Archived articles

Nasa

An illustration of a spacecraft flying into an asteroid
Bracing for impact
DART spacecraft prepares for asteroid collision
Published Sept 14, 2022
The proof-of-concept mission managed by APL aims to demonstrate how a spacecraft can be used to deflect an asteroid that poses a threat to Earth, should one ever be discovered
Comet flies across the sky
Space science
Analysis points to secret source of lunar ice
Published Feb 11, 2022
An analysis of debris blasted away from the moon's surface in 2009 uncovers layers of lunar—and Earth—history
Andre Douglas
Chasing space
Published Feb 2, 2022
Whiting School alum and former APL employee Andre Douglas is one of 10 astronaut candidates who recently began training with NASA, the culmination of a life spent dreaming of the stars
Illustration of Europa's icy oceans
Space exploration
Otherworldly oceans
Published Summer 2021
Researchers are almost certain a liquid ocean is hidden beneath the surface of one of Jupiter's moons. The Europa Clipper mission will help determine whether it has all the ingredients necessary for life. / Johns Hopkins Magazine
illustration of two people looking up at the night sky
Going interstellar with a sun-skirting probe
Published Spring 2021
APL's Interstellar Probe will slingshot around the sun to explore the outer reaches of the universe / Johns Hopkins Magazine
Illustration looks like a square, refigerator-shaped spacecraft with large solar panels resembling wings
Space science
NASA selects Johns Hopkins APL space weather mission for 2024 launch
Published Jan 8, 2021
The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer will study the auroral electrojet, electrical currents flowing 60-90 miles above the north and south poles
Saturn
Outer space
Surer signs of life
Published Dec 8, 2020
Teams of civil space researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab are developing a better class of tools for detecting signs of life on other planets and moons
A helicopter conducts a rescue for a boat in distress
Engineering
Enhanced search and rescue
Published Fall 2020
Search and Rescue GPS beacons aboard ships or in hikers' backpacks are the last line of defense against disaster, leading to more than 50,000 rescues to date. A new project by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory aims to make the technology even more accurate and efficient. / Johns Hopkins Magazine
Still from Zibi Turtle's TED talk
Zibi Turtle tours Titan, discusses Dragonfly mission during TED Talk
Published Aug 31, 2020
During virtual address, the planetary scientist discusses the environment of Saturn's largest moon and the ambitious APL-built rotocraft mission to explore it
Artist's rendering of Dragonfly rotorcraft in a hilly dune
Space
Destination Titan
Published Spring 2020
APL's Dragonfly spacecraft will travel to Saturn's enigmatic moon to explore an ocean world like no other / Johns Hopkins Magazine