I’ve grown up with rockets that burn chemical fuel, but NASA’s next big leap in propulsion could make those engines look as dated as steam trains. By turning to nuclear power in space, the agency is ...

MIT master’s student Taylor Hampson is advancing research into nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP), thanks in part to a NASA-sponsored initiative. Nuclear propulsion could dramatically shorten travel ...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Marcos Fernandez Tous, University of North Dakota; Preeti Nair, University of North ...

The big picture: In deep-space travel, the race is no longer about who has the biggest rocket – it's about who can build the smartest plasma engine. As the competition to reach Mars intensifies, ...

Every year, companies and space agencies launch hundreds of rockets into space—and that number is set to grow dramatically with ambitious missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. But these dreams hinge ...

From bicycles to rockets, learning through experience – whether human or machine – is shaping the future of space exploration. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate ...