space

Their thirst for knowledge could help this robot turn Martian ice into drinking water

Northeastern engineering students have built a robot designed to extract, melt, and purify H2O from an icy layer beneath the surface of Mars. The tool could lay the groundwork for future human habitation of the Red Planet. The project won the RISE award for innovation at this year’s Research, Innovation, Scholarship, and Entrepreneurship Expo.

• by Eva Botkin-Kowacki   April 22, 2022

People with disabilities have been locked out of spaceflight. But that is changing.

If you can’t see in zero gravity, how do you know which way is up? Northeastern assistant professor of bioengineering Mona Minkara, who is legally blind, recently took a zero gravity flight as part of her work to make spaceflight inclusive and accessible for all.

• by Eva Botkin-Kowacki   November 8, 2021

Could humans visit Venus? Here’s a plan to do just that.

There’s a hellscape right here in our own solar system, and a team of Northeastern students wants to send human explorers to check it out.

• by Eva Botkin-Kowacki   May 26, 2021

He’s launching his research into space

By studying the way the microscopic particles in gels respond to microgravity on the International Space Station, Safa Jamali, an assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, wants to better understand complex fluids—and eventually help make better consumer goods and materials.

• by Roberto Molar Candanosa   September 16, 2020

NASA is going back to the moon. Northeastern University students are designing robots to explore the terrain.

Some parts of the moon never see the light, but they are full of resources that NASA could mine to settle on the lunar surface and venture beyond. The agency selected a team of Northeastern students to be part of the 2020 Big Idea Challenge, in which they will develop robotic systems to help survey the darkest areas of the moon.

• by Roberto Molar Candanosa   February 21, 2020

Space Week: Remembering the moon landing 50 years later

Saturday, July 20, marked the 50th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. News@Northeastern took a look back at the technological breakthroughs, the political decisions, and the feats of daring that made the landing possible; the lunar landing itself; and what the future might hold for space exploration. Northeastern’s Archives and Special Collections is the exclusive home of The Boston Globe’s Library Collection, and we used those images to highlight the space program and the university’s role in space exploration.

• by Gregory Grinnell   July 19, 2019

Mars and beyond

Northeastern students and faculty reflect on the role of humanoid robots in deep space exploration, sending humans to Mars, and the need for reusable spacecraft.

• by Gregory Grinnell, Laura Castañón and Hannah Moore   July 17, 2019

Space Week: After The Moon

NASA had a lot of questions to answer before it could send astronauts to the moon. Were there harmful effects from being in space for too long? Could astronauts work outside their capsule? How would two spacecraft detach from each other and later reconnect in flight? We explore the history of moon exploration using images from The Boston Globe’s Library Collection housed exclusively at Northeastern’s Archives and Special Collections.

• by Gregory Grinnell, Laura Castañón and Hannah Moore   July 16, 2019

Space Week: Shooting for the Moon

It was 1961 and the United States was in the uncomfortable position of playing catch-up with the Soviet Union.

• by Gregory Grinnell, Laura Castañón and Hannah Moore   July 15, 2019

Space Week: The space age takes flight

In 1865, Jules Verne published From Earth to the Moon, a novel in which characters attempt to build a cannon large enough to lob three people up to our nearest celestial neighbor.

• by Gregory Grinnell, Laura Castañón and Hannah Moore   July 12, 2019