“Throughout the history of the Society, the Jesuits have been key players in astronomy,” said Robert Macke, S.J., a specialist in meteorites who works at the Vatican Observatory in Rome. Jesuit contributions to astronomy are significant enough that 34 craters on the moon and several asteroids are named after them.

We know of at least 4,000 planets outside our solar system, writes the astronomer Samantha Lawler, but we will not be visiting any of them soon—nor do we know if any are inhabitable. Exploring space teaches us the fragility of Earth.

Science fiction writers continue to turn to religious characters, imagery and ideas to sort things out.

I have learned that belief is not unique to those who consider themselves religious.

If the frontier of the U.S.-Mexico border represents the America that would exclude me, space is the frontier that invites me.

The culmination of President John F. Kennedy’s vision, the lunar landing was the seminal event of a decade that began with promise and ended with sorrow, including assassinations, wars and social upheaval.