A Resurgence In Space Exploration

Published December 31, 2014 at 10:40 AM PST

It was a big year on Earth, but enough of that — let’s talk about space!

NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel talks to Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins about new spacecrafts, new missions, and space triumphs and failures of 2014.

ESA: “Rosetta Fuels Debate On Origin Of Earth’s Oceans“
NPR: “European Scientists Conclude That Distant Comet Smells Terrible“
NPR: “India Zooms To Mars Much More Cheaply, But With Trade-Offs“
Spaceflight Now: “Chinese Probe Returns From Flight Around The Moon“
NPR: “One Dead After Commercial Spaceship Crashes During Test Flight“

Guest

Geoff Brumfiel, science correspondent for NPR. He tweets @gbrumfiel.

SpaceX and Boeing's new spacecraft look similar to each other Brumfiel says. (NPR)

The European Space Agency's orbiter, Rosetta, rendezvoused with a comet, and determined it smells terrible (if you could smell in space). (ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM)