For 75 years, CU Boulder has been a leader in space exploration and innovation. We travel to space to monitor sea level rise, melting ice, weather patterns and more. Our researchers explore how to track and remove dangerous debris in space. We research the health of humans in space to inform medical applications for people on Earth. Learn more about the latest in space research and science at CU Boulder.
 

The craggy surface of the asteroid Bennu as seen from space

Hopping space dust may influence the way asteroids look and move

July 11, 2022

When NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at the asteroid Bennu, scientists discovered something surprising: The asteroid's surface wasn't smooth like many were expecting but was covered in large boulders. Now, a team of physicists think they know why.

moon surface

CU to participate in mission to explore moon’s mysterious Gruithuisen Domes

June 20, 2022

CU's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics will contribute scientific data systems and mission operations expertise to a NASA robotic mission to study the lunar surface prior to renewed human exploration.

Artist's depiction of the debris disk around the star HD 53143

Scientists discover really weird debris disk around nearby star

June 14, 2022

Disks made up of rocks and dust swirl around stars across the galaxy. These features are the "fossil record of planet formation," said astrophysicist Meredith MacGregor.

galaxies

Putting the theory of special relativity into practice—by counting galaxies

June 2, 2022

New research adds another piece of evidence to the scientist philosophy known as the mediocrity principle: Galaxies are, on average, at rest with respect to the early universe. Jeremy Darling, a CU Boulder astrophysics professor, recently published this new finding in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Dome show at Fiske Planetarium

Fiske Planetarium, emeritus professor awarded $2 million NASA grant

May 24, 2022

A new grant award will be used to produce full-dome videos that will help educate the public on NASA’s latest scientific endeavors, including two upcoming solar eclipses.

A winding valley on the surface of the moon

Astronauts may one day drink water from ancient moon volcanoes

May 18, 2022

If any humans had been alive 2 to 4 billion years ago, they may have looked up and seen a sliver of frost on the moon's surface. Some of that ice may still be hiding in craters on the moon today.

A drone hovering

Smead Aerospace houses new partnership on autonomous air mobility and sensing

May 13, 2022

A major research center on autonomous air mobility and sensing has been founded at CU Boulder, in partnership with the National Science Foundation.

Artist rendition of satellites in space

CU Boulder receives NASA grant to develop new technology to monitor space weather

May 13, 2022

LASP and aerospace engineering researchers will use new grant funding to advance their concept of a futuristic swarm of satellites to shed new light on how the solar wind affects Earth’s upper atmosphere.

NASA's Pam Melroy tours an aerospace engineering lab on the CU Boulder campus

From cockpit to campus: NASA’s Melroy talks moon, inclusivity, more at CU Boulder

May 6, 2022

NASA's Pam Melroy has spent roughly 924 hours in space. Her latest voyage—she visited Colorado on Thursday to talk to campus leaders about traveling to the moon, Mars and beyond.

Artist's depiction of the bright accretion disk around a supermassive black hole

A surging glow in a distant galaxy could change the way we look at black holes

May 5, 2022

Several years ago, a supermassive black hole at the center of a far-away galaxy suddenly got a lot brighter. Now, scientists think they know why.

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