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Ashley Strickland - Writer

Ashley Strickland

Writer

Ashley is a space and science writer for CNN.

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Astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore talk to reporters during a press conference at Johnson Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Ashley Landis/AP

NASA astronauts speak out for the first time following unexpected 9-month mission to space

The astronauts speak out after returning from an unexpected nine-month mission that was extended following vehicle issues en route to the International Space Station.

SWEETWATER, TEXAS - OCTOBER 04: In an aerial view, discarded wind turbine blades are seen in a field next to the Sweetwater Cemetery on, October 04, 2023 in Sweetwater, Texas. General Electric filed a lawsuit against Global Fiberglass, claiming that the company has failed to recycle thousands of turbine blades discarded in a field on the west side of town. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Wind turbine parts may be giant technofossils that puzzle future scientists

This week, uncover the fossils of the future, see which ancient creature had gigantic claws, investigate large molecules on Mars, and more.

This graphic shows the long-chain organic molecules decane, undecane, and dodecane. These are the largest organic molecules discovered on Mars to date. They were detected in a drilled rock sample called “Cumberland” that was analyzed by the Sample Analysis at Mars lab inside the belly of NASA’s Curiosity rover. The rover, whose selfie is on the right side of the image, has been exploring Gale Crater since 2012. An image of the Cumberland drill hole is faintly visible in the background of the molecule chains.

Dan Gallagher/NASA

Curiosity rover makes ‘arguably the most exciting organic detection to date on Mars’

The Curiosity rover detected the largest organic molecules to date on Mars, which may be fragments of fatty acids, or some of the chemical building blocks of life.

A partial solar eclipse is seen as the Sun rises behind the Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse on June 10, 2021, at Lewes Beach in Delaware.

Aubrey Gemignani/NASA

How to see a partial solar eclipse turn the sun into a crescent

A partial solar eclipse on Saturday will make it look as if the moon has taken a bite out of the sun over parts of North America, Greenland and Northern Europe.

This is an artist’s impression of JADES-GS-z14-0, which as of today is the most distant confirmed galaxy. Galaxies in the early Universe tend to be clumpy and irregular. Supernova explosions in this galaxy would have spread heavy elements forged inside stars, like oxygen, which has been now detected with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

M. Kornmesser/ESO

Oxygen detected in the most distant galaxy ever found

Astronomers have detected oxygen in the most distant galaxy ever found. It’s 13.4 billion light-years away from Earth, according to new research.

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is seen as it lands with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard in the water off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Hague, Gorbunov, Williams, and Wilmore are returning from a long-duration science expedition aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Keegan Barber/NASA

NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore finally return home after more than nine months in space

NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have returned to Earth from a weeklong mission at the International Space Station that turned into an unexpectedly extended stay.

For a century, astronomers have been studying Barnard’s Star in the hope of finding planets around it. First discovered by E. E. Barnard at Yerkes Observatory in 1916, it is the nearest single star system to Earth. Now, using in part the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, astronomers have discovered four sub-Earth exoplanets orbiting the star. One of the planets is the least massive exoplanet ever discovered using the radial velocity technique, indicating a new benchmark for discovering smaller planets around nearby stars.

International Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab/International Gemini Observatory

Four planets found orbiting a star 6 light-years from Earth

Astronomers have discovered four planets that are just a fraction of the mass of Earth orbiting Barnard’s Star, which is 6 light-years from Earth.

Artist's impression of a red dwarf (left) and a white dwarf (center) orbiting each other. The stars’ orbit is so tight that their magnetic fields interact, causing pulses of radio emission every two hours.

Daniëlle Futselaar/artsource.nl

Mysterious radio pulses from the Milky Way ‘are unlike anything we knew before’

Astronomers say they have traced a mysterious pulsing in the Milky Way to a surprising source: a dead star locked in a dance with another star.

The Moon is seen during a total lunar eclipse, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Joel Kowsky/NASA

How to see the moon turn red during March’s total lunar eclipse

A total lunar eclipse will turn the full moon red on Thursday evening and Friday morning across the Western Hemisphere, depending on where you live.

The Moon is seen during a total lunar eclipse, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Joel Kowsky/NASA

Video Watch this guide to lunar eclipses 1:36

Lunar eclipses might seem commonplace, but there are different versions that offer varied perspectives. Here’s what you need to know next time you catch the moon in shadow.

Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13.

Video Explaining Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams’ unexpected stay aboard the ISS 2:49

Two NASA astronauts’ return home from space has become a political controversy as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump sow confusion about their situation.

SPHEREx observatory and PUNCH mission is lifting off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 11, 2025.

NASA launches newest space telescope to seek life’s key ingredients

NASA has launched the SPHEREx telescope to uncover the ingredients for life in our galaxy, as well as the PUNCH mission to study the sun’s mysteries.

NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), a space telescope, is situated on a work stand ahead of prelaunch operations at the Astrotech Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. SPHEREx will enter a polar orbit around Earth and create a 3D map of the entire sky, gathering information about millions of galaxies for scientists to study what happened after the big bang, the history of galaxy evolution, and the origins of water in planetary systems in our galaxy. SPHEREx will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in late February 2025.

Benjamin Fry/BAE Systems/NASA

Weather delays launch of NASA’s newest space telescope set to search for life’s key ingredients

Weather has delayed NASA’s launch of the SPHEREx telescope to uncover the ingredients for life in our galaxy, as well as the PUNCH mission to study the sun’s mysteries.

NASA's SPHEREx space observatory was photographed at BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in November 2024 after completing environmental testing. The spacecraft's three concentric cones help direct heat and light away from the telescope and other components, keeping them cool.

BAE Systems/JPL-Caltech/NASA

NASA delays launch of newest space telescope to search for life’s key ingredients

NASA is delaying the launch of the SPHEREx telescope to uncover the ingredients for life in our galaxy, as well as the PUNCH mission to study the sun’s mysteries.

The surface of the moon is seen in this image captured by Blue Ghost following its lunar landing.

Firefly Aerospace

Two moon missions touched down on the lunar surface. How they unfolded was a stark contrast

This week, follow the journeys of two lunar landers, meet “woolly mice,” see the oldest known bone tools, and more.

BOCA CHICA BEACH, TEXAS - MARCH 06: SpaceX Starship Flight 8 takes off from Orbital Launch Pad A at Boca Chica beach on March 06, 2025 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. The SpaceX Starship Flight 8 test launched and successfully caught its booster upon descent. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft explodes midflight for a second time, disrupting Florida air traffic

SpaceX pulled off the rocket booster catch maneuver during its eighth test flight but the Starship spacecraft exploded over the Caribbean, according to reports from residents.