Clara Moskowitz
Clara Moskowitz is a science and space writer who joined the Space.com team in 2008 and served as Assistant Managing Editor from 2011 to 2013. Clara has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She covers everything from astronomy to human spaceflight and once aced a NASTAR suborbital spaceflight training program for space missions. Clara is currently Associate Editor of Scientific American. To see her latest project is, follow Clara on Twitter.
Latest articles by Clara Moskowitz
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7LFqypoDWuxaiPTsrdPeaS-320-80.jpg)
The most memorable space shuttle missions
By Clara Moskowitz last updated
The milestones, heartbreaks, and discoveries that shaped NASA's 30-year shuttle program.
![Artist's illustration with Juno on the left and a close up of Jupiter on the right.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qforhewdQGbtxacUcdEPoB-320-80.jpg)
Jupiter missions: Past, present and future
By Daisy Dobrijevic published
Reference A rundown of every mission to Jupiter past to present, as well as the new ones on the horizon.
![NASA Maps Night-shining Clouds](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2JgfXJWFtQbeqT5rA7p7w9-320-80.jpg)
NASA Maps Night-shining Clouds
By Clara Moskowitz last updated
A NASA satellite has created a new map of so-called "night-shining clouds," which form at high latitudes on Earth and glow even after the sun sets.
![Mass of Higgs Boson](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HHgXwiwHn3PVTM4WEHPbjA-320-80.jpg)
Why the Higgs Boson May Seal Fate of the Universe
By Clara Moskowitz last updated
What does the Higgs particle have to do with the end of the universe?
![A 2014 image of Earth taken by the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CSa5v4sqMRom94tfjr5scf-320-80.jpg)
What makes Earth unique?
By Clara Moskowitz, Meghan Bartels last updated
Several factors make Earth unique given what scientists know about the thousands of planets discovered to date.
![Mystery Behind Galaxy Shapes Solved](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EPWEJiGpkF63UJsd9ZoSxA-320-80.jpg)
Cosmic Source Hinted At for Galactic Magnetic Fields
By Clara Moskowitz last updated
Strange magnetic fields floating in distant expanses of space may help explain how galaxies end up being so magnetic, a new study has found.
![After Big Bang Came Moment of Pure Chaos, Study Finds](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oPp4zfkhjqMCi6fuQT2d4A-320-80.jpg)
After Big Bang Came Moment of Pure Chaos, Study Finds
By Clara Moskowitz last updated
New calculations suggest the universe was chaotic just after the Big Bang.
![Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the lunar surface during the first moon landing in 1969](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RZWDrsRRNWtq42jQS6L4QP-320-80.jpg)
The 21 Most Marvelous Moon Missions of All Time
By Clara Moskowitz last updated
Almost 100 missions have been sent to the moon. Here are some of the best.
![The commercially backed Falcon 9 lifts off from Cape Canaveral.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/E3L7DH8AsFrBEvpXViaWhC-320-80.jpg)
New Private Rocket Soars Into Space on First Flight
By Clara Moskowitz last updated
The brand-new Falcon 9 rocket soared into orbit on its maiden flight Friday, the first test for a new era of private vehicles that could one day send cargo – and possibly astronauts – into space.
![Astronauts Build Stephen Colbert’s Space Treadmill](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ncMiYkE7u5rtdTdMWEwX4d-320-80.jpg)
Astronauts Build Stephen Colbert's Space Treadmill
By Clara Moskowitz last updated
Astronauts at the International Space Station have finished assembling the new COLBERT treadmill, named after Comedy Central comedian Stephen Colbert.
![multiverse](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cnRsLJ2UJkUTYJFPKyaNti-320-80.jpg)
String Theory May Create Far Fewer Universes Than Thought
By Clara Moskowitz published
Some physicists claim the popular landscape of universes in string theory may not exist.
![Spitzer Trains Its Eyes on Exoplanets](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b2C9T68Sc7JrX7oBQpLwpR-320-80.jpg)
Cash-Starved NASA May Have to Nix 1 Space Telescope to Save Others
By Clara Moskowitz published
Based on the findings of an independent review panel, NASA has taken stock of its fleet of orbiting astrophysics telescopes and decided which to save and which to shutter.
![gravitational waves](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PxJKfab2tKg69e3QdjtZ3H-320-80.jpg)
The Search for Gravitational Waves (Gallery)
By Clara Moskowitz published
Artist's concepts illustrate how gravitational waves might spread through the universe.
![NASA's Hubble Sees a Cosmic Caterpillar](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/unsfrxg9wLav7g7M3CgzjV-320-80.jpg)
Hubble Telescope Spots 'Cosmic Caterpillar' 6 Trillion Miles Long
By Clara Moskowitz published
Slinking along through the sands of space is a "cosmic caterpillar" as dubbed by NASA in a new photo released from the Hubble Space Telescope.
![Region Around Sagittarius A*](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rrrHU6XkCjX4jxt6d3d4ca-320-80.jpg)
Milky Way's Giant Black Hole Spits Out Its Food
By Clara Moskowitz published
The Milky Way's giant black hole turns out to be a messy eater. Of all the gas that falls toward it, 99 percent gets spewed back out into space, new observations show.
![Life Cycle of a Sun-Like Star (Annotated)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aTRCux3F23oZENTHrBsfnc-320-80.jpg)
Oldest Sun-Like Star Previews Sun's Fate
By Clara Moskowitz published
Astronomers have found a twin star to Earth's own sun, only much older. The rare star is the oldest known "solar twin," and offers a peek at what Earth's star will look like in 4 billion years.
![Fragment of Chelyabinsk meteorite, showing the fusion crust -- the result of a previous collision or near miss with another planetary body or with the sun.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qVVdxrRuqxiPvcuSS4wyV9-320-80.jpg)
Russian Meteor Explosion: Space Rock Had Near-Misses Before Impact
By Clara Moskowitz published
![The VLT “Venus” and the Belt of Venus](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FrdXYrmSSbJK8TZgTqygtC-320-80.jpg)
Scientists to Announce 'Major Result' from Star Study Wednesday
By Clara Moskowitz published
Astronomers working with the Very Large Telescope in Chile plan to announce a "major result" Wednesday (Aug. 28).
![Spitzer Space Telescope Montage Ten Years](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/j837YRyzbq7Rs8bYxnxvtd-320-80.jpg)
Happy Birthday Spitzer! NASA's Infrared Space Telescope Hits 10-Year Mark
By Clara Moskowitz published
NASA's infrared eye on the universe, the Spitzer Space Telescope marks its 10th year in space this Sunday (Aug. 25), and it's still going strong.
![NASA's Newest Members of the 2013 Astronaut Class](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xkaNoG2fkE7ne7QWLHLyMm-320-80.jpg)
Do You Have the Right Stuff? NASA's New Astronauts Share What It Takes
By Clara Moskowitz published
The eight newly selected astronauts joining NASA's spaceflying corps revealed some of the details of their grueling application process Tuesday (Aug. 20).
![Rendered image of what the Mars One settlement will look like.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9TDaYrVuoHtHDzC8jAGYpk-320-80.jpg)
One-Way Mars Trip: Application Deadline for Martian Colony Nears
By Clara Moskowitz published
The deadline approaches for applications to join a one-way mission to Mars. Though the prospect is off-putting to many, it's also the dream of a lifetime to some.
![Asteroid Redirect Vehicle with Capture Bag and EVA](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/szvSFXZZQzLdTtZAfcbdbj-320-80.jpg)
NASA's Vision to Lasso Asteroid: New Concept Art Revealed (Video)
By Clara Moskowitz published
![NASA's 2013 Astronaut Candidates](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zH6u8rruXJPF7Tw2v4Hyk-320-80.jpg)
One of NASA's Newest Astronauts Wrote a Limerick to Get Hired
By Clara Moskowitz published
Becoming an astronaut is one of the most difficult careers to achieve, but one requirement for the new recruits may surprise you — poetry.
![NASA and 11 other international space agencies released a plan for joint cooperation in space exploration Aug. 20, 2013, called the "Global Exploration Roadmap."](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fK4jLXsyqiB8Sp6WkSEGw6-320-80.jpg)
NASA's Global Plan for Space Exploration Gets an Upgrade
By Clara Moskowitz published
When it comes to human missions to an asteroid and Mars, NASA can't go it alone, the space agency's administrator said today (Aug. 20).
![Abisko National Park Auroras](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P8RTECUTPQAQLdofpAjosM-320-80.jpg)
Glowing Northern Lights Dance in Real-Time in Spectacular Aurora Video
By Clara Moskowitz published
If you can't make it to Sweden to see the Northern Lights, the next best thing is a new video of the aurora lights compiled from thousands of hours of observations by videographer Chad Blakley.
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