NASA

Scientist-astronaut and former MIT professor William B. Lenoir dies at 71An MIT junior faculty member in the 1960s, he later flew on the space shuttle and became a NASA associate administrator.

Personal cushion of airInspired by seeds, proposed air-bag system would surround astronauts and protect them during bumpy landings

Operating in orbitAstronaut and alumnus Bobby Satcher recounts his experience as the first orthopedic surgeon in space

A look back in timeBy linking the odd geometry of bacterial growths to photosynthesis, researchers may have a new way to study Earth’s oldest fossils.

Fly the eco-friendly skiesMIT-led team designs airplanes that would use 70 percent less fuel than current models.

NASA chief defends Obama’s space planIn MIT visit, Charles Bolden touts proposed expansion in R&D funding

The pull of artificial gravityMIT researchers say a centrifuge on the International Space Station — hinted at in Obama’s NASA proposal — would be a boon for physiological research

Volcanic VenusNew research highlights recent volcanic activity on Venus, indicating that Earth’s sister planet is alive — geologically speaking

Professor Emeritus Norman D. Ham, helicopter rotor design expert, dies at age 80

3 Questions: David Mindell on Obama’s NASA proposalMIT space researcher predicts that if adopted, Obama’s proposed budget and policy will lead to more joint human-robotic space exploration

First tweets in space made by alumnusAstronaut Creamer says 'Hello Twitterverse!' from the ISS

Professor Young gives Portuguese students a glimpse into future Mars missionsMIT Professor and former astronaut Laurence R. Young recently traveled to Lisbon to describe possible future Mars missions to an overflow crowd at a Lisbon high school, on behalf of an MIT Portugal Program outreach project.

Team predicts satellite could locate hundreds of Earth-sized planetsResearchers say proposed satellite could represent astronomy’s ‘next big leap’ — one that may help find signs of life elsewhere in the universe.

Reporter’s Notebook: Where do we go from here?At MIT forum, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine and other aerospace experts discuss the future of human spaceflight.