This year, if all goes well, astronauts will launch to space on a private craft for the first time in history. It’s SpaceX’s big chance to show NASA that it can be trusted with the work of ferrying astronauts to and from the international space station. We met the two astronauts selected for this historic…
How deaf researchers are reinventing science communication
Science is a language unto itself, and scientists rely on precise, standard terminology for common ground in their work. But for deaf researchers and students, American Sign Language isn’t “up to date” with terms for new concepts and ideas. The solution? Create new signs from scratch. We follow a deaf grad student who explains how…
SpaceX on the verge of mass space tourism
SPACEX ON THE VERGE OF MASS SPACE TOURISM Ok, I’ve made a few videos on space tourism and the implications of what is very much industry in ascendance, talked about Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin’s plans, eve some less known companies who are promising space bonanza and opportunities for entrepreneurial spirit. However, so far I’ve…
This is Elon Musk’s key to Tesla’s future
Elon Musk’s Gigafactory is arguably the most important thing that Tesla makes. The 1.9 million-square-foot factory in Sparks, Nevada, is only 30 percent complete, but it’s already on track to make 60 percent of the world’s lithium ion batteries — and Tesla plans to build more Gigafactories around the world. The Verge took a look…
NASA’s InSight Mars landing: what it really took
After a six-month long journey, NASA’s InSight spacecraft successfully landed on Mars. The probe will now begin to collect data on Mars’ crust, mantle, and core, providing a never-before-seen look at the red planet’s inner workings. Getting a new spacecraft on the surface of the red planet is no easy feat – The Verge’s Loren…
Supersonic air travel is finally coming back
Supersonic air travel is back. 15 years after the Concorde was grounded, everyone from aerospace companies to NASA to small startups is working to bring back ultrafast civilian aircraft. We take a look at the engineering challenges that make supersonic flight so difficult, and try to figure out what’s different about this new generation of…
We decoded NASA’s messages to aliens by hand
In 1977, twin golden records were sent into space on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. Still sailing through space at nearly 60,000 km per hour, the records contain sound, songs, and images from earth. But how did NASA include images on an analog record? Here, we decoded the audio, and see the images the…
How four rogue satellites could change the spaceflight industry
Earlier this year, a company launched four tiny satellites into orbit without permission. These “rogue satellites” caused an uproar in the space community, and in the future, others like them could increase the risk of catastrophic collisions in orbit. We talked to some space experts about what’s at stake when no one knows exactly what’s…
How astronauts can get a taste of steak in space
To send people to deep space and on extended trips to other planets, we first need to figure out how to feed astronauts. Shipments from Earth won’t arrive for two years at a time — so that means learning to grow food instead of just freeze-dried meals. The Verge’s Loren Grush heads to NASA’s Kennedy…
Building a lunar base out of Moon dust
Welcome to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Here, engineers are dreaming up new technologies that will help build settlements on the Moon or Mars via NASA’s experimental “Swamp Works” lab. With everyone from NASA to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos looking to send people to the Moon and beyond, the Swamp Works engineers are hard at…