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Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace
Latest articles by Elizabeth Howell
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Watch NASA build Artemis 2 astronaut moon rocket boosters ahead of 2024 launch (video)
By Elizabeth Howell published
A new video shows the Artemis 2 moon mission's boosters under assembly. The solid rocket boosters are being made at NASA's Kennedy Space Center ahead of the 2024 launch with four astronauts.
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Happy birthday Andreas Mogensen! International Space Station astronaut celebrates in space
By Elizabeth Howell published
Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen marked his birthday on the International Space Station Nov. 2 by flying his country's flag and enjoying sunny weather.
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James Webb Space Telescope reveals distances of nearly 200 deep-space galaxies
By Elizabeth Howell published
We now know how far away some galaxies are in the iconic "deep field" image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. A Canadian instrument is revealing more about how the universe changed over time.
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Miss England 'flies' Boeing Starliner spaceship at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
By Elizabeth Howell published
Jessica Gagan, Miss England 2023, toured Boeing facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and flew their Starliner simulator. The aerospace engineer is promoting STEM education during her U.S. tour.
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Bullying Jupiter-like planets may push 'alien Earths' away from life-friendly orbits
By Elizabeth Howell published
Planets like Earth shouldn't get too close to their bigger, bullying neighbors. Jupiter-size worlds can wreck life-friendly conditions on their smaller neighbors.
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SpaceX, NASA delay CRS-29 cargo launch to International Space Station
By Elizabeth Howell published
NASA and SpaceX have delayed the next Dragon cargo spacecraft launch to the International Space Station by two days, to Nov. 7 for extra preparations.
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New water system that could aid Artemis moon astronauts gets a test on the ISS
By Elizabeth Howell published
A small, efficient water dispenser that could aid NASA's Artemis moon program is getting a test on the International Space Station.
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International Space Station astronauts show off creative outfits for Halloween
By Elizabeth Howell published
Astronauts on the International Space Station got all dressed up for Halloween Oct. 31. More costume changes are coming Nov. 1, with an all-woman spacewalk on deck.
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Artemis 2 moon astronaut says crew is ready for ambitious 2024 mission
By Elizabeth Howell published
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will first reach space on the Artemis 2 moon mission. Space, he says, feels more real by the day – and there's a big community helping him with the journey.
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'Too early' to say which astronaut will command UK Space Agency mission with Axiom Space
By Elizabeth Howell published
The UK Space Agency says it cannot speculate yet on who will command its debut mission with Axiom Space. British astronaut Tim Peake was rumored as commander.
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Watch NASA's Artemis 2 mobile rocket launcher get soaked during water deluge test (video)
By Elizabeth Howell published
NASA conducted a water deluge test Oct. 24 to evaluate how well its water system will protect its hardware and astronauts during the launch of the round-the-moon Artemis 2 mission in 2024.
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Groundbreaking laser communications experiment flying to ISS on SpaceX cargo mission on Nov. 5
By Elizabeth Howell published
On Nov. 5, SpaceX will send a clutch of science experiments to the space station investigating a range of topics, from high-speed laser communications, to rolling atmospheric waves on Earth.
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Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft comes together ahead of 2024 moon mission (photos)
By Elizabeth Howell published
Sections of the Orion spacecraft tasked with flying four astronauts around the moon during the Artemis 2 mission have been joined together. The mission is set for no earlier than late 2024.
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Declassified spy satellite images reveal 400 Roman Empire forts in the Middle East
By Elizabeth Howell published
'Intensive fort construction' took place at the borders of Rome's reach.
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NASA's Artemis moon astronauts will ride to the launch pad in these sleek electric cars (photos)
By Elizabeth Howell published
NASA and electric car maker Canoo revealed the interior of the vehicle that will ferry Artemis moon astronauts to the launch pad.
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Cosmonauts will hunt for source of ISS leak during a spacewalk today. Watch it live
By Elizabeth Howell published
Two Russian cosmonauts will go outside the International Space Station today (Oct. 25) to investigate the source of a coolant leak that sprang up on Oct. 9. You can watch the webcast live.
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Sirius: The brightest star in Earth's night sky
By Elizabeth Howell, Ailsa Harvey last updated
Reference Sirius has been the shiniest star in the sky for a long, long time.
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In-space manufacturing company Varda plans to land its reentry capsules in Australia: report
By Elizabeth Howell published
Varda Space Industries plans to land future missions in Australia as soon as 2024, a report indicates. Varda's first mission with SpaceX is still awaiting approval for its planned landing in Utah.
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Artemis 2 moon astronauts meet car racing teams at Formula 1
By Elizabeth Howell published
Artemis 2 moon astronauts took in a big car racing event in Texas on Oct. 22. NASA's Reid Wiseman and Canada's Jeremy Hansen appeared on the grid at the F1 Grand Prix.
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'Sew Sister' Jean Wright shares her NASA space shuttle experience with new book
By Elizabeth Howell published
Jean Wright used to sew critical hardware for NASA's space shuttle program. A new book by Elise Matich celebrates the "Sew Sister" team that brought astronauts into space.
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NASA's Artemis moon astronauts may wear electric field spacesuits to fight pesky lunar dust
By Elizabeth Howell published
NASA wants to put astronauts on the moon again in the 2020s, and lunar dust is expected to pose a major issue. An electric field spacesuit project received a big grant to find a solution.
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NASA tests new kind of Artemis moon-rocket engine in dramatic 'hot fire' test (video)
By Elizabeth Howell published
The 550-second test was only the first of 12.
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How fast is Earth moving?
By Elizabeth Howell, Doris Elin Urrutia last updated
Earth moves around the sun and across the universe on its axis and at an incredible rate.
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Canada to launch new satellites to monitor climate change, gather military data
By Elizabeth Howell published
The Canadian government promises it will get new satellites into space soon to extend its famous Radarsat series for Canada's Earth observation needs, climate change and Arctic military surveillance.