Archive for 2009
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The Camera That Saved Hubble
May 12, 2009
News and Features -
The story and the people behind Hubble's imaging workhorse.
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Tracking South Carolina Wildfires
May 12, 2009
News and Features -
Researchers from NASA Langley's Science Directorate jumped into action recently, studying wildfire smoke with EPA partners.
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Soft Ground Endangers Spirit Despite Gain in Energy
May 12, 2009
News and Features -
The five wheels that still rotate on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit have been slipping severely in soft soil during recent attempts to drive, sinking the wheels about halfway into the ground.
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Astronauts Inspect Atlantis, Set to Reach Hubble Wednesday
May 12, 2009
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The STS-125 crew is surveying the orbiter's heat shield ahead of tomorrow's rendezvous with the Hubble Space Telescope.
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What's the Chance That Falling Space Debris Will Hit Me?
May 12, 2009
News and Features -
No need to don a hard hat just yet. The odds that one of the millions of pieces of trash orbiting Earth will fall and hit you are about one in a trillion, says Bill Ailor, director of the Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies.
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Jesusita Fire Burn Scar
May 12, 2009
News and Features -
On Sunday, May 10, 2009, California firefighters got a break from the weather when a marine inversion layer calmed activity at the Jesusita Fire, north of Santa Barbara.
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The Crowded Universe
May 11, 2009
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After two decades of planet searching, Alan Boss has written a book about how far we have come and how close we are to answering the question of whether we are alone in the universe.
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Milky Way Dwarf Galaxies Thwart Newtonian Gravity?
May 11, 2009
News and Features -
Here at Universe Today, the subject of Newtonian gravity always seems to lead to vigorous debate. Now, there’s new research to stoke it.
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Hubble Photographs Giant Eye in Space
May 11, 2009
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The Hubble Space Telescope's legendary Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 has produced one of its last images, a gorgeous shot of a planetary nebula.
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Atlantis and Crew Set for Launch to Hubble Today
May 11, 2009
News and Features -
Atlantis is set to launch at 2:01 p.m. EDT on a mission to upgrade the world's most famous telescope.
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SABER Offers a New Way to Study Earth’s Ionosphere and the Effect of Geomagnetic Storms
May 08, 2009
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Researchers have developed a new way to measure Earth’s aurora and are using the technique to learn more about a region of the ionosphere that plays a key role in satellite and radio communications during geomagnetic disturbances.
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Hubble to Receive James Webb Space Telescope Technology
May 08, 2009
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New technologies for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope can be used to enhance the Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) in the upcoming servicing mission.
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Saturn Probe Beams Home Stunning Views
May 08, 2009
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The Saturn probe Cassini has snapped a new set of haunting photographs of the ringed gas giant as it circles the planet from some 846,000 miles out.
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View of Earth from MESSENGER
May 08, 2009
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Launched on August 3, 2004, NASA’s Mercury MESSENGER spacecraft has been rocketing around the inner solar system for the past few years, doing flybys of Earth, Venus, and its primary target—Mercury—as it prepares for the final phase of its mission. If all goes as planned, MESSENGER will enter Mercury orbit in March 2011, and it will spend a year observing the planet’s composition, magnetic field, geology, and exosphere.
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Erupting with Life
May 08, 2009
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Scientists have been studying a unique undersea volcano that appears to be continuously active and supports unique biological communities. The site, dubbed NW Rota-1, is located near the Island of Guam and is helping astrobiologist understand how life can thrive under extreme conditions in the depths of the oceans.
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NASA's Spitzer Telescope Warms Up To New Career
May 07, 2009
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Some of the science explored by Spitzer will be the same and some will be entirely new.
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Redoubt Volcano Stirs
May 07, 2009
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In early May 2009, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) warned that Mount Redoubt could erupt explosively at any time with little or no warning.
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Salmonella Spills its Secrets on the Space Shuttle
May 07, 2009
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NASA-supported researchers have figured out why Salmonella bacteria become more virulent when they travel on board spaceships. They've also learned how to calm the bacteria down again--a trick that could come in handy for fighting diseases here on Earth.
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New 3-D Photosynth Views of Space Station, Mars Rover
May 07, 2009
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NASA and Microsoft have released an interactive, 3-D photographic collection of internal and external views of the International Space Station and a model of the next Mars rover using Microsoft's Photosynth technology.
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Outer Space Oreos
May 07, 2009
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Scientists have previously exposed organisms and biomolecules to the many rigors of space, but those experiments only managed to take "before" and "after" pictures of their samples. A planned small satellite will monitor on a continuous basis the negative effects of space on biology.
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Could flowers bloom on icy moon Europa?
May 06, 2009
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Physicist and futurist Freeman Dyson says we should search for extraterrestrial life where it is easiest to find, even if the conditions there are not ideal for life as we know it.
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Top Five Breakthroughs From Hubble's Workhorse Camera
May 06, 2009
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Here are five things you should know about JPL's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, which is the oldest and longest working instrument aboard the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Mussels on Acid
May 06, 2009
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By studying how mussels adapt to acidic waters near underwater volcanoes, scientists are gaining a better understanding of how climate change could affect the ecology of Earth's oceans. Increasing carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is leading to acidic water in the oceans, which could result in dramatic consequences for life as we know it.
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NASA to Launch IMAX 3-D Camera to Film Hubble Servicing Mission
May 06, 2009
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NASA, the IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures announced Monday that IMAX 3-D cameras will return to space to document one of NASA's most complex space shuttle operations -- the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
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NASA's Fermi Explores High-energy "Space Invaders"
May 05, 2009
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Fermi scientists revealed new details about high-energy particles implicated in a nearby cosmic mystery.
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Atlantis Set For May 11 Launch To Hubble
May 05, 2009
News and Features -
Atlantis and the STS-125 crew are set to launch at 2:01 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 11, on a mission to upgrade the world's most famous observatory.
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Cassini Web Site wins Webby Award
May 05, 2009
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JPL's Cassini Web Site wins the Webby Award in the Science category
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NASA.gov wins People's Voice Award
May 05, 2009
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NASA.gov takes the prize in the Government category with the People's Voice Award
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In Mercury Images, Remarkable Features in a Crater
May 05, 2009
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On its second flyby of the planet Mercury last October, NASA’s Messenger spacecraft beamed back 1,200 pictures, revealing 30 percent of the planet’s surface that had never been seen up close before.
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NASA, ESA and a Trip to Mars
May 05, 2009
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NASA has selected two science investigations that will forge new alliances between NASA and the European Space Agency. The projects will also advance our knowledge of terrestrial planets in our solar system. Collaboration on the ExoMars mission in particular is set to help astrobiologists understand whether or not Mars was once habitable for life.
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Mercury In Sharper Focus
May 04, 2009
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NASA's Messenger spacecraft has returned fascinated observations from the tiny planet next to the sun, including the discovery of magnesium in Mercury's atmosphere. The data also shows that Mercury's geological past was much more active than scientists previously believed. The findings could help astrobiologists understand the formation and evolution of rocky planets.
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Atlantis Launches in One Week
May 04, 2009
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With launch of space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-125 mission just one week away, preparations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A are in the final stages.
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Why Are Galaxies Smooth? Star Streams
May 04, 2009
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Look at the disk of any large spiral galaxy, and outwardly it appears smooth, with stars evenly distributed throughout.
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Goddard Marks 50th Anniversary
May 04, 2009
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NASA chartered the Goddard Space Flight Center on May 1, 1959, at the dawn of the space age. View video and images looking back on the center's 50 years at the links below.
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Laboratory Ice Links Comets with Life On Earth
May 01, 2009
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It is an established theory that comets may have, in some way, seeded life on Earth. Some extreme ideas support the panspermia concept (where bacterial organisms hitched a ride on comets, asteroids or some other planetary debris, spreading life throughout the Solar System), while others suggest comets may have contributed the chemical building blocks essential for life to form 4 billion years ago.
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Arctic Trek to 'Break the Ice' on New NASA Airborne Radars
May 01, 2009
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NASA will 'break the ice' on a pair of new airborne radars that can help monitor climate change when a team of scientists embarks this week on a two-month expedition to the vast, frigid terrain of Greenland and Iceland.
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Darwin in a Test Tube
May 01, 2009
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Scientists have discovered a way to make molecules evolve and compete according to the laws of Darwinian evolution. The results of their research shed light on how life can evolve at the molecular level and may provide clues about how life on Earth originated from simple molecules.
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MESSENGER Reveals Mercury as Dynamic Planet
May 01, 2009
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Data from the MESSENGER spacecraft’s second flyby of Mercury shows that the planet is much more active than scientists first suspected.
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Shuttle 'Go' to Launch May 11 on Final Mission to Hubble
May 01, 2009
News and Features -
Atlantis and the STS-125 crew are set to launch at 2:01 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 11, on a mission to upgrade the world's most famous observatory.
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Earth Observatory's 10th Anniversary Video
May 01, 2009
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On our 10th anniversary, some of the site’s founders and current staff talk about how the Earth Observatory got started and what the project is trying to achieve.
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To keep warming low, deeper pollution cuts needed
April 30, 2009
News and Features -
If the world is going to limit global warming to just a few degrees, it has to slash carbon dioxide pollution much more than now being discussed, two new science studies say.
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NASA sites nominated for Webby Awards!
April 30, 2009
News and Features -
NASA.gov has been nominated for an award in the Government category and the Cassini Web Site has been nominated for an award in the Science category. Cast your vote today!
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Earth Observatory's Top 10 Images of the Day
April 30, 2009
News and Features -
In the past decade, the Earth Observatory has published thousands of images. Those images are a history of Earth events, places, and discoveries that intrigued us—and that we thought might intrigue our readers. To commemorate the Earth Observatory's 10th anniversary in April 2009, we asked our readers to tell us which images were their favorites. Here are their top ten.
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Starbursts from Dwarf Galaxies Like Fireworks
April 30, 2009
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Astronomers are comparing “starbursts” from a galaxy that is in the throes of star formation to a Fourth of July fireworks display.
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Focused on Phobos
April 30, 2009
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Mars has two tiny asteroid-like moons, Phobos and Deimos. The moons have not been the focus of Mars studies, but there are several missions in the planning stages that aim to change that.
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NASA sites honored with Webby Awards!
April 29, 2009
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JPL's Global Climate Change: NASA's Eyes on the Earth and the NASA Astrobiology Institute were both honored with Webby Awards in the Science category.
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Antarctic ice shelf crumbling into icebergs
April 29, 2009
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A massive Antarctic ice shelf is breaking up and pieces are expected to float away as icebergs over the course of the next few weeks.
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Rogue Black Holes May Wander the Galaxy
April 29, 2009
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Astrophysicists Ryan O’Leary and Avi Loeb say that rogue black holes originally lurked at the centers of tiny, low-mass galaxies. Over billions of years, those dwarf galaxies smashed together to form full-sized galaxies like the Milky Way.
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Urbanization of Dubai
April 29, 2009
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April 29, 2009, marks the Earth Observatory’s tenth anniversary. In the past decade, NASA satellites have observed myriad changes in our planet, both natural and human-made.
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SDO Spins Its Way Closer to Launch
April 29, 2009
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For three days, SDO sat on a slowly spinning "Miller Table" in the Spacecraft Checkout and Integration Area, a "clean room" at Goddard.
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Latest from Saturn: Pastel Rings and Moons by the Bunch
April 29, 2009
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The latest images from the Cassini spacecraft include this gorgeous natural color view of Saturn’s inner rings.
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Swine flu and dirty air: how NASA satellites and health programs could help save your life
April 28, 2009
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As panic over a swine flu pandemic builds, silent sentries patrol overhead, a benefit of the space program that often isn't as well-known as the space station and space shuttle launches. NASA uses satellites to monitor not only the Earth's environment, but developing health crises as well.
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New Gamma-Ray Burst Smashes Cosmic Distance Record
April 28, 2009
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A gamma-ray burst detected by NASA's Swift satellite has smashed the previous distance record for the most powerful explosions in the Universe. Researchers are calling it 'an incredible find' and a 'true blast from the past.'
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The Case of the Missing Planets: Are Stars Eating Their Young?
April 28, 2009
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A new era on astronomy began in 1995 when the first extrasolar planet was detected. To date, 346 planets have been found orbiting stars other than our sun...
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New Blow for Asteroid-Extinction Theory
April 28, 2009
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Scientists have long believed that the Chicxulub crater in the northern Yucutan was evidence of a massive, extra-terrestrial impact that signaled the end of the dinosaurs. A new study indicates that this may not be the case. In fact, the dinosaurs may not have gone extinct until 300,000 years after the impact.
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Space missions to visit the sun
April 27, 2009
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Two space probes are to be sent to explore the Sun, in an attempt to get closer to the centre of the star than any previous mission.
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Exoplanets Exposed to the Core
April 27, 2009
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Astronomers have determined that giant exoplanets orbiting close to their stars could lose so much of their mass that only their cores remain.
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Mars Express Spies Rocky, Chaotic Terrain on Mars
April 27, 2009
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Mars has several regions of what is called ‘chaotic terrain’. These are areas with large accumulations of rocks of varying sizes, as well as flat-topped features.
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Differential elemental ablation of micrometeoroids
April 27, 2009
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Space is not empty. This close to a star like the Sun, even after billions of years, space is filled with junk. Tiny bits of rock, ice, and metal are everywhere, the leftover shrapnel from asteroid collisions, or detritus sloughed off of comets. Every day, the Earth plows through many tons of such material, which mostly burns up in our atmosphere.
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NASA Will Try to Launch Hubble Repair Mission Early
April 24, 2009
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Mission managers for the upcoming Hubble repair mission are considering moving the launch of space shuttle Atlantis up one day to May 11.
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Hubble's Hottest Science Finds
April 24, 2009
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Whirling around Earth at 17,500 miles (28,163 kilometers) an hour, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured some of the most detailed pictures yet of space objects and activities.
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Continent-sized Radio Telescope Takes Close-ups of Fermi Active Galaxies
April 24, 2009
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An international team of astronomers has used the world’s biggest radio telescope to look deep into the brightest galaxies that NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope can see.
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The Blurry Summit of Mars’ Pavonis Mons
April 24, 2009
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This strange image was captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on board NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) on April 11th.
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Moon Dust Rises with the Sun
April 24, 2009
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By revisiting data from the Apollo missions, researchers have gained new insight into the behavior of lunar dust. The very fine and sticky nature of dust on the moon could cause problems for future human missions. Lunar dust can coat and damage equipment, and poses health risks for astronauts who breathe it in.
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'Dark Gulping' Could Explain Black Holes
April 23, 2009
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"Dark gulping" is a new hypothesis about how giant black holes might have formed from collapsing dark matter.
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Double Discovery: Super-Earth and Ocean World
April 23, 2009
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Planet hunter Michel Mayor and his team have made two amazing discoveries regarding the Gliese 581 solar system. This star is orbited by the lightest exoplanet ever found, less than twice the mass of the Earth. One of the other planets in this system, a super-Earth, orbits within the star’s habitable zone. These new discoveries indicate astronomers may have found a solar system where alien life is possible.
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Are imaged planets really failed stars?
April 23, 2009
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Most of the images of exoplanets released towards the end of 2008 may not be planets at all, according to new research presented at the National Astronomy Meeting being held during the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science at the University of Hertfordshire.
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NASA Puts the Right Stuff in the Right Hands
April 23, 2009
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All research and no application makes data a dull toy. NASA's SPoRT program brings data to life by putting it in the hands of people who can use it best--the National Weather Service forecasters who send us scurrying for cover when severe weather looms.
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Celebrate Earth Day!
April 22, 2009
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Earth Day, April 22, is the annual celebration of the environment and a time to assess the work still needed to protect the natural gifts of our planet.
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Do We Need a New Theory of Gravitation?
April 22, 2009
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A group of physicists say that the distribution of satellite galaxies that orbit the Milky Way, as well as the apparent dark matter within them, presents a direct challenge to Newton’s theory of gravitation, as the galaxies are not where they should be.
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Without the Moon, Would There Be Life on Earth?
April 22, 2009
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By driving the tides, our lunar companion may have jump-started biology--or at least accelerated its progression.
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Despite Global Warming, Wildfire Frequency Does Not Increase
April 22, 2009
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As global average temperatures rise, it is widely believed the frequency of wildfires will increase. However, this may not be the case.
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Why Antarctic ice is growing despite global warming
April 21, 2009
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It's the southern ozone hole whatdunit. That's why Antarctic sea ice is growing while at the other pole, Arctic ice is shrinking at record rates. It seems CFCs and other ozone-depleting chemicals have given the South Pole respite from global warming.
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NASA Earth Day Celebration, The Combining of Art and Science
April 21, 2009
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Bella Gaia, which means “beautiful Earth”, is a one-of-a-kind multimedia journey of Earth from space that has been developed by NASA's Digital Learning Network.
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Could There Be a Planet Hidden on the Opposite Side of our Sun?
April 21, 2009
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The sun might seem like a pretty huge galactic blind spot, but we've already managed to glimpse behind it...
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Hubble Immortalizes Itself With New Image: “Fountain of Youth”
April 21, 2009
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To commemorate the Hubble Space Telescope’s 19 years in space, the ESA and NASA have released an image of a celestial celebration.
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Sea Ice
April 21, 2009
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Sea ice is frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface. It forms in both the Arctic and the Antarctic in each hemisphere’s winter, and it retreats, but does not completely disappear, in the summer.
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Life at Blood Falls
April 21, 2009
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Researchers have discovered unusual microorganisms living in ancient water buried beneath an Antarctic glacier. The microbes could help us understand how life adapts to survive in extreme conditions. They may also provide clues about how life could survive on other locations in our solar system, such as Europa.
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Climate change could mean a walk in the Arctic woods
April 20, 2009
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While global warming is expected to endanger most of the globe's woodlands, trees may prosper in Canada's Far North, scientists say.
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Earth Day 2009
April 20, 2009
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Join NASA as we celebrate Earth Day and share our unique perspective, observing the home planet from space.
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Mars Spacecraft Teams on Alert for Dust-Storm Season
April 20, 2009
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Heading into a period of the Martian year prone to major dust storms, the team operating NASA's twin Mars rovers is taking advantage of eye-in-the-sky weather reports.
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Ancient Solar Systems Found Around Dead Stars
April 20, 2009
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Were there once habitable planets long ago around stars that are now dead? A team of astronomers have found evidence that between 1-3 percent of white dwarf stars are orbited by rocky planets and asteroids, suggesting these objects once hosted solar systems similar to our own.
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Sedimentary Rocks Speak of Sulfur
April 20, 2009
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Sedimentary rocks that are 2.4 billion years old may indicate that the early atmosphere of Earth was oxygen-rich. The strongest evidence for an oxygen-poor atmosphere on the early Earth has now been brought into question.
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Venus Disappears During Meteor Shower
April 17, 2009
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A meteor shower. A crescent Moon. A disappearing planet. These three things will be on display next Wednesday, April 22nd, when the Moon occults Venus during the annual Lyrid meteor shower.
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NASA's Kepler Captures First Views of Planet-Hunting Territory
April 17, 2009
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NASA's Kepler mission has taken its first images of the star-rich sky where it will soon begin hunting for planets like Earth.
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NASA to restore Wallops shoreline in $45M project
April 17, 2009
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NASA is undertaking a $45 million project to protect over $1 billion of government assets on Wallops Island by restoring the island’s shoreline, which is eroding at the rate of about 10 feet a year.
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Weekend SkyWatcher’s Forecast - April 17-19, 2009
April 17, 2009
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Greetings, fellow SkyWatchers! Are you ready for a much darker weekend?
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LRO to Help Astronauts Survive in Infinity
April 17, 2009
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On the moon we will develop technologies to survive in space, because the moon presents the same challenges we will encounter throughout the universe.
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A Cosmic Free-for-All
April 16, 2009
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The most crowded collision of galaxy clusters has been identified by three different telescopes.
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FIRST Championship Ignites Students' Scientific Savvy
April 16, 2009
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More than 10,000 students from 28 countries and 533 custom-built robots will swarm Atlanta's Georgia Dome, April 16-18, to compete in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship, and discover the excitement of science and technology.
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Destination: Ceres!
April 16, 2009
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Plans are being drawn up for a low-cost mission to land on the dwarf planet Ceres. Known as the Ceres Polar Lander, it would examine polar regions and search for alien organisms.
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Black hole jet brightens mysteriously
April 16, 2009
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A knot in a jet of matter streaming out of a nearby galaxy has brightened mysteriously over a period of several years, newly released Hubble Space Telescope images reveal.
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Bridge Between the Stars - NGC 602: Hubble Visualization by Jukka Metsavainio
April 16, 2009
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For those of you who have missed our very special dimensional looks into the Cosmos, then it’s high time we let our minds and eyes relax and we take a 200 thousand light-year distant journey towards the edge of the Small Magellanic Cloud for a look at a bright, young open cluster of stars known as NGC 602…
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Star crust is 10 billion times stronger than steel
April 15, 2009
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The crust of neutron stars is 10 billion times stronger than steel, according to new simulations. That makes the surface of these ultra-dense stars tough enough to support long-lived bulges that could produce gravitational waves detectable by experiments on Earth.
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Black Hole Creates Spectacular Light Show
April 15, 2009
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For seven years the Hubble Space Telescope has been watching the jet, which pours out of the supermassive black hole in the center of the M87 galaxy. It has photographed the strange phenomenon fading and then brightening, with a peak that even outshines M87's brilliant core.
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Major Utility Company Makes Agreement for Space Based Solar Power
April 15, 2009
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One of the largest utility companies in the US has decided to look towards space to find more power.
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The Surprising Shape of Solar Storms
April 15, 2009
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For the first time, NASA spacecraft have traced the 3D shape of solar storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). It turns out the most ferocious storms resemble something from a French bakery.
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Incredible Light Show: Gas Jet Flaring From M87’s Black Hole
April 14, 2009
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The Hubble Space Telescope has been keeping an eye on the very active galaxy M87 for years, and has now captured a flare-up in a jet of matter blasting from the galaxy’s monster black hole.
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Eruption on Isla Fernandina
April 14, 2009
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In early April 2009, La Cumbre Volcano on Isla Fernandina in the Galapagos Islands erupted. On April 11, 2009, authorities at the Galapagos National Park reported that the volcano was releasing both lava flows and volcanic ash plumes.
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Spirit Healthy But Computer Reboots Raise Concerns
April 14, 2009
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The team operating NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit is examining data received from Spirit in recent days to diagnose why the rover apparently rebooted its computer at least twice over the April 11-12 weekend.
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Generating Giant Galaxies
April 14, 2009
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A new finding indicates that not all massive, luminous galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang. The study could yield new information about the origin and evolution of galaxies.
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Incoming Asteroid Under Close Watch
April 14, 2009
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Exactly 20 years from today, an asteroid about the size of a 25-story building will come closer to Earth than the networks of communications satellites orbiting the planet.
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NASA Heads up Mt. Everest
April 13, 2009
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NASA researchers are about to climb the slopes of Earth's tallest mountain to test exploration technologies they'll need on the Moon and Mars.
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Cassini’s Indirect Image of Boulders and Moonlets in Saturn’s Rings
April 13, 2009
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Because Saturn is approaching its equinox, in August the rings will “disappear” from our view from Earth, as the rings will be exactly edge-on. But as the rings ease into alignment with the sun, Saturn’s moons cast their shadows across the rings, growing longer as equinox approaches.
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Blasting for Ice on Mars
April 13, 2009
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The Phoenix lander has given scientists a close look at the ice in one spot high in the martian arctic, but researchers have also been surveying fresh craters across the planet for signs of frozen water.
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Experiment May Help Forecast Deadly Cyclones
April 13, 2009
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NASA satellite data and a new modeling approach could improve weather forecasting and save more lives when future cyclones develop.
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The Moon in Stereo
April 13, 2009
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Two identical NASA spacecraft are entering a location in space where the gravity of the sun and Earth combine to form gravitational wells where asteroids gather. These points could hold asteroids left over from a Mars-sized planet that formed billions of years ago, and then collided with the Earth to form our moon.
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Aerosols Could Be Responsible For Arctic Warming
April 10, 2009
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Since the 1890s, surface temperatures on Earth have risen faster in the Arctic than in other regions of the world. NASA research suggests about half the atmospheric warming measured in the Arctic is due to airborne particles called aerosols.
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Spacecraft Searching for Remains of Mystery Planet
April 10, 2009
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How did our Moon form? The leading hypothesis, the Giant Impact Theory, proposes that in the formative years of the Solar System, a Mars-sized protoplanet crashed into Earth.
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Shining Earth's Mirror
April 10, 2009
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Scientists have shown that variations in earthshine – the reflection of light from the Earth's land masses and oceans – can be viewed on the dark side of the moon. The study may help astronomers search for habitable, earth-like planets around distant stars.
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Is dark energy getting weaker?
April 10, 2009
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AFTER billions of years of runaway expansion, is the universe starting to slow down? A new analysis of nearby supernovae suggests space might not be expanding as quickly as it once was, a tantalising hint that the source of dark energy may be more exotic than we thought.
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FEATURE STEREO Hunts for Remains of an Ancient Planet near Earth
April 10, 2009
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NASA's twin STEREO probes are entering a mysterious region of space to look for remains of an ancient planet which once orbited the Sun not far from Earth. If they find anything, it could solve a major puzzle--the origin of the Moon.
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NASA seeks high data rate transmitter for earthquake prediction satellite
April 09, 2009
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The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., is looking for a high data rate transmitter for an Earth-orbiting satellite designed to predict earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides.
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Cover Taken Off Planet-Hunting Telescope
April 09, 2009
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NASA's planet hunting Kepler telescope launched March 6. Before it can find planets, its protective dust cover had to be jettisoned. that has been done, NASA announced yesterday.
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Aerosols May Drive a Significant Portion of Arctic Warming
April 09, 2009
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Greenhouse gases are at the center of discussions about global climate change, but new research suggests that much of the warming observed in the Arctic since 1976 may be due to changes in tiny airborne particles called aerosols.
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Living with a Red Dwarf
April 09, 2009
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Not astrobiologists' first choice, red dwarf stars have now gained acceptance as potential hosts for habitable planets. They may not be great to live by in the first couple billion years, but they eventually settle down into relatively pleasant stars.
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Beyond Apollo: Moon Tech Takes a Giant Leap
April 09, 2009
News and Features -
1960s technology worked for the Apollo program, but next-generation lunar explorers are going to need an upgrade. NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program is working on new and improved tools for NASA's return to the Moon.
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Better Living Through Chemistry
April 08, 2009
News and Features -
Extreme Life A new study on the harsh environment of deep-sea mud volcanoes is shedding light on how life might have survived on the early Earth, or could survive on other planets. The study was performed in the Gulf of Mexico where seafloor vents spew mud, oil, brine and gases that support life independent from the energy of the sun.
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Would Life Form Differently Around Cool Stars?
April 08, 2009
News and Features -
A new study from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope hints that planets around stars cooler than our sun might possess a different mix of potentially life-forming, or “prebiotic,” chemicals.
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Giant mass of Antarctic ice 'set for collapse'
April 08, 2009
News and Features -
A mass of Antarctic ice larger in area than Connecticut is in "imminent" danger of breaking up, according to scientists from the European Space Agency.
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New Collection of Flythough Videos From HiRISE
April 08, 2009
News and Features -
There’s a new collection of Mars flythrough video clips from the folks over at the HiRISE website, and they are fabulous!
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Humans and Aliens Might Share DNA Pattern
April 08, 2009
News and Features -
The building blocks of life may be more than merely common in the cosmos. Humans and aliens could share a common genetic foundation. That's the tantalizing implication of a pattern found in the formation of amino acids in meteorites, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and simulations of primordial Earth.
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Titan's Topsy-Turvy Topography
April 07, 2009
News and Features -
Researchers are making surprising new discoveries about Saturn’s moon, Titan. The discoveries include the detection of a potential subterranean ocean of hydrocarbons and unique observations of Titan’s topsy-turvy topography.
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Black Holes Caught in Tug-of-War
April 07, 2009
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Supermassive black holes that pack the heft of billions of suns have the capacity to regulate their energy during a tug-of-war with a hot radiation wind that blows in from their debris disks.
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Noisy NEAs
April 07, 2009
News and Features -
The upcoming LISA satellite mission is designed to help scientists see warping of the space/time continuum. However, the NASA/ESA mission may also be used by astrobiologists to study the frequency and mass of near-Earth asteroids.
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50th Anniversary of NASA’s First Astronauts
April 07, 2009
News and Features -
his week marks the 50th anniversary of the “Mercury Seven;” NASA’s first seven astronauts.
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NASA Aerospace Engineer Helps Students Learn Physics Using Baseball
April 07, 2009
News and Features -
NASA is known for launching rockets and exploring the universe, but some rocket scientists and aerospace engineers love to solve down-to-earth problems too.
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NASA Astronaut Tweets Provide Inside Look at Mission Training
April 07, 2009
Press Releases -
NASA astronaut Mike Massimino is using Twitter to provide a unique, behind the scenes peek at the last weeks of his training for the fifth and final shuttle servicing mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
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Mt. Redoubt Gives Alaskans a Taste of the Moon
April 06, 2009
News and Features -
By coating the countryside with gritty, abrasive, electrostatically-charged volcanic ash, Mt. Redoubt is giving Alaskans an unexpected taste of what it's like to live on the Moon.
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Expedition 19 Takes Command of Station; Expedition 18 to Land Wednesday
April 06, 2009
News and Features -
With the traditional Change-of-Command ceremony on Thursday, Commander Mike Fincke officially handed over control of the station to Expedition 19 Commander Gennady Padalka.
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Satellite Images Depict Thinning Arctic Ice
April 06, 2009
News and Features -
The decade-long trend of shrinking sea-ice cover is continuing, according to satellite imagery.
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Discover NASA’s Breathtaking Images of Earth
April 03, 2009
News and Features -
Join NASA as we celebrate Earth Day and share our unique perspective, observing the home planet from space.
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2009 Great Moonbuggy Race
April 03, 2009
News and Features -
Racers Get Ready! NASA's Off-world Racing Begins April 3 at 16th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race
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Astronomers Compile Most Detailed Map of Nearby Universe
April 03, 2009
News and Features -
A new detailed map of the nearby Universe reveals not only where local galaxies are currently, but where they are heading, how fast and why.
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NASA Joins 'Around the World in 80 Telescopes'
April 03, 2009
News and Features -
A collection of NASA missions will be involved in a live event Friday, April 3, that will allow the public to get an inside look at how these missions are run. "Around the World in 80 Telescopes" is a 24-hour webcast that is part of the "100 Hours of Astronomy" event for the International Year of Astronomy 2009.
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Great Blue Hole, Belize
April 03, 2009
News and Features -
Surrounded by darker, deeper ocean waters, coral atolls often glow in vibrant hues of turquoise, teal, peacock blue, or aquamarine.
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NASA Science Celebrates Earth Day!
April 02, 2009
News and Features
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Hubble Finds Hidden Exoplanet in Archival Data
April 02, 2009
News and Features -
A powerful image-processing technique may allow astronomers to discover extrasolar planets lurking in over a decade's worth of Hubble Space Telescope archival data.
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Life Out of the Tropics
April 02, 2009
News and Features -
The diversity of life on Earth is concentrated near the equator, with a steep falloff towards the poles. A recent study finds this is because new species tend to form in the tropics and then migrate out. This historical pattern might point to a fundamental property of life.
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STS-125: Mission to Service the Hubble Telescope
April 02, 2009
News and Features -
Atlantis' crew conducts equipment and procedure familiarization training in preparation for the mission to service Hubble Space Telescope.
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Why Does Fargo Flood?
April 02, 2009
News and Features -
The Red River of the North has a long history of severe floods.
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How Low Can It Go? Sun Plunges into the Quietest Solar Minimum in a Century
April 02, 2009
News and Features -
The sunspot cycle is behaving a little like the stock market. Just when you think it has hit bottom, it goes even lower.
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Crew of Six Begins 105-day Mars Mission Simulation
April 01, 2009
News and Features -
Earlier today in Moscow, six people were locked inside a hermetically sealed living space, where they will remain for the next 105 days.
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Bright Soil Churned by Spirit's Sol 1861 Drive
April 01, 2009
News and Features -
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit drove 22.7 meters (74 feet) toward the southwest on the 1,861st Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on Mars (March 28, 2009). After the drive, the rover took this image with its front hazard-avoidance camera, looking back at the tracks from the drive.
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100 Hours of Astronomy
April 01, 2009
News and Features -
The "100 Hours of Astronomy" is a four-day event designed to bring astronomy to the public around the world during the period April 2-5, 2009.
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Permian Polluters
April 01, 2009
News and Features -
At the end of the Permian Age, 250 million years ago, about 90 percent of all animals and plants on land became extinct. Now, a team of scientists has proposed a new theory as to what caused the largest known mass extinction in history, and it all comes down to giant salt lakes.
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This Month in Exploration - April
April 01, 2009
News and Features -
Fifty years ago the first American astronauts were selected for Project Mercury. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.
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Changing Opinions: Fireball Likely Not Part of Soyuz Rocket
March 31, 2009
News and Features -
Officials are now saying the bright fireball seen over Virginia in the US on Sunday was probably a natural meteor event and not part of a Russian rocket, a reversal from yesterday's initial analysis.
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Alien Safari Part 6: Generations
March 31, 2009
News and Features -
At the most recent NASA Astrobiology Science Conference, a panel of scientists discussed different types of planets where we might find alien life. In part six of this series, the panelists answer audience questions about the origin and evolution of life elsewhere.
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Station Crews Hard at Work
March 31, 2009
News and Features -
The joint Expedition 18 and 19 crews are working together on a newly expanded International Space Station. Expedition 18 returns to Earth on April 7.
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NASA Flies to Greenland to Extend Polar Science
March 31, 2009
News and Features -
Imagine a piece of ice 1,000 miles long, 400 miles wide, and 2 miles thick in the center. That's the Greenland ice sheet. But that island-sized piece of ice is melting, so NASA researchers are flying to the Arctic this week to learn more about the nature of those changes.
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Lunar Gardening
March 31, 2009
News and Features -
Teams of privately funded scientists are currently attempting to design robotic lunar missions as part of the Google Lunar X-Prize. One team in particular is hoping to grow the first plants on the moon. If successful, they could help pave the way for future lunar settlements.
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Flooding on the Red River
March 31, 2009
News and Features -
Held in place by reinforced levees, the swollen Red River snakes through Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, in this image, captured by the Advanced Land Imager on the EO-1 satellite on March 28, 2009.
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NASA Team Finds Riches in Meteorite Treasure Hunt
March 30, 2009
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Just before dawn on Oct. 7, 2008, an SUV-sized asteroid entered Earth's atmosphere and exploded harmlessly over the Nubian Desert of northern Sudan. Scientists expected the asteroid, called 2008 TC3, had blown to dust in the resulting high-altitude fireball.
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Big Fish are Toast
March 30, 2009
News and Features -
A new study pinpoints why large, bony fish suffered heavily during the last mass extinction 65 million years ago. The results of the study are helping scientists understand the evolutionary processes behind life's history on our planet.
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Early Oxygen
March 30, 2009
News and Features -
Cores retrieved from layers of deep-sea rocks show that oxygen-producing organisms may have existed on Earth much earlier than previously thought. The chemical properties of the rocks indicate that the oceans and atmosphere of Earth were rich in oxygen 3.46 billion years ago.
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Betsiboka River Floods, Madagascar–January 2009
March 30, 2009
News and Features -
Between January 18 and 20, 2009, Tropical Storm Eric swept along the east coast of the island nation of Madagascar.
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Astronauts Back Home in Houston
March 30, 2009
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Seven astronauts from space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission returned to Houston.
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Discovery Heads For Home After Powering Up Station
March 27, 2009
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The STS-119 crew is set for a Saturday landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after leaving a newly symmetrical International Space Station, now with its full set of solar arrays.
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Picking Up the Pieces
March 27, 2009
News and Features -
Asteroid 2008 TC3 was the first space rock to have been spotted before it came crashing to Earth. On October 7, 2008, it exploded high above the Nubian Desert. Now, nearly 280 pieces of the asteroid have been collected from the deserts of the Sudan and they are unlike anything seen before.
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A Greenhouse on the Moon by 2014?
March 27, 2009
News and Features -
Paragon has teamed up with Google Lunar XPRIZE contender Odyssey Moon to deliver a biological greenhouse to the lunar surface.
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Mission Manager Update, March 26, 2009
March 27, 2009
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Scientists have analyzed "dark" calibration data taken by Kepler with its dust cover on, and have concluded that the telescope's focal-plane array, the area where light is focused, is behaving as expected.
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Cyclone Izilda
March 27, 2009
News and Features -
Cyclone Izilda had estimated winds of 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour or 35 knots) at roughly the same time that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image on March 25, 2009.
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The World Archipelago, Persian Gulf
March 26, 2009
News and Features -
To expand the possibilities for beachfront tourist development, Dubai undertook a massive engineering project to create hundreds of artificial islands along its Persian Gulf coastline.
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New Astronaut Crew Launches to International Space Station
March 26, 2009
Press Releases -
The 19th crew to live and work aboard the International Space Station launched into orbit Thursday morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, and spaceflight participant and U.S. software engineer Charles Simonyi lifted off at 6:49 a.m. CDT.
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New Views of Spring on Mars
March 26, 2009
News and Features -
New high-resolution images taken last month of Mars' south polar region are revealing signs of spring that are decidedly Martian.
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Soyuz Rockets to Space; 13 Humans Now in Orbit
March 26, 2009
News and Features -
It's a busy day in space, with 13 humans now in orbit. A Soyuz rocket blasted off amid clouds and drizzle at the Baikonur Cosmodrome today (Thursday) sending Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka , American astronaut Michael Barratt,and American spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi on their way to the International Space Station.
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Mars Rover Update
March 26, 2009
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Back in 2004, most experts would have said this story is impossible. No rover could possibly survive long enough on Mars for a five-year update. Yet here it is. Mission scientists reveal what Spirit and Opportunity are up to on the Red Planet today--and what their prospects are for the future.
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Discovery Set to Leave Station Today
March 25, 2009
News and Features -
The STS-119 crew will undock from the International Space Station at 3:53 p.m. EDT, en route to a Saturday landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Attend the "No Boundaries" project Webinar to learn more!
March 25, 2009
News and Features -
The "No Boundaries" project will help you explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), as you learn about NASA.
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Calling All Amateur Astronomers: Help Comb Arecibo Data for Gems
March 25, 2009
News and Features -
Einstein@Home is one of the world’s largest public computing projects, with more than 200,000 people donating time on their own computers to mine gravitational wave data for the tell-tale signs of pulsars.
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"Image of the Century" Now Refurbished
March 25, 2009
News and Features -
More imaging goodness is now available from the folks at the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP), a cooperative effort between NASA and private business to give new life to some of the first ever close-up images of the Moon.
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Cassini Provides Virtual Flyover of Saturn's Moon Titan
March 25, 2009
News and Features -
"Fly me to the moon" - to Saturn's moon Titan, that is. New Titan movies and images are providing a bird's-eye view of the moon's Earth-like landscapes.
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Rewriting the DNA Alphabet
March 25, 2009
News and Features -
Scientists have presented an artificial genetic system using a type of DNA with 12 chemical letters instead of the usual four. The technology is shedding light on the origins of life on Earth, and could be used to personalize medical treatment for millions of patients.
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NASA and Microsoft to Make Universe of Data Available to the Public
March 24, 2009
Press Releases -
NASA and Microsoft Corp. announced Tuesday plans to make planetary images and data available via the Internet under a Space Act Agreement.
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Former Astronaut To Take Social Media to New Heights
March 24, 2009
News and Features -
In 2008, astronaut Scott Parazynski came within 24 hours of reaching the summit of Mt. Everest when a painful back injury forced him to abandon his climb. Now, Parazynski is on his way back for another attempt at summitting the world's highest mountain peak. But this time, he wants to take the rest of the world with him.
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President Obama Calls Shuttle, Station Astronauts
March 24, 2009
News and Features -
Praising the crew's "sense of adventure and discovery," the President, joined by schoolchildren and members of Congress, asked the crew about station construction, science, and life in orbit.
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New Instrument to Watch Sunlight Changes
March 24, 2009
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When NASA launches the Glory satellite, researchers will have the most accurate instrument to date for measuring solar fluctuations.
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Name NASA's Next Mars Rover
March 24, 2009
News and Features -
Choose From Nine Finalists
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Discovery Astronauts Making Mission's Third Spacewalk
March 23, 2009
News and Features -
Spacewalkers Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold will move the crew and equipment translation aid, or CETA, carts from the P1 to S1 truss.
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Rover Spots Distant Goal
March 23, 2009
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NASA's Opportunity rover has caught its first glimpse of the destination it's been seeking for the past six months – Endeavor Crater. On route to Endeavor, Opportunity will continue to examine the martian soil in search of clues about the past climate of Mars.
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Alaska's Redoubt Volcano Erupts with Several Explosions
March 23, 2009
News and Features -
Overnight, Alaska's Redoubt volcano erupted with five large explosions. The National Weather Service has issued an Ashfall Advisory, with light ashfall already reported in some regions.
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To See a Clear Day From Far Away
March 23, 2009
News and Features -
Astronomers are close to discovering Earth-sized planets in Earth-like orbits around distant stars – but the real question is, are they habitable? Do they have Earth-like atmospheres? Such questions may prove very difficult to answer.
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Hubble Finds Rare Progenitor to a Supernova
March 23, 2009
News and Features -
Hubble has identified a star that was one million times brighter than Earth's sun before it exploded as a supernova in 2005.
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Sunspots at Solar Maximum and Minimum
March 20, 2009
News and Features -
Our Sun is always too bright to view with the naked eye, but it is far from unchanging. It experiences cycles of magnetic activity. Areas of strong activity manifest as visible spots—sunspots—on the Sun’s surface.
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Too Salty to Freeze
March 20, 2009
News and Features -
For the first time, liquid water has been detected on Mars. Salty, liquid water was identified on a leg of NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander. The discovery has important implications in determining whether or not Mars is habitable for life.
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Mission Madness 2009: Vote For Your Favorite NASA Mission
March 20, 2009
News and Features -
March means tournament time for college basketball fans, and NASA wants to make sure space exploration fans aren't left out of the action. A lineup of 64 missions face off in this bracket-style, single elimination tournament.
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Solar Array Deployment Underway
March 20, 2009
News and Features -
With the S6 truss in place, the final set of solar arrays will complete the station's complement of electricity-generating solar panels.
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Final Hardware For Test Of NASA's New Rocket Arrives In Florida
March 19, 2009
Press Releases -
After a seven-day, 2,917-mile journey, a train carrying the four motor segments for the Ares I-X rocket arrived Thursday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The motor is the final hardware needed for the rocket's upcoming test flight this summer.
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Life’s Crystal Code
March 19, 2009
News and Features -
What do we have in common with a crystal chandelier? We’re both made of material that replicates its own structure. In our case it’s DNA, while the crystals in the chandelier grew from minerals like quartz. One scientist thinks for early life on Earth, certain mineral crystals played the role that DNA does for us today.
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This Month in Exploration - March
March 19, 2009
News and Features -
Forty years ago, the first docking of two manned American spacecraft occurred during the Apollo 9 mission. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.
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Cathedral Fire, Wilson's Promontory, Victoria
March 19, 2009
News and Features -
Wilson’s Promontory National Park, located at the southern tip of Victoria, Australia, was one of many areas scorched by large bushfires in February 2009.
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Simulation Shows World Without Ozone Layer
March 19, 2009
News and Features -
The Montreal Protocol has helped reduce contaminants responsible for damage to the ozone layer ... but what if the landmark treaty had never existed?
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Discovery Crew Prepares for Thursday's S6 Truss Installation
March 18, 2009
News and Features -
Astronauts Steve Swanson and Richard Arnold will conduct tomorrow's spacewalk to install the S6 Truss.
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From the Top to the Bottom
March 18, 2009
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Scientists studying climate change in Antarctica are showing how global warming and loss of sea ice are affecting many facets of the food chain. Interestingly, at the base of the food chain, Antarctic phytoplankton is responding in two contrasting ways.
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NASA's Fermi Mission, Namibia's HESS Telescopes Explore a Blazar
March 18, 2009
News and Features -
An international team of astrophysicists using telescopes on the ground and in space have uncovered surprising changes in radiation emitted by an active galaxy.
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Expedition 19 Set for March 26 Launch to International Space Station
March 18, 2009
News and Features -
Commander Gennady Padalka, left, and Flight Engineer Michael Barratt will launch in a Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan, along with spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi. They'll join crewmate Koichi Wakata.
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Space Station Construction Visible Through Backyard Telescopes
March 18, 2009
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Space shuttle Discovery launched Sunday, March 15th, on a construction mission to the International Space Station. Perfect timing for sky watchers! The mission coincides with a series of ISS flybys over North American towns and cities. People who go outside after sunset can see the shuttle-station combo with their naked eyes and view the changing outlines of the ISS through backyard telescopes.
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The Secret Life of Amino Acids
March 17, 2009
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NASA scientists studying dust from meteorites have uncovered clues about how life works on its most basic, molecular level. The study shows that biological molecules created in space and delivered to Earth by meteorites may have had a profound effect on the development of life.
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Discovery Heads to Station on Power Up Mission
March 17, 2009
News and Features -
Discovery and crew are set to dock to the International Space Station at 5:13 p.m. EDT Tuesday. Commander Lee Archambault and crew will install the outpost's final set of solar arrays.
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ROSES 2009 Clarifications, Corrections and Amendments
March 17, 2009
RSS Feeds -
(http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/roses-2009/RSS) Stay up to date with the latest ROSES 2009 clarifications, corrections and amendments.
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NASA Scientists Find Clues to a Secret of Life
March 17, 2009
News and Features -
Biological molecules created in space and brought to Earth by meteorite impacts may help explain why life is left-handed.
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Hearts of Galaxies Close in for Cosmic Train Wreck
March 17, 2009
News and Features -
A new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope offers a rare view of a pending collision between the cores of two merging galaxies.
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Mars, Then and Now: Google Mars Update
March 17, 2009
News and Features -
Antique maps, latest streaming satellite images now viewable with Mars in Google Earth
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Discovery Lifts Off!
March 16, 2009
News and Features -
Discovery launched at 7:43 p.m. EDT on the STS-119 mission to the International Space Station. Commander Lee Archambault and crew will install the outpost's final set of solar arrays.
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Alien Safari Part 5: Alien vs. Predator
March 16, 2009
News and Features -
At the most recent NASA Astrobiology Science Conference, a panel of scientists discussed different types of planets where we might find alien life. In the fifth segment of this series, the panelists address questions from the audience about the search for life on Mars and elsewhere.
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Ares Super-chute
March 16, 2009
News and Features -
NASA and U.S. Air Force test pilots have just dropped a 50,000-pound "dummy" rocket booster on the Arizona desert--and stopped it before it crashed. It's all part of NASA's plan to return to the Moon.
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The Day the Sun Brought Darkness
March 16, 2009
News and Features -
The Quebec Blackout was different, because this one was caused by a solar storm!
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Ares I Rocket First Stage Igniter Successfully Tested
March 13, 2009
News and Features -
NASA has completed a successful test firing of the igniter that will be used to start the Ares I rocket first stage motor.
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Cassini Swaps Thrusters
March 13, 2009
News and Features -
Early this morning the Cassini spacecraft relayed information that it had successfully swapped to a backup set of propulsion thrusters late Wednesday.
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Teams Repairing Leak, Working Toward Sunday Shuttle Launch
March 13, 2009
News and Features -
Teams have developed a plan for troubleshooting and repairing the leak that scrubbed Wednesday's launch attempt and are working toward a Sunday, March 15 launch at 7:43 p.m. EDT.
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New Observing Technique Turns Gray Skies Blue
March 13, 2009
News and Features -
A new detection technique and a new satellite instrument should help ease the struggle of detecting tiny particles in the air that may affect global climate.
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Galactic Dust Bunnies Found to Contain Carbon After All
March 13, 2009
News and Features -
Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, researchers have found evidence suggesting that stars rich in carbon complex molecules may form at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
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Drought, Urbanization Were Ingredients for Atlanta's Perfect Storm
March 12, 2009
News and Features -
On March 14, 2008, a tornado swept through downtown Atlanta, its 130 mile-per-hour winds ripping holes in the roof of the Georgia Dome, blowing out office windows and trashing parts of Centennial Olympic Park.
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Cometary Life Limit
March 12, 2009
News and Features -
Large debris disks around certain stars may imply a high rate of killer comets that wipe out any chance of life forming in these stellar systems.
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NASA's Observatory Sees Black Hole in Medusa
March 12, 2009
News and Features -
The mythological Medusa had hair of writhing snakes. But the "hair" of the galaxy Medusa is a tidal tail formed by colliding galaxies.
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STS-119 to Launch No Earlier Than March 15
March 12, 2009
News and Features -
Discovery will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.
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Recipe for Perfect Webb Telescope Mirror
March 12, 2009
News and Features -
The Webb Telescope's mirrors are made of a special element that will enable them to withstand the rigors of space.
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Rebooting Postponed for Mars Odyssey
March 11, 2009
News and Features -
The team operating NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter postponed a planned rebooting of the spacecraft this morning after seeing an unexpected rise in the temperature of a star camera that is part of the navigation system.
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NASA's Ares I Rocket First Stage Igniter Successfully Tested
March 11, 2009
News and Features -
NASA has completed a successful test firing of the igniter that will be used to start the Ares I rocket first stage motor.
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Protein Big Bang
March 11, 2009
News and Features -
A new study on proteins is shedding light on the history of life on Earth. After eons of gradual evolution, proteins experienced an explosion of new forms that coincided with the increasing diversity of bacteria, archaea and eucarya.
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Fermi's Best-Ever Look at the Gamma-Ray Sky
March 11, 2009
News and Features -
A new map combining nearly three months of data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is giving astronomers an unprecedented look at the high-energy cosmos.
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Discovery Set for Launch Tonight on STS-119 Mission
March 11, 2009
News and Features -
Weather is looking good for a liftoff at 9:20 p.m. EDT. Discovery and crew will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the space station.
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Turning the Tide to Energy
March 10, 2009
News and Features -
A new concept in energy production could harness the power of ocean waves.
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Shifting Through Sand
March 10, 2009
News and Features -
Robotic explorers are used to study the Earth's most difficult terrain, and they also play a major role in the exploration of our solar system. Now, scientists have provided detailed recommendations for building robots that can traverse sand and other granular surfaces. The study could aid in the future exploration of environments like Mars.
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Join NASA in Celebrating Sun-Earth Day 2009
March 10, 2009
News and Features -
Sun-Earth Day is comprised of a series of programs and events that occur throughout the year culminating with a celebration on or near the Spring Equinox.
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STS-119 Crew in Florida: Discovery Set for Tomorrow's Launch
March 10, 2009
News and Features -
Weather is favorable for the STS-119 launch, which is set to lift off at 9:20 p.m. EDT on March 11. Discovery and crew will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the space station.
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Expedition 18 Spacewalk at the Space Station Today
March 10, 2009
News and Features -
Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov will install EXPOSE-R, a European experiment that exposes seeds and spores to the space environment.
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NASA's Mars Rover Spirit Faces Circuitous Route
March 09, 2009
News and Features -
Loose soil piled against the northern edge of a low plateau called "Home Plate" has blocked NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit from taking the shortest route toward its southward destinations for the upcoming Martian summer and following winter.
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Kepler Lifts Off on Planet Finding Mission
March 09, 2009
News and Features -
Kepler is the world's first mission with the ability to find true Earth-like planets orbiting stars in the "habitable zone."
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Starlight, Star Bright
March 09, 2009
News and Features -
On March 6, NASA launched Kepler, a telescope designed to find Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars. Kepler will study 100,000 stars simultaneously. But to examine the atmospheres of distant Earths for signs of life, says Sara Seagar of MIT, NASA may need to build a fleet of hundreds of tiny orbiting telescopes, each one dedicated to staring at a single star.
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Planetarium Show On Exploration Of The Outer Solar System Opens In Chicago
March 09, 2009
News and Features -
A new NASA mission that explores the outer edges of our solar system is featured at the Adler Planetarium and Science Museum in Chicago.
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Minchinmavida and Chaiten Volcanoes, Chile
March 09, 2009
News and Features -
The Andes Mountains along the western coastline of South America include numerous active stratovolcanoes (steep-sided, cone-shaped volcanoes).
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NASA and Air Force Designate National Hypersonic Science Centers
March 06, 2009
News and Features -
NASA and the United States Air Force have designated three university and industry partners in California, Texas and Virginia as national hypersonic science centers.
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Microbe Mountain High
March 06, 2009
News and Features -
Scientists have shown how gases from within the Earth support microbial ecosystems at 19,850 feet high. They are the highest-known microbial communities on Earth, and highlight the unique ways in which life is connected to physical and chemical processes on our planet. The microbes could also help scientists understand how to search for life on Mars.
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Kepler Set to Launch Tonight on Planet Finding Mission
March 06, 2009
News and Features -
Kepler is the world's first mission with the ability to find true Earth-like planets orbiting stars in the "habitable zone."
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Snow Cover, December 2008 and February 2009
March 06, 2009
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By astronomical standards, Northern Hemisphere winter won’t end until March 20. But for meteorologists, who sometimes divide the year up into seasons on the basis of similarity in weather and temperature, winter is already over.
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Mission Madness 2009
March 05, 2009
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Counting Down to the Greatest Mission of All
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Dust off the United Arab Emirates
March 05, 2009
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Heat and dust storms plagued the United Arab Emirates at the end of February 2009. Temperatures soared to 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest February temperatures since record keeping began in 1974.
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Could Life on Earth Have Come From Ceres?
March 05, 2009
News and Features -
The dwarf planet Ceres is rarely mentioned as a candidate for habitability, but the possible presence of an ocean and hydrothermal vents suggests it is plausible. If life developed on Ceres long ago, could it have seeded the young Earth?
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CALIPSO Finds Smoke at High Altitudes Down Under
March 05, 2009
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As smoke plumes from powerful bushfires clouded the Australian skies in early February, satellites orbiting the Earth captured the rapid dispersal of smoke in real-time. One particular satellite, however, saw the occurrence from a different perspective than the rest and uncovered a rare phenomenon.
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Scientists Expose 'Buried' Fault That Caused Deadly 2003 Quake
March 05, 2009
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Using satellite radar data, NASA-funded scientists have observed, for the first time, the healing of subtle, natural surface scars from an earthquake that occurred on a "buried" fault several miles below the surface-a fault whose fractures are not easily observed at Earth's surface.
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Kepler Set for Friday Launch on Planet Finding Mission
March 04, 2009
News and Features -
It is the first mission with the ability to find planets like Earth -- rocky planets that orbit sun-like stars in a warm zone where liquid water could be maintained on the surface.
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Flight Team to Check Status of Backup System
March 04, 2009
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The team operating NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter plans a procedure next week to address a long-known, potential vulnerability of accumulated memory corruption.
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Snow Along the East Coast
March 04, 2009
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Children were mostly back in school, and trains were mostly running on time by March 3, 2009, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture.
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Trio of Galaxies Mix It Up
March 04, 2009
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The Hubble Space Telescope has photographed three galaxies in the process of colliding.
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Catching Pluto's Breath
March 04, 2009
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Scientists have made surprising discoveries about the atmosphere of the dwarf planet Pluto. The atmosphere contains unexpectedly large amounts of methane and is much warmer than the surface of Pluto itself.
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NASA, Cisco Partnering For Climate Change Monitoring Platform
March 03, 2009
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NASA and Cisco Inc. announced Tuesday a partnership to develop an online collaborative global monitoring platform called the "Planetary Skin" to capture, collect, analyze and report data on environmental conditions around the world.
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Finding Earth’s Twin: No Easy Task
March 03, 2009
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Are there other Earths out there -- rocky planets capable of supporting life, orbiting sun-like stars at comfortable distances? NASA is about to launch a telescope designed to find the answer.
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Newfound Moon May Be Source of Outer Saturn Ring
March 03, 2009
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NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found within Saturn's G ring an embedded moonlet that appears as a faint, moving pinprick of light.
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Hubble's Next Discovery: We Have A Winner
March 03, 2009
News and Features -
The public has voted on where they want to aim the Hubble Space Telescope. And the winner is -- drum roll please -- a pair of close-knit galaxies (inset above) that look like they are shaking hands -- or rather spiral arms.
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Reverse Ecology
March 03, 2009
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Researchers are using a technique called ‘reverse ecology’ to understand past environments on Earth. By examining the genes of bacteria, scientists are able to reconstruct what the organisms’ environments looked like millions of years ago. The data could help us understand key events in the history of life on Earth.
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The Case of the Missing Asteroids
March 02, 2009
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Scientists have determined that the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter should contain more asteroids than we actually observe today. The missing asteroids may be evidence of a dramatic event that occurred as the giant planets migrated to their present positions.
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Earth-Observing Landsat 5 Turns 25
March 02, 2009
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Like a trusty watch counting up the minutes, the Landsat 5 satellite keeps on ticking, orbit after orbit around Earth--well beyond its design lifetime of 15,000 orbits.
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Sinkhole Soup
March 02, 2009
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Researchers are studying life in an extreme environment not typically known for extremes. The dense, salty water of sinkholes in Lake Huron supports bizarre ecosystems composed of purple cyanobacteria mats and other strange microorganisms.
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Kepler Set for Launch on Planet Finding Mission
March 02, 2009
News and Features -
It is the first mission with the ability to find planets like Earth -- rocky planets that orbit sun-like stars in a warm zone where liquid water could be maintained on the surface.
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Geriatric Pulsar Still Kicking
February 27, 2009
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Chandra finds that ancient pulsar PSR J0108-1431 still has plenty of energy to spare.
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Pretty Sky Alert
February 27, 2009
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The crescent Moon and Venus are converging for a conjunction of rare beauty on Friday evening, Feb. 27th.
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Chewable Iron
February 27, 2009
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The cycling of iron in Earth's oceans plays an important role in supporting a variety of ocean ecosystems – and is ultimately vital to the global biosphere. By studying extreme environments on the ocean floor, researchers have now revealed unexpected clues about how biologically useful iron is released into the ocean.
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The Best of NASA Science 2008
February 26, 2009
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Take a photographic journey through the stunning images and wondrous science of NASA in 2008. From the use of satellite data to combat public health problems to MESSENGER's revealing closeups of Mercury, our interactive slide show caps off another incredible year of exploration.
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Kepler Set for March 5 Launch on Planet Finding Mission
February 26, 2009
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It is the first mission with the ability to find planets like Earth -- rocky planets that orbit sun-like stars in a warm zone where liquid water could be maintained on the surface.
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Discovery Launch Tentatively Targeted for March 12
February 26, 2009
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An exact target launch date will be determined as work progresses with the gaseous hydrogen flow control valves. The STS-119 mission is set to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the space station.
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Clouds Streets and von Karman Vortices, Greenland Sea
February 26, 2009
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On February 24, 2009, cold northerly winds (perhaps katabatic winds from Greenland) encountered moist air over the Greenland Sea, and their meeting generated dozens of parallel rows of clouds, commonly called “cloud streets,” in the skies around the island of Jan Mayen.
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Otherworldly Solar Eclipse
February 26, 2009
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For the first time, a spacecraft from Earth has captured hi-resolution video of a solar eclipse while orbiting another world.
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A Sliver of a Chance for Life on Mars
February 26, 2009
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The Phoenix Mars Lander witnessed water vapor adsorbing into the martian soil each night. Researchers suspect the films of water that resulted are probably too thin for life now, but they may have been thick enough millions of years ago.
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A Starry-Eyed Gaze: NASA Technology Improves Vision Screening
February 25, 2009
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Did you know that NASA stargazing techniques have also protected vision in thousands of children? It's a definite case where "foresight” has helped improve "farsight."
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Future Helicopters Get SMART
February 25, 2009
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Helicopters today are considered a loud, bumpy and inefficient mode for day-to-day domestic travel, but NASA research could change that view.
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Melting on the Greenland Ice Cap, 2008
February 25, 2009
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The northern fringes of Greenland’s ice sheet experienced extreme melting in 2008, according to NASA scientist Marco Tedesco and his colleagues.
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A Sprightly Explanation for UFOs
February 25, 2009
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Scientists have discovered a natural explanation for "UFO" sightings in our planet's atmosphere. The phenomenon is caused by thunderstorms, which can cause mysterious "sprites" that zip across the sky.
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NASA's Launch Of Carbon-Seeking Satellite is Unsuccessful
February 24, 2009
Press Releases -
NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite failed to reach orbit after its 4:55 a.m. EST liftoff Tuesday from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base.
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Readying for Mars: Live 'Clean Room Cam' and Chat
February 24, 2009
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What goes into building a mission destined for Mars? NASA's Mars Science Laboratory is being assembled and tested right now in the clean room at JPL. Join us for a rare opportunity to go behind-the-scenes to see engineers and technicians as they work on this project which is scheduled to launch in 2011.
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Counting on Kepler
February 24, 2009
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NASA's Kepler spacecraft is scheduled to launch in early March. In orbit, the powerful telescope will search for Earth-like planets around distant, sun-like stars. The mission will help researchers determine if habitable planets are common or rare in the Universe.
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Winter Camp: A Blog from the Greenland Summit
February 24, 2009
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Lora Koenig, a remote-sensing glaciologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, spent three dark, frigid months supporting research at the National Science Foundation’s Greenland Summit Camp. Near the end of her stay, Koenig emailed the Earth Observatory answers to a few questions about how she wound up in Greenland and what is was like to spend the winter there.
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Lulin, the Green Comet, to be Visible in Tonight's Sky Over North America
February 23, 2009
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The comet is now faintly visible from a dark site. Lulin will pass closest to Earth -- 38 million miles, or about 160 times farther than the moon -- late on the evening of Feb. 23 for North America.
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Orbiting Carbon Observatory Set for Early Tuesday Morning Launch
February 23, 2009
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OCO is the first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the most significant human-produced greenhouse gas and the principal human-produced driver of climate change.
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All-American Canal, California-Mexico border
February 23, 2009
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The All-American Canal, the largest irrigation canal in the world and a key landmark along the U.S.-Mexico border, shows up in this astronaut photograph. This image captures about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) of the important infrastructure corridor just west of Yuma, Arizona.
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Cycling Nitrogen
February 23, 2009
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New research shows that the large-scale evolution of microorganisms was completed 2.5 billion years ago. This included the ability of microorganisms to process nitrogen – an evolutionary step that has had long-lasting effects on the environment and the evolution of all life on Earth.
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2008 Was Earth's Coolest Year Since 2000
February 23, 2009
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The GISS analysis also showed that 2008 is the ninth warmest year since continuous instrumental records were started in 1880.
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Unraveling the Mystery of Super-Earths
February 20, 2009
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Super-Earths may be our best bet for finding life beyond our own solar system.
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Kepler Mission to Hunt for Earth-like Planets
February 20, 2009
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Are there other worlds like ours? Are we alone? NASA's Kepler spacecraft is about to begin an unprecedented journey that could answer these ancient questions.
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Extreme Gamma-ray Burst
February 20, 2009
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NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has detected a record-setting gamma-ray burst with the greatest total energy and fastest motions ever seen.
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Help NASA Name A Key Space Station Component
February 20, 2009
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NASA wants your opinion in naming the International Space Station's Node 3 – a connecting module and its cupola – before the two segments travel to space. Voting will be open until March 20th, with the winning name announced in April.
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Europa First
February 20, 2009
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NASA and ESA officials have decided to pursue a mission to Jupiter and its four largest moons. These moons are important locations of interest for astrobiologists. Europa in particular, with its cache of subsurface water, is thought to be one of the most likely places for life in our solar system. Additionally, a plan for a second mission to Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus will follow.
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Scientists Find Black Gold Amidst Overlooked Data
February 19, 2009
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Scientists recently found black gold bubbling up from an otherwise undistinguished mass of ocean imagery.
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NASA and Google Release CO2 Map
February 19, 2009
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Interactive maps that detail carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion are now available on the popular Google Earth platform.
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Spectacular Photo-op on Saturn
February 19, 2009
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Something is about to happen on Saturn that is so pretty, even Hubble will pause to take a look. Backyard astronomers can see it, too. Four of Saturn's moons will transit Saturn and cast their shadows on the planet's cloudtops at the same time.
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Plate Tectonics Could be Essential for Life
February 19, 2009
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Planetary scientists have been considering the potential importance of plate tectonics. Some believe that this geological process is essential for the development of complex lifeforms, and in the future could even be used as a biosignature to detect habitable worlds.
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Always Something Brewing Year 'Round on NASA's Hurricane Web Page
February 18, 2009
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Hurricanes and tropical cyclones develop in various places around the world all year 'round, and NASA's Hurricane/Tropical Cyclone Web page covers them.
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NASA and ESA Prioritize Outer Planet Missions
February 18, 2009
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At a meeting in Washington last week, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency officials decided to continue pursuing studies of a mission to Jupiter and its four largest moons, and to plan for another potential mission to visit Saturn's largest moon Titan and Enceladus.
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Adapting to Vents
February 18, 2009
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A unique bacterium living 2,500 meters below the surface of the ocean is providing clues about how life adapts to extreme environments. Scientists have identified genetic adaptations that allow the microorganism to survive in the waters surrounding deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
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New Recipes for Dwarf Galaxies: Start With Leftover Gas
February 18, 2009
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There is more than one way to make a dwarf galaxy, and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has found a new recipe. The spacecraft has, for the first time, identified dwarf galaxies forming out of nothing more than pristine gas likely leftover from the early universe.
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Orbiting Carbon Observatory Set for Feb. 24 Launch
February 18, 2009
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OCO is the first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the most significant human-produced greenhouse gas and the principal human-produced driver of climate change.
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Alien Safari Part 3: Technology Worlds
February 17, 2009
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At the most recent NASA Astrobiology Science Conference, a panel of scientists talked about planets where alien life might be found. In the third segment of this series, Jill Tarter describes different kinds of Technology Worlds.
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NASA Study Predicted Outbreak of Deadly Virus
February 17, 2009
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An early warning system successfully predicted the 2006-2007 outbreak of the deadly Rift Valley fever in northeast Africa.
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Volcanic Activity on Mt. Asama
February 17, 2009
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Asama Volcano on the Japanese island of Honshu showed signs of unrest starting in late January 2009, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency. The agency found evidence of a thin ash layer near the summit as of January 21, as well as land deformation (a sign that magma is moving underground) and increased seismic activity as of early February.
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Unlocking the Combination
February 17, 2009
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Researchers in the field of synthetic biology are yielding clues about the origin of life on Earth. By studying how molecules self-assemble, the team is helping scientists understand how the first protocells may have captured energy and nutrients from the environment - allowing for growth and reproduction.
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What's New from SARA
February 13, 2009
RSS Feeds -
(http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/whats-new/RSS) Get the latest updates to the SARA Web site and announcements.
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Four NASA Goddard Scientists Named 2009 Elected AGU Fellows
February 13, 2009
News and Features -
Four scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. have been named Fellows of the American Geophysical Union.
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Echoes of Extinction
February 13, 2009
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Paleontologists are examining the long-lasting effects of a 65 million-year-old mass extinction. Dinosaurs and many other organisms disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous, and the evolutionary ramifications can still be seen today.
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Wolf Volcano, Galapagos Islands
February 13, 2009
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At the north end of the Galapagos’ largest island, Isabela, a volcano straddles Earth’s equator. It is the Wolf Volcano, or Volcan Wolf, and it ranks among the archipelago’s most active volcanoes.
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LRO Ships South for Launch Prep
February 12, 2009
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The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was loaded on a truck February 11 to begin its two-day journey to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Gettysburg National Military Park
February 12, 2009
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U.S. National Parks are not always chosen for their spectacular scenery, their undisturbed wilderness, or their recreational value. Some parks are created to preserve important parts of American history.
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Ice Age Aliens
February 12, 2009
News and Features -
The light reflected off of vegetation could be a signal of life on an alien planet. Researchers have now shown that this plant life signal can be seen even if a world is in the midst of an ice age.
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Spirit Gets Energy Boost from Cleaner Solar Panels
February 12, 2009
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A small but important uptick in electrical output from the solar panels on Spirit this month indicates a beneficial Martian wind has blown away some of the dust that has accumulated on the panels.
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NASA Receives Shorty Twitter Award
February 11, 2009
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NASA's activities in social networking media will be recognized Wednesday in New York, when the agency receives an award for its presence on the popular Web site Twitter.
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Big Snake, Warm Climate
February 11, 2009
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Scientists have found fossil remains of a massive snake that may have measure 13 meters in length. By studying the snake's size, the team is yielding new information about the history of Earth's climate and its connections to the evolution of life.
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Mt. Redoubt Volcano, Alaska
February 11, 2009
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The glacier-covered Redoubt Volcano is one of many that line Alaska’s southern shores. Located 177 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of Anchorage, Redoubt is one of the peaks in the scenic Chigmit Mountain Range that frames the western side of Cook Inlet in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Redoubt is also one of the most active of the Cook Inlet volcanoes.
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NASA Mission Meets the Carbon Dioxide Measurement Challenge
February 11, 2009
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The challenge: very precisely measure carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere all over the world, especially near Earth's surface.
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Team Begins Search for Earths in the Sun's Backyard
February 10, 2009
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A team of planet hunters is looking for Earthlike planets orbiting the sun's closest neighbor.
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Antarctic Expedition Prepared Researchers for Mars Project
February 10, 2009
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Before Phoenix began digging into the arctic plain of Mars, scientists traveled to one of the coldest, driest places on Earth for soil-and-ice studies to aid in the analysis of Mars data.
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Sizing Up Asteroids
February 10, 2009
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A new technique is allowing astronomers to measure the sizes of small asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter for the first time. Previously, these asteroids were too small to measure using traditional methods.
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Bushfires in Southeast Australia
February 10, 2009
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An image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite shows the Barry Mountains of central Victoria on February 9, 2009.
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NASA's Swift, Fermi Probe Fireworks From a Flaring Gamma-Ray Star
February 10, 2009
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Astronomers using NASA's Swift satellite and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope are seeing frequent blasts from a stellar remnant 30,000 light-years away.
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NASA's Great Observatories Celebrate International Year of Astronomy
February 10, 2009
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Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens in 1609, marking the dawn of modern astronomy. To commemorate 400 years of exploring the universe, 2009 has been designated the International Year of Astronomy.
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Ancient Escape Hatches
February 09, 2009
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Scientists have determined that formations once identified as ancient tubeworm fossils are actually the remnants of 70-million-year-old methane vents. The discovery highlights how our understanding of life's evolution can change in light of new scientific evidence.
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Google Mars
February 09, 2009
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NASA and Google have announced a new 'Mars mode' in Google Earth. Now, everyone can navigate three-dimensional views of the Red Planet - through the eyes of Mars rovers and other Mars missions. Google Mars 3D will also serve as a platform for scientists to share data.
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Alien Safari Part 2: Life Above and Below
February 09, 2009
News and Features -
At the most recent NASA Astrobiology Science Conference, a panel of scientists discussed different types of planets where we might find alien life. In the second part of this series, T.C. Onstott digs beneath the surface to look for life, and Peter Ward weighs the odds of finding complex life in space and time.
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Webb Telescope's 'Spine' Now Being Built
February 09, 2009
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One piece of the James Webb Space Telescope currently being built is called the backplane. It functions as a sort of "spine" to the telescope.
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Notes From the Field
February 08, 2009
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(http://www.nasascience.nasa.gov/earth-science/applied-sciences/notes-from-the-field/RSS) The NASA Applied Sciences Program works with other government agencies, universities, and non-profit, international, and private sector organizations to extend the benefits of Earth Science research results. This blog serves as a venue to update the public on applied sciences projects and exciting outcomes!
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NASA Satellites Capture Sea Surface Heights Around the World
February 06, 2009
News and Features -
NASA satellites Jason-1, Topex/Poseidon, and OSTM/Jason-2 all collect data about sea surface heights around the world. Higher seas indicate warmer waters (that power storms) while lower seas indicate ...
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Astronauts Swab the Decks
February 06, 2009
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Even in space, someone has to clean the bathroom. ISS astronauts are using a tricorder-like device to help them 'swab the decks.'
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Sponges on Steroids
February 06, 2009
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New NASA-funded research shows that complex life on Earth may have evolved 80 million years earlier than previously thought. The earliest animal ancestors appear to be sponges, which rarely leave behind fossils. Scientists identified the ancient sponges by the unique biosignatures they left behind.
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NOAA-N Prime Weather Satellite Launches
February 06, 2009
News and Features -
A smooth countdown for the Delta II Launch of NOAA-N Prime on Feb. 6 at 5:22 a.m. EST.
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NASA and Caltech Test Steep-Terrain Rover
February 05, 2009
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Engineers from JPL and students at Caltech have designed and tested a versatile, low-mass robot that can rappel off cliffs and travel nimbly over steep and rocky terrain.
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Workers Continue Prepping Discovery
February 05, 2009
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Discovery astronauts launch in February to deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.
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Green Comet Approaches Earth
February 05, 2009
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Comet Lulin is approaching Earth for a 38-million-mile close encounter later this month. The green double-tailed comet is putting on a fine show for backyard telescopes and could soon become visible to the unaided eye.
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Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report
February 05, 2009
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The Cassini spacecraft will swap to a backup set of propulsion thrusters in mid-March due to degradation in the performance of the current set of thrusters.
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Scattering the Seeds of Life
February 05, 2009
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Some astrobiologists think life may have arrived on Earth inside a comet or meteorite. Calling this process “Panspermia” is misguided, says a historian who has studied the evolution of thought about life’s origin.
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A Very Hot Earth
February 04, 2009
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With observations from the COROT telescope, astronomers have identified the smallest exoplanet known. The planet is less that twice the size of Earth, orbits a sun-like star and is solid enough to walk on. This important discovery widens the scope for astronomers searching for habitable, Earth-like planets around distant stars.
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An Ocean Breeze: Mapping Brazil’s Offshore Wind Power Potential
February 04, 2009
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Searching for alternative sources of energy for his country, one student turned to a NASA satellite to assess the feasibility of offshore wind power in Southeast Brazil.
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NOAA-N Prime Launch Delayed
February 04, 2009
News and Features -
The NOAA-N Prime launch has been postponed until Thursday at the earliest while engineers repair a problem with a launch pad nitrogen pressurization system.
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NASA's SkyView Delivers the Multiwavelength Cosmos
February 04, 2009
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SkyView's amazing database helps astronomers deal with the ever-increasing amount of survey data providing a single interface for accessing more than 36 surveys covering nearly 100 wavelength bands.
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To the Extreme: NASA Tests Heat Shield Materials
February 04, 2009
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NASA's new spacecraft Orion will face extreme conditions throughout its voyage to the moon and the journey home.
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Oil Seeps in the Gulf of Mexico
February 03, 2009
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Although accidents and hurricane damage to infrastructure are often to blame for oil spills and the resulting pollution in coastal Gulf of Mexico waters, natural seepage from the ocean floor introduces a significant amount of oil to ocean environments as well.
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Ice Storm Hits the United States
February 03, 2009
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Nearly a week after a winter storm coated a broad swath of the United States with ice and snow, the clouds cleared enough to provide this photo-like view of the winter landscape.
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Mix and Match Genes
February 03, 2009
News and Features -
Scientists studying a glowing bacterium that lives in both squid and fish have made an astonishing discovery about how the bacteria is able to inhabit two different species. It all comes down to a single gene that allows the bacteria to change its host, which highlights the importance of genetic information in the evolution of living organisms.
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NASA and Google Launch Virtual Exploration of Mars
February 03, 2009
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NASA and Google announce the release of a new Mars mode in Google Earth that brings to everyone's desktop a high-resolution, three-dimensional view of the Red Planet.
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NOAA-N Prime Update
February 03, 2009
News and Features -
Final launch operations will get underway late this afternoon in California. The loading of RP-1 fuel into the Delta II rocket's first stage is set to begin at 6:30 EST with tower rollback following at 8:30. Call to stations for the launch team will be at 2 a.m.
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Alien Safari, Part I: Slime Worlds
February 02, 2009
News and Features -
At the most recent NASA Astrobiology Science Conference, a panel of scientists discussed different types of planets where alien life might be found. In part one of this series, Seth Shostak reviews the search for extrasolar planets, and Tori Hoehler describes a place of “colorful microbial goo” called Slime World.
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Capturing Hydrocarbon Rain
February 02, 2009
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NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured new images of liquid hydrocarbon lakes on Titan. More importantly, the images show changes in the lakes potentially caused by rainfall. Titan is the first world apart from Earth where bodies of liquid have been identified at the surface.
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This Month in Exploration - February
February 02, 2009
News and Features -
Twenty-five years ago American astronauts performed the first untethered excursions. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.
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Discovery Astronauts Set for Feb. 12 Launch to Station
February 02, 2009
News and Features -
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians installed space shuttle Discovery's gaseous hydrogen, or GH2, flow control valves Saturday. GH2 leak checks will be performed today. The GH2 valves are used to synchronize the gas pressure between the external fuel tank and the engines, creating an even flow.
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Letters from SARA
January 30, 2009
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(http://www.nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/letters-from-sara/RSS) The Senior Adviser for Research & Analysis writes a letter to the community once a month.
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Kepler: The Search for Planets
January 30, 2009
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Kepler will monitor 100,000 stars, searching for signs of planets -- including ones as small as or smaller than Earth.
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NOAA-N Prime Weather Satellite to Launch Feb. 4
January 30, 2009
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The satellite will provide an essential resource for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's long-range weather and climate forecasts and improve U.S. search and rescue operations.
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Test of NASA's New Crew Rocket Is Successful
January 30, 2009
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The development of NASA's next-generation crew launch vehicle, the Ares I rocket, took another step forward Thursday as ATK successfully tested a critical piece.
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Continuing Activity at Chaiten Volcano
January 30, 2009
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Chile’s Chaitén Volcano had been dormant for more than 9,000 years when it erupted in May 2008. In the months that followed, the volcano remained active, releasing plumes of steam and volcanic ash, coating local vegetation, clogging waterways, and inundating the nearby town of the same name.
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Astronomers Observe Planet With Wild Temperature Swings
January 30, 2009
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has observed a planet that heats up to red-hot temperatures in a matter of hours before quickly cooling back down.
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Mars Rover Team Diagnosing Unexpected Behavior
January 29, 2009
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The team operating Spirit plans diagnostic tests this week after the rover did not report some of its weekend activities, including a request to determine its orientation after an incomplete drive.
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NASA Mission to Help Unravel Key Carbon, Climate Mysteries
January 29, 2009
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NASA's first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide is in final preparations for a Feb. 23 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
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NASA Goddard to Investigate the Stormy Moon
January 29, 2009
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Many people think of the moon as dead, but if you look with a different pair of glasses – at the atomic level – it is very active.
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Alternative Jet Fuels Put to the Test
January 29, 2009
News and Features -
NASA and 11 other research groups are testing two non-petroleum-based jet fuels in the pursuit of alternative fuels that can power commercial jets and address rising oil costs.
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Early Attempts to Contact Aliens
January 29, 2009
News and Features -
The idea that we Earthlings may not be alone is not new, nor is the idea of trying to signal our cosmic neighbors. The first era of interplanetary communication began in the 19th century.
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Discovery Astronauts Set for Feb. 12 Launch to Station
January 28, 2009
News and Features -
Commander Lee Archambault and the STS-119 will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.
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Lignin Launched Life to Land
January 28, 2009
News and Features -
The discovery of lignin in red alga cells is changing theories about the evolution of plants on Earth. Lignin, a principle component of wood, was identified in algae for the first time using powerful chemical and microscopic techniques.
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NASA-Derived Technology Captures Unique Inaugural Image
January 28, 2009
News and Features -
NASA spinoff technology from the Mars exploration rovers was used to capture a unique panoramic image of President Obama's inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20.
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Orbiting Carbon Observatory Set for Feb. 23 Launch
January 28, 2009
News and Features -
OCO is the first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the most significant human-produced greenhouse gas and the principal human-produced driver of climate change.
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Spitzer Sees Wild Weather on Star-Skimming Planet
January 28, 2009
News and Features -
What would happen if the sun's light and heat were amplified a thousand times? Scientists know of one planet that experiences just such a climate extreme.
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Sulfur Dioxide Emissions, Bulgaria
January 27, 2009
News and Features -
When we burn fossil fuels, extract metals from ores, or make gasoline from oil, sulfur in the raw materials combines with oxygen in the atmosphere and produces sulfur dioxide. When volcanoes erupt, they also release huge amounts of the gas. Sulfur dioxide causes acid rain, and it contributes to smog. It also leads to the formation of light-reflecting sulfate particles, which cool the climate.
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The Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the Mystery of the Missing Sinks
January 27, 2009
News and Features -
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory will measure carbon in the air, from Earth's surface to the top of the atmosphere.
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Space Harms Hips
January 27, 2009
News and Features -
Astronauts lose strength in their bones when spending long periods of time in space. A new study shows that this may adversely affect their health back on Earth. Studying the effects of space travel on the health of astronauts is vital for future human missions into orbit and beyond.
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Fiction’s Most Realistic Vision of Our Astrobiological Future?
January 26, 2009
News and Features -
Visionary science writer Sir Arthur C Clarke, author of more than 100 books, died recently at the age of 90 in Sri Lanka. Once called ‘the first dweller in the electronic cottage’, his vision of an astrobiological future and its technology captured the popular imagination. In this essay from Astrobiology Magazine, European Edition, the science and culture of his novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey, is assessed.
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Roping Extreme Life
January 26, 2009
News and Features -
Researchers have discovered filamentous ropes of microorganisms growing in the cold waters of an Italian cave - 1,600 feet below the Earth's surface. The sulfur caves provide a truly unique environment in which previously unidentified microbes can thrive.
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NASA Sees the Dark Side of the Sun
January 26, 2009
News and Features -
Today, NASA researchers announced an event that will transform our view of the Sun and super-charge the field of solar physics for many years to come.
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Transiting Neptune
January 23, 2009
News and Features -
Astronomers have discovered a planet somewhat larger and more massive than Neptune as it passed in front of its parent star. This 'transit' method of finding planets is useful because it can yield information about the physical properties of the planet.
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Stepping-Stone to the Stars
January 23, 2009
News and Features -
There is fierce debate over the direction humanity should take when exploring the solar system. One argument claims that a “one step at a time” approach is essential, with moon bases being the next key step.
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A Bonding Experience: NASA Strengthens Welds
January 23, 2009
News and Features -
Conventional wisdom says little things strengthen relationships. NASA knows the same is true for welding.
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NASA Tracks Changes to Earth's Green-covered Regions
January 23, 2009
News and Features -
NASA's satellite imagery, combined with high-resolution commercial imagery, is giving scientists new insight into the changing appearance of our planet on a regional scale, and whether it is due to human activity or extreme climate.
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Severe Space Weather--Social and Economic Impacts
January 22, 2009
News and Features -
A new NASA-funded study details what might happen to our modern, high-tech society in the event of a 'super solar flare' followed by an extreme geomagnetic storm. Some of the conclusions might surprise you.
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Double Star Disks
January 22, 2009
News and Features -
A new study suggests that planets may easily form around binary star systems. The finding is helping astronomers narrow down the best locations in the universe to search for extrasolar planets.
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Pieces Coming Together for First Test Launch of NASA's New Spacecraft
January 22, 2009
News and Features -
NASA is using powerful computers to design its next generation launch vehicles. But those computers will have their work checked the old-fashioned way with the first of several uncrewed demonstration launches beginning in 2009.
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Jawbone Tells Story of Evolution
January 22, 2009
News and Features -
The 410 million-year-old skull and jaws of a fish may yield important information about the origin and evolution of vertebrates on Earth.
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Satellites Confirm Half-Century of West Antarctic Warming
January 22, 2009
News and Features -
Once presumed to be cooling or stable, NASA scientists have recently confirmed a warming trend on the Antarctic Peninsula.
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Socializing on Mars
January 21, 2009
News and Features -
After five groundbreaking years exploring the Red Planet, the communications engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory pretty much know what they are getting when another downlink from Spirit or Opportunity arrives.
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Hiding from Jupiter's Radiation
January 21, 2009
News and Features -
The intense radiation around Jupiter will complicate possible future missions to the moon Europa. A new project plans to create a "radiation weather map" that will help pinpoint regions where astrobiologically-relevant molecules may survive.
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Underwater Clues to Alien Life
January 21, 2009
News and Features -
Scientists studying life around "black smokers" deep below the Pacific Ocean have discovered unique organisms that can survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. The habitat may also provide information about how life could survive on other locations in the solar system.
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2008 Global Temperature
January 21, 2009
News and Features -
Calendar year 2008 was the coolest year since 2000, according to the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) analysis of worldwide temperature measurements, but it was still in the top ten warmest years since the start of record-keeping in 1880.
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Our Magnetic Moon
January 21, 2009
News and Features -
The rocks collected during the Apollo missions have puzzled scientists for decades because of the magnetic traces they contain. Now, scientists have solved the riddle, yielding important information about the early solar system and the formation of the planets and other celestial bodies.
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First Look Inside Moon's Shadowed Craters
January 16, 2009
News and Features -
Using a NASA radar flying aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists are getting their first look inside the moon's coldest, darkest craters.
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Seeing Exoplanets from Earth
January 16, 2009
News and Features -
Two independent groups have made the first ground-based detection of thermal emissions from extrasolar planets. The studies open a new frontier for monitoring alien worlds from Earth, and also paves the way for further observations of extrasolar atmospheres.
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Methane Discovery Reveals Mars is Not a Dead Planet
January 16, 2009
News and Features -
A team of NASA and university scientists has achieved the first definitive detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. This discovery indicates the planet is either biologically or geologically active.
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Climate and Earth’s Energy Budget
January 15, 2009
News and Features -
Earth’s temperature depends on how much sunlight the land, oceans, and atmosphere absorb, and how much heat the planet radiates back to space. This fact sheet describes the net flow of energy through different parts of the Earth system, and explains how the planetary energy budget stays in balance.
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NASA Tests Engine Technology for Landing Astronauts on the Moon
January 15, 2009
News and Features -
A technology development engine that may help NASA safely return astronauts to the lunar surface has successfully completed its third round of testing.
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Methane-Spewing Martians?
January 15, 2009
News and Features -
The methane found on Mars could be a sign of life on the red planet. Researchers are devising an instrument to measure the isotopic abundances that could distinguish a biological origin from a geological one.
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Discovery At the Launch Pad
January 15, 2009
News and Features -
Discovery rolled to the launch pad Wednesday for its STS-119 mission, targeted to launch on February 12. Commander Lee Archambault and crew will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the space station.
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S'COOL Kids Still Have Their Heads In The Clouds For NASA Science
January 14, 2009
News and Features -
For 12 years, elementary school students have helped NASA scientists verify satellite measurements of the atmosphere.
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Keeping an Eye on the Sky
January 14, 2009
News and Features -
The University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey, which has discovered 70 percent of all known near Earth objects, is about to begin operating a new telescope. The Mount Lemmon telescope will increase survey productivity, helping to identify potentially hazardous objects like asteroids and comets on collision courses with Earth.
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The Human Factor: Understanding the Sources of Rising Carbon Dioxide
January 14, 2009
News and Features -
Every time we get into our car, turn the key and drive somewhere, we burn gasoline, a fossil fuel derived from crude oil.
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Giant Rockets Could Revolutionize Astronomy
January 14, 2009
News and Features -
NASA's next great Moon rocket promises to do more than land astronauts on the Moon. In its spare time, it could revolutionize the science of astronomy.
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Discovery Nears February Launch to Station
January 13, 2009
News and Features -
Discovery rolls to the launch pad on Wednesday for the STS-119 mission, targeted to launch on February 12. Commander Lee Archambault and crew will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the space station.
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Building a Home from Lunar Rocks
January 13, 2009
News and Features -
Researchers have developed an incredibly strong and versatile building material using simulated lunar rock. The technology could be used to build colonies for human explorers and scientists using resources that are already available on the moon.
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Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus' Space Station Journals
January 13, 2009
News and Features -
Read about life on the ISS from Sandra Magnus.
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Talking About Tides
January 13, 2009
News and Features -
As it orbits a star, a planet can be squeezed and flexed by intense gravitational forces. In this podcast, Brian Jackson explains how this "tidal heating" can help determine whether a planet will have life.
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When Diatoms Declined
January 12, 2009
News and Features -
Diatoms are an abundant type of plankton in the ocean that play a big role in carbon cycling on Earth. Trends in diatom numbers throughout time can tell scientists a great deal about the climate history of Earth – a history that may need to be rewritten.
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Replicating RNA
January 12, 2009
News and Features -
Researchers have made steps toward understanding how life originated by synthesizing RNA enzymes that can replicate themselves without the help of additional molecules.
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Biggest Full Moon of the Year: Take 2
January 09, 2009
News and Features -
The biggest full Moon of 2009 is coming this weekend. It's a perigee Moon as much as 30% brighter than lesser moons we'll see in the months ahead. Get ready for moonlight!
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Ancient Asteroid with Earth-like Crust
January 09, 2009
News and Features -
According to new research, two rare meteorites found in Antarctica are from an ancient asteroid with a crust similar to that of Earth's continents. The samples are the oldest example of rock with such a composition, and shed light on the materials of the early solar system.
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New NASA Balloon Successfully Flight-Tested Over Antarctica
January 09, 2009
News and Features -
NASA and the National Science Foundation have successfully launched and demonstrated a newly designed super pressure balloon prototype that may enable a new era of high-altitude scientific research. The super-pressure balloon ultimately will carry large scientific experiments to the brink of space for 100 days or more.
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This Month in Exploration - January
January 09, 2009
News and Features -
Five years ago NASA's Stardust spacecraft navigated through a cloud of ice and dust to return images of comet Wild 2. Read more historical facts in This Month in Exploration.
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Turning Lunar Dust into Gold
January 08, 2009
News and Features -
Scientists recently conducted field tests in Hawai`i of equipment and rovers to be used on the moon. The goal was to demonstrate how astronauts might prospect for lunar resources and make their own oxygen.
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Earthquake Swarm in Yellowstone Park
January 08, 2009
News and Features -
Between December 26, 2008, and January 6, 2009, several hundred small earthquakes rumbled beneath Yellowstone Lake in northern Wyoming. According to reports from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, this earthquake swarm is “well above typical activity at Yellowstone,” but it is not unprecedented.
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Sixteen Tons of Moondust
January 08, 2009
News and Features -
Sledgehammer-toting scientists are "bustin' rocks" to make the finest possible simulated lunar regolith (a.k.a. fake moondust) in support of NASA's return to the Moon.
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NASA Balloon Mission Tunes in to a Cosmic Radio Mystery
January 08, 2009
News and Features -
Listening to the early universe just got harder. A team led by Alan Kogut of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., today announced the discovery of cosmic radio noise that booms six times louder than expected.
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NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery to Move to Launch Pad Wednesday
January 08, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Jan. 14, as preparations for the STS-119 mission move forward.
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New NASA Balloon Successfully Flight-Tested Over Antarctica
January 08, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
NASA and the National Science Foundation have successfully launched and demonstrated a newly designed super pressure balloon prototype that may enable a new era of high-altitude scientific research.
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Dark Moon Cooling
January 07, 2009
News and Features -
Scientists may have traced a link between a dark eclipsed moon and cold weather. The key is volcanic eruptions, highlighting the interconnections between the geology, climate and life on Earth.
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Star Light, Star Bright, Its Explanation is Out of Sight
January 07, 2009
News and Features -
A mysterious flash of light from somewhere near or far in the universe is still keeping astronomers in the dark long after it was first detected in 2006.
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Fermi Space Telescope Unveils Dozen New Pulsars
January 07, 2009
News and Features -
NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has discovered 12 new gamma-ray-only pulsars and has detected gamma-ray pulses from 18 others. The finds are transforming our understanding of how these stellar cinders work.
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Cassiopeia A Comes Alive Across Time and Space
January 07, 2009
News and Features -
Two new efforts have taken a famous supernova remnant from the static to the dynamic. New data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows changes in time never seen before in this type of object.
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Coal Ash Spill, Tennessee
January 06, 2009
News and Features -
In the early morning hours of December 22, 2008, the earthen wall of a containment pond at Tennessee’s Kingston Fossil Plant gave way. The breach released 1.3 million cubic meters (1.7 million cubic yards) of fly ash—a coal-combustion waste product captured and stored in wet form.
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Examining a SLIce of the Arctic
January 06, 2009
News and Features -
If aliens sent a probe to Earth in search of life, their best target would be the tropics, where life is dense. But on other nearby worlds, tropics are hard to come by. Most likely, if we find life elsewhere in our solar system, we'll find it in ice.
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Hubble Views Galactic Core in Unprecedented New Detail
January 06, 2009
News and Features -
Researchers are getting a new detailed look at our galaxy's core, thanks to the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes.
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Dead Stars Tell of Planet Birth
January 06, 2009
News and Features -
Observations made with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveal six dead "white dwarf" stars littered with the remains of shredded asteroids.
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NASA-Funded Study Reveals Hazards of Severe Space Weather
January 06, 2009
News and Features -
A NASA-funded study describes how extreme solar eruptions could have severe consequences for communications, power grids and other technology on Earth.
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NASA Astronauts Connect With Lucky Las Vegas School Students
January 06, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
Las Vegas students who "struck it rich" and have an opportunity to chat with NASA Expedition 18 astronauts.
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NASA Awards Agency-Wide Conferencing Services Contract
January 06, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
NASA has awarded Verizon Business of Ashburn, Va., a contract to provide conferencing services for the agency.
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NASA Seeks Concept Proposals for Ares V Heavy Lift Rocket
January 06, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
On Monday, Jan. 5, NASA issued a request for proposal for the Ares V rocket that will perform heavy lift and cargo functions as part of the next generation of spacecraft that will return humans to the moon.
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NASA-Funded Study Reveals Hazards of Severe Space Weather
January 05, 2009
Press Releases -
A NASA-funded study describes how extreme solar eruptions could have severe consequences for communications, power grids and other technology on Earth.
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Life's Growth Spurts
January 05, 2009
News and Features -
New research has found important links between the evolution of life and the geological evolution of Earth. The study shows that increases in the maximum size of organisms on our planet may be linked to increases in atmospheric oxygen.
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Snoopy Soars with NASA at Charles Schulz Museum
January 05, 2009
News and Features -
Apollo 10 astronauts Gene Cernan and Tom Stafford join others who worked on the mission to kick off an exhibit highlighting the connection between NASA's pioneering astronauts and Peanuts' barnstorming beagle.
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Linking Life's Elements
January 05, 2009
News and Features -
Researchers have unlocked new clues about how ancient organic molecules may have first combined to form biologically useful strands of RNA. This single-stranded precursor to DNA is essential for living cells, and some scientists believe the first life on Earth may have been RNA-based rather than DNA-based.
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Brown Dwarfs Don't Hang Out With Stars
January 05, 2009
News and Features -
Brown dwarfs, objects that are less massive than stars but larger than planets, just got more elusive, based on a study of 233 nearby multiple-star systems by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
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New Year, New Shuttle Mission
January 05, 2009
News and Features -
Commander Lee Archambault and the STS-119 crew will fly Discovery to the International Space Station to deliver and install the station's final set of solar arrays.
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NASA-Funded Study Reveals Hazards of Severe Space Weather
January 05, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
A NASA-funded study describes how extreme solar eruptions could have severe consequences for communications, power grids and other technology on Earth.
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NASA Kicks Off 2009 First Robotics Season With Live Broadcast
January 02, 2009
News and Features -
NASA Television will broadcast the annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Kickoff event on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009, at 7 a.m. PST from Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester.
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Tagula Island, Louisiade Archipelago
January 02, 2009
News and Features -
Scattered like turquoise and emeralds across the dark blue waters of the Coral and Solomon Seas, the coral reefs and forested islands of the Louisiade Archipelago stretch southeastward from the tip of Papua New Guinea for over 350 kilometers. This image of the area was captured by NASA’s Landsat 7 satellite on January 13, 2002.
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NASA Science On Display At American Astronomical Society Meeting
January 02, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
NASA researchers will present new findings on a wide range of astrophysics topics during the 213th American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting