Eric Berger

The Ars Technica senior space editor chronicles the first four historic flights that launched SpaceX, describing how, after three failed attempts, the fourth flight helped transform SpaceX from a shaky startup into the world's leading edge rocket company. Less than 20 years after its founding, SpaceX boasts the largest constellation of commercial satellites in orbit, has pioneered reusable rockets, and in 2020 became the first private company to...

"When a group of former colonial rebels met at the Constitutional Convention, they knew they wanted to fix their broken government without recreating the English tyranny that had haunted them for decades. But were they prepared to create a brand-new system of government, the likes of which the world had never seen? The US Constitution is one of the most important documents in world history. Clocking in at a little longer than a term paper, this document...

Today, we think of the First Amendment as offering nearly unlimited free speech, but when you step back 100 years, you see surprising restrictions on speech. Here, go back to World War I and explore the Supreme Court's most important early decisions on freedom of speech.

Disagreement over slavery divided the country along sectional lines. In the infamous Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court ruled that a person of African descent could not be a citizen. Dive into the rising tensions of the 19th century that culminated in secession and war.

The US was founded on the principle that “all men are created equal,” but America has not always lived up to that ideal. How do we reconcile the aspirations of the Constitution with the travesty of slavery? What did the Framers and citizens in the 18th and 19th century think of slavery? Dive into the heart of the great American tension.

In another swing of the pendulum, the progressive movement of civil rights and women's equality in the mid-20th century gave way to religious revival and a conservative backlash in the 1980s. Dive into the Reagan era and the new battle for control over the Supreme Court.

While America's original Articles of Confederation were an imperfect system, transforming the system with a new Constitution was a heavy lift. Delve into the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 to witness the high-stakes debates about a new national system of government.

African Americans had made gains during Reconstruction, but that era came to an end when white Southerners seized control of state governments. Here, shift your attention to the myriad state laws that enacted formal racial segregation and disenfranchised African American voters. Then, reflect on discrimination faced by American immigrants and women.

Interpretations of the Constitution often are intertwined with the economy. Following the stock market crash of 1929 and his election in 1932, President Roosevelt made the case for dramatic changes to save the country. Survey the changes and reforms FDR enacted as part of his “New Deal”—and reflect on their constitutionality.

The legal transformations of the New Deal brought about remarkable constitutional change, as well as new protections for everyday Americans. But with Jim Crow laws still on the books in many states, not everyone benefitted from the New Deal. Delve into many post-World War II-era civil rights cases that broke the back of Jim Crow.