Tom Metcalfe

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    The Slingshot Effect of Gravity

    The pull of the planets is still one of our best bets for space exploration

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    Bringing Mars Rocks to Earth

    It’s a bigger challenge than we thought

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    Voyagers Ready to Go Dark

    Earth’s most distant space probes prepare for their inevitable long night.

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    How to Drill for Extraterrestrial Life on Europa

    The formidable challenge of digging through miles of ice millions of miles away.

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    Will Plants Grow on the Moon?

    Three Earth plants will soon make a new home on the lunar surface.

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    A Movie Camera for the Cosmos

    The Rubin observatory will allow scientists to see how the cosmos has evolved over time.

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    How to Solve the Drone Traffic Problem

    For a clear path, follow the birds.

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    The Weirdest Stuff We’ve Sent into Orbit

    15 human space oddities.

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    The Moss That Could Terraform Mars

    A superhero plant that could thrive on the Red Planet.

  • Explore
    Article Lead Image

    Bringing Mars to Earth with Music

    A new symphony turns the science of the Red Planet into art.