![Leonard David](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PCEVx3ScYcaEDjVR8NLHDS.jpg)
Leonard David
Leonard David is an award-winning space journalist who has been reporting on space activities for more than 50 years. Currently writing as Space.com's Space Insider Columnist among his other projects, Leonard has authored numerous books on space exploration, Mars missions and more, with his latest being "Moon Rush: The New Space Race" published in 2019 by National Geographic. He also wrote "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet" released in 2016 by National Geographic. Leonard has served as a correspondent for SpaceNews, Scientific American and Aerospace America for the AIAA. He has received many awards, including the first Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History in 2015 at the AAS Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium. You can find out Leonard's latest project at his website and on Twitter.
Latest articles by Leonard David
![illustration of a white rocket in space with earth in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/57hJ8BVd9pe4xKhMwMqvTg-320-80.jpg)
Mars exploration, new rockets and more: Interview with ESA chief Josef Aschbacher
By Leonard David published
Space.com caught up with ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher recently to talk about Europe's space plans and priorities going forward.
![a white rocket launches into a blue sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/emzwKqQP6CTkXdFrGYm4fD-320-80.jpg)
Building rockets and looking for life on Venus: Q&A with Rocket Lab's Peter Beck
By Leonard David published
Space.com caught up with Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck recently to talk about the company's ambitious plans for the future, which include a private life-hunting mission to Venus.
![An artist's depiction of a Mars sample-return mission.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FYWTsJniSMxUdXqWXRfmNV-320-80.jpg)
'Astrobiodefense:' Thinktank calls for defending Earth from space bugs
By Leonard David published
"As fantastical as it may sound, astrobiodefense is neither hypothetical nor fictional."
![illustration of a conical space capsule blazing through Earth's atmosphere](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AUZkT6GeHkt4nipnDGaqwC-320-80.jpg)
NASA still investigating Orion heat shield issues from Artemis 1 moon mission
By Leonard David published
NASA is still studying the performance of the Orion capsule's heat shield during its reentry to Earth's atmosphere at the end of the Artemis 1 moon mission in late 2022.
![a series of large white radar dishes stand alone in the desert](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LFDgGB9wQpEsJvgtxLX54F-320-80.jpg)
SETI chief says US has no evidence for alien technology. 'And we never have'
By Leonard David published
For the chief leader of the SETI Institute, established to search for and understand life beyond Earth, there's a need to step back and cuddle up to a cup of cosmic reality.
![a yellow tinted four-wheeled rover with to blue cylindrical tanks stands on a rusted red surface.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PAh4ipV4ypbo5j3ERKgjoQ-320-80.jpg)
Drilling for water ice on Mars: How close are we to making it happen?
By Leonard David published
Scientists and engineers are making progress on drilling technology that could access Mars' seemingly vast stores of near-surface water ice.
![the grey, cratered surface of the moon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Nh266x75mZ9NCgpnreMmme-320-80.jpg)
Astronomers call for radio silence on the far side of the moon
By Leonard David published
There's a growing and passionate call for preserving radio silence on the far side of the moon in order to protect the possibility of conducting valuable radio astronomy.
![a metal skeleton of a cube-shaped spacecraft inside a laboratory cleanroom](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XfFcNKAf8TzjMF3ZEg4vXR-320-80.jpg)
Astrobotic readies next lunar lander following failed Peregrine moon mission
By Leonard David published
Despite the failure of the first U.S. commercial lunar lander to ever operate in space, Astrobotic is pressing ahead with its next moon, set for 2024.
![a reddish-orange orb streaked with dark grey lines](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vtbu7WKFGsiAhHLKkdcuwH-320-80.jpg)
Giant Mars volcano discovered 'hiding' in plain sight
By Leonard David published
A giant volcano has been hiding in plain sight for decades in one of Mars' most iconic regions.
![a large white rectangle floats above the blue surface of earth](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KE8TycVptb4YkLWXDkSHwC-320-80.jpg)
5,800 pounds of batteries tossed off the ISS in 2021 will fall to Earth today
By Leonard David published
A nearly 3-ton leftover tossed overboard from the International Space Station is nearing its plunge toward Earth.
![artist's illustration of a silver and gold spacecraft in earth orbit, with the blackness of space in the background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KyA2DJV2rCkEHVp2ZZKfn9-320-80.jpg)
Big, dead satellite's crash was a space-junk wakeup call, experts say
By Leonard David published
The uncontrolled reentry of the European Space Agency's defunct ERS-2 satellite was a reminder that operators should plan out the safe demise of their spacecraft.
![the moon hangs in the sky above a barren hillside covered in thick snow](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cueYq4od7sPmTB6QevASTk-320-80.jpg)
Can Antarctica serve as a model for international cooperation on the moon?
By Leonard David published
Multiple nations are targeting the moon as an off-Earth destination for long-term human presence. What can they learn from the international research endeavors underway in Antarctica?
![The Artemis Accords](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iecWzr9daAehJjh6A74TKF-320-80.jpg)
Cooperation on the moon: Are the Artemis Accords enough?
By Leonard David published
The underlying premise of the Accords is promoting 'best practices and norms of responsible behavior' when it comes to lunar exploration. But that's a tall order given the tumult of the times.
![a gold-foiled satellite with wide stretch blue solar panels is seen before the black star-filled backdrop of space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QbtumKp2kJYvZ3KmGpjnsn-320-80.jpg)
Dead, 5,000-pound satellite is falling to Earth today. Will any debris survive the fiery reentry?
By Leonard David published
A European Space Agency spacecraft is making an uncontrolled nosedive into Earth's atmosphere – with elements of the 2.3-ton spent satellite likely to survive the plunge into purgatory.
![astronauts in bulky space suits on mars swing pickaxes at red rocks](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GxHsQh68LifyoS4BPVqJ4E-320-80.jpg)
Humans on Mars could conduct far better science than any machine
By Leonard David published
NASA's moon-to-Mars strategy identifies science as one of three pillars upon which the agency's quest for a sustained human presence throughout the solar system is built.
![a silver metal cannister containing dark grey pebbles](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/L8RaFh6xDqDjgoBv6wKVoP-320-80.jpg)
1st look at asteroid Bennu samples suggests space rock may even be 'a fragment of an ancient ocean world'
By Leonard David published
Space.com caught up with two leading scientists now engaged in extracting and analyzing samples of asteroid Bennu retrieved by NASA's OSIRIS-Rex mission.
![large satellite dishes point upward at the night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CeK2gHy3eDEjUxKxWCCNTk-320-80.jpg)
'It's getting closer and closer for sure.' How SETI is expanding its search for alien intelligence (exclusive)
By Leonard David published
Space.com caught up with Bill Diamond, President and CEO of the SETI Institute for an exclusive, mind-stretching close-encounter discussion regarding the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
![an illustration of a large telescope suspended in side a crater on the moon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kPfrrQAEAJPxLRSTBPMMD6-320-80.jpg)
The moon could be perfect for cutting-edge telescopes — but not if we don't protect it
By Leonard David published
Moon-based telescopes would allow astronomers to conduct cutting-edge science. But given how busy the moon is getting, will the lunar surface be free enough from interference?
![the full moon hangs in frame with the orion, inside its payload shell atop the SLS rocket.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mnS4PnUehq6Cxfhy3GZ5dH-320-80.jpg)
Apollo 17 astronauts saw strange flashes on the moon. Will Artemis crews see them too?
By Leonard David published
Lunar scientists have started plotting out photographic objects of interest for the four-person Artemis 2 crew to consider during their flyby of the moon.
![a red planet seen against the blackness of space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8jUFJVPBZr4CMEg4HcKNjJ-320-80.jpg)
If life exists on Mars, don't count on sample-return missions to find it, scientists say
By Leonard David published
While ambitious plans to return Red Planet samples to Earth are in development, some scientists argue that we should instead find ways to analyze Mars samples on the planet itself.
![a gold metal orb/circle with other circles within, inside each are three bisecting lines. all tones of gold.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KXz8bTdSMYcEVQCJCy7PzV-320-80.jpg)
NASA moon orbiter beams laser off Indian lander in historic 1st
By Leonard David published
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter recently bounced a laser off India's Vikram moon lander, marking a space-communications first.
![spot-lit satellite dishes on an arid landscape point skyward ere the backdrop of a starry night](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PfrBvsp449iwH6YNbYyRQb-320-80.jpg)
Will we ever be able to communicate with aliens?
By Leonard David published
Scientists are investigating the possible forms that alien languages might take — and whether we might be able to understand them.
![illustration of a rover and a lander on the surface of mars, with a small helicopter, a rocket and a satellite in the sky above them.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BRmR6J25JhBehfYTbwiHMJ-320-80.jpg)
NASA's troubled Mars sample-return mission has scientists seeing red
By Leonard David published
NASA's Mars Sample Return program is the agency’s highest priority in planetary science, but projected multibillion-dollar overruns have some calling the plan a 'dumpster fire.'