Author Archive

Marina Koren

Marina Koren

Marina Koren is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic. She was previously the news editor at National Journal.
Marina Koren is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic. She was previously the news editor at National Journal.
Tech

There’s Nothing Historic About Biden’s NASA Pick

After 62 years, the space agency will have to wait a little longer for its first female leader.

Tech

The Simple Task That Mars Made Impossible

NASA spent nearly two years trying to wrangle a probe designed to burrow into the planet’s soil.

Tech

A Historic Docking, 250 Miles Above Earth

Two NASA astronauts just arrived at the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule.

Tech

The Thorniest Subject at NASA Right Now

The space agency is carefully following pandemic measures. Elon Musk thinks they’re overblown. But both are going to the moon together.

Tech

The Mission NASA Doesn’t Want to Postpone

So far, the pandemic isn’t stopping the space agency from moving forward with a historic SpaceX launch next month.

Tech

How to Survive Pandemic Re-entry

Astronauts have given us some useful tips for surviving isolation, but we’ll need more to weather a pandemic.

Tech

The Coronavirus Has Tied Us to Earth

Space missions around the world are on hold—a poignant reminder of how the pandemic has upended civilization.

Workforce

The Legacy of a Hidden NASA Figure

The stories of black women at the space agency were once buried so deep that it felt like a revelation when they were brought to light.

Tech

NASA Will Only Tolerate So Much Danger

An investigation into what really went wrong with Boeing's last space mission turned up serious issues.

Tech

The Next Big Milestone in American Spaceflight

This was supposed to be the year NASA astronauts launched into space from U.S. soil again.

Tech

The Mystery at the Center of the Solar System

A spacecraft has finally gotten close enough to the sun to gather clues about some lingering questions.

Workforce

The False Promise of Morning Routines

Why everyone’s mornings seem more productive than yours.

Tech

A Hitch at NASA Headquarters

NASA has carried out its first all-female spacewalk, but hints of outdated thinking about women in space remain.

Tech

The Exquisite Boredom of Spacewalking

A trip outside the International Space Station is, at its core, a home-improvement project.

Tech

NASA Hands Elon Musk a Reality Check

A shared effort to deliver NASA astronauts to space recently got a little awkward.

Tech

Why Soviets Sent Dogs to Space While Americans Used Primates

Researchers didn’t know how people would react to weightlessness. So they sent animals first.

Tech

The Aging Spacecraft of Deep Space

NASA is rationing watts to keep its oldest mission going.

Tech

The Great NASA Bake-Off

High-tech agriculture would keep far-flung astronauts alive, but making something delicious would keep them happy.

Tech

The Apollo Engineer Who Almost Wasn’t Allowed in the Control Room

JoAnn Morgan stood out against the sea of men in skinny ties and glasses. But she was right where she belonged.