Our Sun: The Closest of Stars

The sun is our immediate connection to the cosmos. Its light illuminates our world. Its energy fuels most life as we know it. It is one of billions of stars, but it is a special one. It is ours. Much of today’s exciting space science regards planets and visitors from other solar systems. But […]

Human-Robot Cooperation in Space

Artificial intelligence is advancing space exploration. But how far will it go? To what extent will automated systems relieve humans of the burdens they must currently shoulder in space? Predicting the future is speculation, but informed experts today can offer educated opinions. For this reason, Filling Space spoke with Ella Atkins, an aerospace engineering […]

Mainstreaming SETI: ‘Oumuamua and Light-sails

Recently, an interstellar object named ‘Oumuamua entered our solar system. It was the first such observed object in recorded history. Scientists were thus already watching ‘Oumuamua when, as it came closer, it did something surprising: it sped up. Notably, it did this without outgassing, which happens with comets and explains their changing speeds. What, […]

Space Capitalism: Laissez-faire in the Heavens

Space is becoming popular with billionaires. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson all have their eyes set on the stars. Their ventures signal a new private sector-led era of space exploration. Whether it’s space tourism, asteroid mining, or Mars colonization, private companies seem to be taking a part in everything. This is a […]

Students’ Very Own Space Agency: Space Concordia

Student projects are fun learning experiences. Some focus on dissecting frogs to learn about anatomy. Others germinate dried beans to learn about botany. However, some students prefer founding their own space agency. This is what students decided to do at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. The organization, Space Concordia, conducts outreach campaigns in local schools. It also designs its […]

Plants in Space: Seeding Sustainable Exploration

If we are to sustainably explore other worlds, we need to grow plants in space. The importance of space botany to life off Earth was shown fictionally in The Martian – Matt Damon grew potatoes from stored tubers in order to survive his ordeal on the red planet. In fact, growing plants off Earth is no longer […]

Playing with the Building Blocks of the Universe

The universe is made of fundamental particles that cannot be divided. Despite there being more atoms in a grain of sand than there are stars in the universe, atoms are not the smallest building blocks of the universe. They are in fact composed of smaller, subatomic particles. Particle physics is the scientific field devoted […]

Watching Stars Collide in the Heavens

Next time you bask in sunlight, remember our Sun may be an oddity. More than half the specks of light in the night sky are in fact multiple stars orbiting each other. Depending on the type of star, the chances of it being alone in a system range from anywhere between 43% and 85%. […]

India Rises to the Stars

India is a unique player in the space industry. Historically its space program has had a developmental focus that distinguishes it from the more militarily-oriented American and Russian programs. But India’s space focus is changing, as exemplified by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent announcement of plans to carry out a manned space mission by 2020. Recent years have […]

The African Space Race

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union dominated space research. Now, we have entered a space age dominated by commercial interests rather than military calculations. In this new era, technologies are becoming cheaper – most notably via an ongoing cubesat revolution. As such, other less developed countries are establishing their presence. Much attention […]