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NASA

Jul 23, 2019 | Paul Caine
An artist’s concept of an O’Neill cylinder. (Courtesy Blue Origin)

Could Jeff Bezos’ vision of giant rotating habitats one day support millions of people in space? We speak with two experts about humankind’s future in space. 

Jul 22, 2019 | Associated Press
In this July 20, 1969 photo made available by NASA, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, walks on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity. (Neil Armstrong / NASA via AP)

A moonstruck nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s “giant leap” by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin at parties, races, ball games and concerts Saturday, toasting with Tang and gobbling MoonPies.

Jul 15, 2019 | Associated Press
This July 21, 1969 photo made available by NASA shows the U.S. flag planted at Tranquility Base on the surface of the moon, and a silhouette of a thruster at right, seen from a window in the Lunar Module. (NASA via AP)

Fifty years after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, some people insist it never happened and was all a big hoax by the U.S. government. Here’s a look at some of the most common claims and how they're explained away.

Jul 9, 2019 | Paul Caine
(Credit: Noa Vigny Billick)

Meet Dr. Mika Tosca, a scientist who traded a job at NASA’s renowned Jet Propulsion Lab to teach climate science to art and design students in Chicago.

Apr 26, 2019 | Associated Press
This image made from a composite of September 2003 - January 2004 photos captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows nearly 10,000 galaxies in the deepest visible-light image of the cosmos, cutting across billions of light-years. (NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), HUDF Team via AP)

In research released on Friday, Nobel winning astronomer Adam Riess calculates the cosmos is between 12.5 and 13.0 billion years old - about 1 billion years younger than previous estimates.

Apr 11, 2019 | Alex Ruppenthal
Identical twin brothers retired astronaut Mark Kelly, left, and Scott Kelly (Robert Markowitz / NASA)

A groundbreaking study concludes that human health can be “mostly sustained” for a year in space, a key finding that figures to help NASA with its mission of sending humans to Mars within two decades.

Feb 12, 2019 | Paul Caine
NASA has sent a group of laboratory mice into orbit to study the physiological effects of living in space. (Courtesy NASA)

An ongoing NASA study aided by Northwestern researchers sent mice into orbit with the goal of learning more about the physiological effects of living in space. 

Jan 2, 2019 | Eddie Arruza

Ultima Thule, the relatively tiny object in the outer solar system, is now the farthest cosmic body to be reached by humans. We hear from the lead scientist behind the farthest flyby ever.

Jul 31, 2018 | Amanda Vinicky
Retired University of Chicago astrophysicist Eugene Parker speaks with Chicago Tonight on Tuesday, July 31, 2018.

Next week, the retired University of Chicago astrophysicist, 91, will watch as a probe named in his honor is launched from the Kennedy Space Center and catapulted to the sun’s corona.

Jul 20, 2018 | Alex Ruppenthal
The Northwestern-built Micro-X rocket will carry a high-powered X-ray device to capture unprecedented images of astronomical objects. (Northwestern University / Instagram)

Scientists are preparing to launch a rocket in New Mexico that’s equipped with a new high-powered device that will capture unprecedented images of astronomical objects. 

Jun 21, 2018 | Alex Ruppenthal
The patch designed by NASA for a Northwestern-led mission to study how space affects the physiology and metabolism of mice. (NASA / Northwestern University)

Nearly two dozen laboratory mice will be launched into orbit next week as part of a Northwestern-led research mission to learn more about the physiological effects of living in space. 

Jun 20, 2018 | Paul Caine
NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered ancient organic molecules on Mars, embedded within sedimentary rocks that are billions of years old. (Credit: NASA / GSFC)

A tantalizing discovery suggests that life could once have existed on Mars – and may still exist today. We get the latest on the red planet with Adler Planetarium astronomer Mark Hammergren.

Apr 23, 2018 | Alex Ruppenthal
Rosaly Lopes (Twitter)

A conversation with NASA research scientist Rosaly Lopes, who will be recognized this week at an event celebrating women in space science. 

Jan 29, 2018 | Alex Ruppenthal
A rare celestial event Jan. 31 will result in a super blue blood moon, when the moon will past through the Earth's shadow and take on a reddish tint. (NASA)

Wednesday’s “super blue blood moon” marks the convergence of three lunar events, but it will hardly be visible to viewers in Chicago. 

Nov 3, 2017 | Alex Ruppenthal
A team led by University of Chicago professor Angela Olinto will use a NASA super pressure balloon to study mysterious cosmic rays coming from beyond our own galaxy. (Angela Olinto / University of Chicago)

A team led by University of Chicago professor Angela Olinto will use a NASA super pressure balloon to study mysterious cosmic rays that could offer groundbreaking new insights about the universe. 

Oct 26, 2017 | Alex Ruppenthal
An artist’s impression of what the surface of the planet Proxima b might look like. (M. Kornmesser / European Southern Observatory)

Viewers on four continents will watch a virtual presentation hosted by Adler Planetarium in early November to learn about the possibility of life on other planets.

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