A fiery end to a NASA mission that captured some of the universe's brightest events

NPR | By Geoff Brumfiel

Published November 4, 2026 at 4:29 PM CST

NASA's Swift observatory is set to re-enter the atmosphere on Wednesday after two decades of gathering data.

Tags

Geoff Brumfiel

Geoff Brumfiel works as a senior editor and correspondent on NPR's science desk.

Texas is a blue state after 2026 midterms, at least for now

Ashley Lopez

Democrats didn't just win the U.S. Senate and governor races in Texas. They won every statewide contest and will take control of the Texas House, making the state a blue one, at least for now.
Smokejumper flips Montana house seat held by GOP for three decades

Kirk Siegler

Union leader and former wildland firefighter Sam Forstag has won a House seat in Montana that Republicans have held for three decades.
What's the future of the Democratic party in Texas, amid historic midterm wins?

Mia Venkat, Ailsa Chang, Christopher Intagliata

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with former Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, a Democrat, about Texas flipping blue and what it means for future elections.
How well did polls predict the blue wave?

Tyler Bartlam, Patrick Jarenwattananon, Mary Louise Kelly

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, about what polls captured (and underestimated) after Democrats performed stronger than expected in midterm elections.
Another young Democratic Socialist mayor: David Morales wins in Providence, R.I.

David Wright

At 28, Democratic Socialist David Morales is set to be Providence, R.I.'s new mayor. Like New York City's Zohran Mamdani, he's framed his campaign on affordability issues.