist throughout our solar system. The finding offers new clues about how these crucial molecules may have arrived on early Earth.
Scientists are closer to solving a 200-year mystery about a giant metal asteroid that might be the exposed heart of a destroyed planet. New crater simulations will help NASA's spacecraft unlock Psyche's secrets when it arrives in 2029.