Mike Wall

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Space.com Senior Writer

Michael was a science writer for the Idaho National Laboratory and has been an intern at Wired.com, The Salinas Californian newspaper, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. He has also worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Latest articles by Mike Wall

Boeing's Phantom Express XS-1 space plane design is shown in launch position in this artist's concept. The autonomous spacecraft is designed to launch vertically, deploy a second stage payload into orbit and return to Earth for a runway landing.

DARPA scraps XS-1 military space plane project after Boeing drops out

By Mike Wall published 24 January 20

Boeing has withdrawn from Experimental Spaceplane, a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program designed to increase the nation's access to space.

Engineering

This annotated image, captured by Maxar Technologies’ WorldView-1 satellite on Jan. 9, 2020, shows debris from the Ukrainian airliner that crashed in Iran a day earlier, killing all 176 people aboard.

Iran Plane Crash Wreckage Spotted from Space (Satellite Photos)

By Mike Wall published 10 January 20

Sharp-eyed satellites have spotted debris from the Ukrainian airliner that went down in Iran early Wednesday morning (Jan. 8).

Planet Earth

The annotated area in this animation of the Red Planet is where NASA spacecraft have found near-surface water ice that would be easy for astronauts to dig up.

The Decade of Mars: How the 2020s May Be a New Era of Red Planet Exploration

By Mike Wall published 9 January 20

The 2010s saw big advances in Mars exploration, but the new decade may bring even more exciting Red Planet news.

Mars

A closeup of the wreckage at Iraq's al-Asad airbase, as captured on Jan. 8, 2020, by one of Planet's SkySat satellites.

Satellite Spots Iran Missile Attack Aftermath from Space

By Mike Wall published 8 January 20

Satellites operated by San Francisco-based company Planet have captured remarkably sharp photos of Iraq's al-Asad airbase, one of the sites hit in last night's (Jan. 7) bombardment.

Space

Huge New Storm Creates Hexagon at Jupiter's South Pole

By Mike Wall published 14 December 19

NASA's Juno probe discovered a giant new storm swirling near Jupiter's south pole last month, a few weeks after pulling off a dramatic death-dodging maneuver.

Jupiter

For the first time, scientists have spotted a giant planet orbiting a white dwarf star, shown in this artist's impression of the system.

Evidence of an Alien Planet Spotted Around a White Dwarf, a Cosmic First

By Mike Wall published 4 December 19

For the first time ever, astronomers have spotted evidence of a planet circling a superdense stellar corpse known as a white dwarf, a new study reports.

Extraterrestrial Life

This is the most detailed view of the distant object Ultima Thule. The photo is a processed composite combining nine individual images taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft just 6.5 minutes before the spacecraft's closest approach to Ultima Thule on Jan

Meet Arrokoth, the Most Distant Object Ever Explored

By Mike Wall published 13 November 19

The most distant object ever explored, Ultima Thule, has a new name, Arrokoth.

Astronomy

NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft entered interstellar space in November 2018, more than six years after its twin, Voyager 1, did the same. Data from Voyager 2 has helped further characterize the structure of the heliosphere, the huge bubble the sun blows around itself.

Voyager 2 Reaches Interstellar Space. Here's What the Spacecraft Finds.

By Mike Wall published 4 November 19

Humanity's second taste of interstellar space may have raised more questions than it answered.

Space Exploration

In this image from Oct. 26, 2019, the InSight Mars lander's heat probe, or "mole," is seen after backing about halfway out of the hole it had burrowed.

The 'Mole' on NASA's Mars Lander Just Popped Out Of Its Hole (and That's Not Good)

By Mike Wall published 29 October 19

The mole's up-and-down Mars saga has taken yet another turn.

Mars

Artist's illustration of HD 21749c, the first Earth-size planet found by NASA's Transiting Exoplanets Survey Satellite, as well as its sibling, HD 21749b, a warm sub-Neptune-sized world.

NASA Teams Up with $100 Million Breakthrough Listen Project to Search for Intelligent Aliens

By Mike Wall published 23 October 19

Extraterrestrial Life

NASA astronaut Christina Koch (left) poses for a portrait with fellow Expedition 61 Flight Engineer Jessica Meir of NASA who is inside a U.S. spacesuit for a fit check for a spacewalk on Oct. 18, 2019. It will be the first all-female spacewalk in history.

The 1st All-Female Spacewalk Happening Today. Here's How to Watch It Live

By Mike Wall published 18 October 19

NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir are scheduled to begin the first-ever all-female spacewalk today (Oct. 18) at around 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT). Watch it live at Space.com.

Space

This artistic interpretation shows two black holes on a collision course. In the newfound system called SDSS J084905.51+111447.2, three supermassive black holes are about to merge.

3 Monster Black Holes Are About to Collide

By Mike Wall published 27 September 19

They're at the core of a triple galaxy merger 1 billion light-years from Earth.

Black Holes

This artist's illustration depicts a hypothetical dust ring orbiting KIC 8462852, also known as Boyajian's Star or Tabby's Star.

'Alien Megastructure' Star Not Alone. More Mysteriously Dimming Objects Found.

By Mike Wall published 20 September 19

Extraterrestrial Life

This image, captured by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft, shows a plume rising from Loki Patera, the largest volcano on the Jupiter moon Io.

Giant Volcano on Jupiter Moon Could Erupt Any Day

By Mike Wall published 18 September 19

A giant volcano on the Jupiter moon Io should erupt any day now, a new study suggests.

Jupiter

Artist's illustration of the U.S. Air Force's X-37B space plane in orbit.

X-37B Military Space Plane Breaks Record on Latest Mystery Mission

By Mike Wall published 27 August 19

The robotic X-37B has been circling Earth for nearly 719 days on its latest mystery mission, which is known as Orbital Test Vehicle 5 (OTV-5).

Space Exploration

An artist's illustration of the U.S. Air Force's X-37B space plane in orbit.

X-37B Military Space Plane's Latest Mystery Mission Hits 700 Days

By Mike Wall published 9 August 19

The U.S. Air Force's X-37B military space plane has now been circling Earth for 700 days, just a few weeks shy of the vehicle's spaceflight-duration record.

Space Exploration