Space exploration

The docked Soyuz 14 and Progress 26 resupply vehicle at the International Space Station in 2007. The view of a blue and white Earth looms in the background.

Space: The Final Frontier—or the Last Battlespace? Space: The Final Frontier—or the Last Battlespace?

America’s pursuit of military dominance risks damaging the peaceful—and scientifically and economically enriching—exploration taking place today.

Aug 8, 2022 / Mark Hannah

Blue Origin Launch

Billionaires in Space Billionaires in Space

For the world’s richest men, the stars are up for sale.

Jul 23, 2021 / Editorial / A.M. Gittlitz

Don’t Stop Thinking About (Tom) Tomorrow

Don’t Stop Thinking About (Tom) Tomorrow Don’t Stop Thinking About (Tom) Tomorrow

Cartoonist Dan Perkins increasingly turns to the iconography of science fiction to keep pace with the absurdity of the moment.

Mar 5, 2021 / Jeet Heer

Apollo 11

Space Is Not Black Space Is Not Black

Days before the Apollo 11 launch in 1969, The Nation lamented a government that spent freely on white astronauts, engineers, and contractors, but could not find jobs at home for it...

Jun 30, 1969 / Back Issues / Jack Robertson

Earth rising on the lunar horizon

The Moon Will Wait The Moon Will Wait

In early 1969, Nation editors were skeptical about the space race, and NASA’s “juvenile, brutal approach” in rushing to get a man on the moon.

Jan 13, 1969 / Back Issues / The Nation

Is Spaceflight Colonialism?

Is Spaceflight Colonialism? Is Spaceflight Colonialism?

Fifty years after Apollo 11, it’s time to revisit the laws of space. 

Jul 19, 2019 / Haris Durrani

Elon Musk SpaceX

The Case for Staying on Earth—With or Without Musk and Bezos The Case for Staying on Earth—With or Without Musk and Bezos

Why should we listen to zillionaires who want to abandon ship?

Jun 17, 2019 / Column / Katha Pollitt

Trump National Space Council

Trump’s Space Force Is Putting Us All in Danger Trump’s Space Force Is Putting Us All in Danger

Putting weapons in space is a phenomenal money waster and a threat to global security.

Sep 25, 2018 / William D. Hartung

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

Trump’s Brain Is the Black Hole of the Universe Trump’s Brain Is the Black Hole of the Universe

We are all trapped in a dense, Trump-centered vortex.

Mar 27, 2018 / Tom Tomorrow

Mars

Seeing Mars, Seeing Red Seeing Mars, Seeing Red

As the climate warms and this planet of ours continues sprinting toward extinction, we’re seeing the cultural fixation with Mars take center stage.

Nov 19, 2016 / Sam Sax

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