Kiona Smith

Kiona Smith is a space reporter at Inverse. Nothing brings them more joy than a gleefully morbid description of a black hole or a deep speculative dive into what aliens might be like, except maybe a great pun.

When Kiona isn't enthusiastically nerding out about space at Inverse, they also contribute freelance archaeology stories at Ars Technica. Over the last decade, Kiona has written online and in print at a number of other outlets. Their first book, an illustrated look at a weirdly niche bit of spaceflight history, will be out with Running Press in 2024.

Kiona studied anthropology at Texas A&M University and has spent the last decade telling people interesting stories about science.

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kiona shares their office with a scruffy little dog and a very jumpy gecko. When not writing, they're usually knitting, cross-stitching, tabletop gaming, or chasing Pokemon.

Find them on Twitter @KionaSmith07.

Space

Look! SpaceX’s Epic Starship Orbit In Photos

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when the picture includes giant rockets.

ByKiona Smith
space

The World's Most Powerful Rocket Finally Flew

The third time is the charm.

ByKiona Smith
Space

This Could Be the Hot New Place to Look for Life on Mars

Noctis Mons has hidden in plain sight for decades, and it may be the perfect home for alien life.

ByKiona Smith
Space

46 Years Later, This Iconic Pair Of NASA Spacecraft Are Still Sending Signals Home

Besides 46 years of science, the aging twin spacecraft have taught engineers how to improvise -- and the value of redundancy.

ByKiona Smith
space

Was Homer Poetically Describing A Solar Eclipse? 3 Eclipses That May Have Changed Humanity Forever

Solar eclipses haven't always been just a fun spectacle; they've turned the tide of wars and influenced the decisions of kings.

ByKiona Smith
Space

“Something doesn’t add up”: The Webb Telescope Identified Premature Supermassive Back Holes

These objects could shed light on how supermassive black holes evolve — and where they came from in the first place.

ByKiona Smith
Space

The Webb Telescope Has Uncovered The Oldest ‘Nearly Dead’ Galaxy Astronomers Have Ever Seen

Is it dead or only resting? Astronomers may never know.

ByKiona Smith
Space

Who Owns the Moon? The Race For Lunar Real Estate Is An Impending Ethical Nightmare

More missions to the Moon mean more chances for values, cultures, and priorities to collide.

ByKiona Smith
Space

Jupiter's Icy Moon Europa May Be Missing a Key Ingredient for Life

A recent study suggests the icy moon's hidden ocean may be anoxic.

ByKiona Smith
Space

The James Webb Space Telescope Just Uncovered A Possible Explanation for Why Giant Gaseous Planets Often Fail

The problem is the neighbors and their pesky ultraviolet radiation.

ByKiona Smith
Space

Look: Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus Moon Lander Sent Back What Could Be Its Final Photo

“He’s a scrappy little dude.”

ByKiona Smith
space

It Turns Out Tiny Galaxies Made the Universe Visible

Dwarf galaxies packed a surprisingly energetic punch in the early universe — and gave us all a helluva view.

ByKiona Smith
Space

Behold The Strange Beauty Of A Tangled Nebula

This is all that's left of a massive star that died 40,000 years ago.

ByKiona Smith
Space

This Hellish Version of Earth Has Lava Oceans

Surf's up — if you dare.

ByKiona Smith
Space

NASA Didn’t Just Redirect An Asteroid — It Reshaped It

Forget a little misdirection; DART rearranged almost a tenth of asteroid Dimorphos's mass.

ByKiona Smith
Space

46 Years Ago, a Rare Alignment of Our Planets Allowed For An Iconic Space Mission

With Voyager 1 on the fritz, it's a great time to look back at the 46-year space mission's origin story.

ByKiona Smith
Space

The Webb Telescope Just Solved a 37-Year-Old Space Explosion Mystery

SN 1987a is the only supernova that's been visible with the unaided eye in the last 400 years, and we're only now figuring out what's at its center.

ByKiona Smith
Space

A Backbone Holding Up the Milky Way Is Bending — And Astronomers Don't Know Why

The nearby Radcliffe Wave is in motion, a new study reveals.

ByKiona Smith
Space

Watch: SpaceX Could Launch Intuitive Machines’ Moon Lander Tonight And Finally Make History

Here's your guide to launch day and why this commercial space mission actually matters.

ByKiona Smith
Space

Rare Meteorites That Could Be Long Lost Chunks of Mercury Just Fell To Earth

The meteorites are an extremely rare type of space rock called aubrites.

ByKiona Smith