Archive for 2009

Letters from SARA
January 30, 2009
RSS Feeds Letters from SARA

(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.

Kepler: The Search for Planets
January 30, 2009
News and Features Kepler: The Search for Planets

Kepler will monitor 100,000 stars, searching for signs of planets -- including ones as small as or smaller than Earth.

NOAA-N Prime Weather Satellite to Launch Feb. 4
January 30, 2009
News and Features NOAA-N Prime Weather Satellite to Launch Feb. 4

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.

Test of NASA's New Crew Rocket Is Successful
January 30, 2009
News and Features Test of NASA's New Crew Rocket Is Successful

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.

Continuing Activity at Chaiten Volcano
January 30, 2009
News and Features Continuing Activity at Chaiten Volcano

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.

Astronomers Observe Planet With Wild Temperature Swings
January 30, 2009
News and Features Astronomers Observe Planet With Wild Temperature Swings

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.

Mars Rover Team Diagnosing Unexpected Behavior
January 29, 2009
News and Features Mars Rover Team Diagnosing Unexpected Behavior

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.

NASA Mission to Help Unravel Key Carbon, Climate Mysteries
January 29, 2009
News and Features NASA Mission to Help Unravel Key Carbon, Climate Mysteries

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.

NASA Goddard to Investigate the Stormy Moon
January 29, 2009
News and Features NASA Goddard to Investigate the Stormy Moon

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.

Alternative Jet Fuels Put to the Test
January 29, 2009
News and Features Alternative Jet Fuels Put to the Test

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.

Early Attempts to Contact Aliens
January 29, 2009
News and Features Early Attempts to Contact Aliens

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.

Discovery Astronauts Set for Feb. 12 Launch to Station
January 28, 2009
News and Features Discovery Astronauts Set for Feb. 12 Launch to Station

Commander Lee Archambault and the STS-119 will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the International Space Station.

Lignin Launched Life to Land
January 28, 2009
News and Features Lignin Launched Life to Land

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.

NASA-Derived Technology Captures Unique Inaugural Image
January 28, 2009
News and Features NASA-Derived Technology Captures Unique Inaugural Image

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.

Orbiting Carbon Observatory Set for Feb. 23 Launch
January 28, 2009
News and Features Orbiting Carbon Observatory Set for Feb. 23 Launch

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.

Spitzer Sees Wild Weather on Star-Skimming Planet
January 28, 2009
News and Features Spitzer Sees Wild Weather on Star-Skimming Planet

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.

Sulfur Dioxide Emissions, Bulgaria
January 27, 2009
News and Features Sulfur Dioxide Emissions, Bulgaria

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.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the Mystery of the Missing Sinks
January 27, 2009
News and Features The Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the Mystery of the Missing Sinks

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory will measure carbon in the air, from Earth's surface to the top of the atmosphere.

Space Harms Hips
January 27, 2009
News and Features Space Harms Hips

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.

Fiction’s Most Realistic Vision of Our Astrobiological Future?
January 26, 2009
News and Features Fiction’s Most Realistic Vision of Our Astrobiological Future?

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.

Roping Extreme Life
January 26, 2009
News and Features Roping Extreme Life

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.

NASA Sees the Dark Side of the Sun
January 26, 2009
News and Features NASA Sees the Dark Side of the Sun

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.

Transiting Neptune
January 23, 2009
News and Features Transiting Neptune

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.

Stepping-Stone to the Stars
January 23, 2009
News and Features Stepping-Stone to the Stars

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.

A Bonding Experience: NASA Strengthens Welds
January 23, 2009
News and Features A Bonding Experience: NASA Strengthens Welds

Conventional wisdom says little things strengthen relationships. NASA knows the same is true for welding.

NASA Tracks Changes to Earth's Green-covered Regions
January 23, 2009
News and Features NASA Tracks Changes to Earth's Green-covered Regions

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.

Severe Space Weather--Social and Economic Impacts
January 22, 2009
News and Features Severe Space Weather--Social and Economic Impacts

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.

Double Star Disks
January 22, 2009
News and Features Double Star Disks

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.

Pieces Coming Together for First Test Launch of NASA's New Spacecraft
January 22, 2009
News and Features Pieces Coming Together for First Test Launch of NASA's New Spacecraft

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.

Jawbone Tells Story of Evolution
January 22, 2009
News and Features Jawbone Tells Story of Evolution

The 410 million-year-old skull and jaws of a fish may yield important information about the origin and evolution of vertebrates on Earth.

Satellites Confirm Half-Century of West Antarctic Warming
January 22, 2009
News and Features Satellites Confirm Half-Century of West Antarctic Warming

Once presumed to be cooling or stable, NASA scientists have recently confirmed a warming trend on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Socializing on Mars
January 21, 2009
News and Features Socializing on Mars

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.

Hiding from Jupiter's Radiation
January 21, 2009
News and Features Hiding from Jupiter's Radiation

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.

Underwater Clues to Alien Life
January 21, 2009
News and Features Underwater Clues to Alien Life

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.

2008 Global Temperature
January 21, 2009
News and Features 2008 Global Temperature

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.

Our Magnetic Moon
January 21, 2009
News and Features Our Magnetic Moon

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.

First Look Inside Moon's Shadowed Craters
January 16, 2009
News and Features First Look Inside Moon's Shadowed Craters

Using a NASA radar flying aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists are getting their first look inside the moon's coldest, darkest craters.

Seeing Exoplanets from Earth
January 16, 2009
News and Features Seeing Exoplanets from Earth

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.

Methane Discovery Reveals Mars is Not a Dead Planet
January 16, 2009
News and Features Methane Discovery Reveals Mars is Not a Dead Planet

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.

Climate and Earth’s Energy Budget
January 15, 2009
News and Features Climate and Earth’s Energy Budget

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.

NASA Tests Engine Technology for Landing Astronauts on the Moon
January 15, 2009
News and Features NASA Tests Engine Technology for Landing Astronauts on the Moon

A technology development engine that may help NASA safely return astronauts to the lunar surface has successfully completed its third round of testing.

Methane-Spewing Martians?
January 15, 2009
News and Features Methane-Spewing Martians?

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.

Discovery At the Launch Pad
January 15, 2009
News and Features Discovery At the Launch Pad

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.

S'COOL Kids Still Have Their Heads In The Clouds For NASA Science
January 14, 2009
News and Features S'COOL Kids Still Have Their Heads In The Clouds For NASA Science

For 12 years, elementary school students have helped NASA scientists verify satellite measurements of the atmosphere.

Keeping an Eye on the Sky
January 14, 2009
News and Features Keeping an Eye on the Sky

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.

The Human Factor: Understanding the Sources of Rising Carbon Dioxide
January 14, 2009
News and Features The Human Factor: Understanding the Sources of Rising Carbon Dioxide

Every time we get into our car, turn the key and drive somewhere, we burn gasoline, a fossil fuel derived from crude oil.

Giant Rockets Could Revolutionize Astronomy
January 14, 2009
News and Features Giant Rockets Could Revolutionize Astronomy

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.

Discovery Nears February Launch to Station
January 13, 2009
News and Features Discovery Nears February Launch to Station

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.

Building a Home from Lunar Rocks
January 13, 2009
News and Features Building a Home from Lunar Rocks

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.

Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus' Space Station Journals
January 13, 2009
News and Features Flight Engineer Sandra Magnus' Space Station Journals

Read about life on the ISS from Sandra Magnus.

Talking About Tides
January 13, 2009
News and Features Talking About Tides

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.

When Diatoms Declined
January 12, 2009
News and Features When Diatoms Declined

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.

Replicating RNA
January 12, 2009
News and Features Replicating RNA

Researchers have made steps toward understanding how life originated by synthesizing RNA enzymes that can replicate themselves without the help of additional molecules.

Biggest Full Moon of the Year: Take 2
January 09, 2009
News and Features Biggest Full Moon of the Year: Take 2

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!

Ancient Asteroid with Earth-like Crust
January 09, 2009
News and Features Ancient Asteroid with Earth-like Crust

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.

New NASA Balloon Successfully Flight-Tested Over Antarctica
January 09, 2009
News and Features New NASA Balloon Successfully Flight-Tested Over Antarctica

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.

This Month in Exploration - January
January 09, 2009
News and Features This Month in Exploration - January

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.

Turning Lunar Dust into Gold
January 08, 2009
News and Features Turning Lunar Dust into Gold

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.

Earthquake Swarm in Yellowstone Park
January 08, 2009
News and Features Earthquake Swarm in Yellowstone Park

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.

Sixteen Tons of Moondust
January 08, 2009
News and Features Sixteen Tons of Moondust

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.

NASA Balloon Mission Tunes in to a Cosmic Radio Mystery
January 08, 2009
News and Features NASA Balloon Mission Tunes in to a Cosmic Radio Mystery

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.

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.

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.

Dark Moon Cooling
January 07, 2009
News and Features Dark Moon Cooling

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.

Star Light, Star Bright, Its Explanation is Out of Sight
January 07, 2009
News and Features Star Light, Star Bright, Its Explanation is Out of Sight

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.

Fermi Space Telescope Unveils Dozen New Pulsars
January 07, 2009
News and Features Fermi Space Telescope Unveils Dozen New Pulsars

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.

Cassiopeia A Comes Alive Across Time and Space
January 07, 2009
News and Features Cassiopeia A Comes Alive Across Time and Space

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.

Coal Ash Spill, Tennessee
January 06, 2009
News and Features Coal Ash Spill, Tennessee

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.

Examining a SLIce of the Arctic
January 06, 2009
News and Features Examining a SLIce of the Arctic

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.

Hubble Views Galactic Core in Unprecedented New Detail
January 06, 2009
News and Features Hubble Views Galactic Core in Unprecedented New Detail

Researchers are getting a new detailed look at our galaxy's core, thanks to the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes.

Dead Stars Tell of Planet Birth
January 06, 2009
News and Features Dead Stars Tell of Planet Birth

Observations made with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveal six dead "white dwarf" stars littered with the remains of shredded asteroids.

NASA-Funded Study Reveals Hazards of Severe Space Weather
January 06, 2009
News and Features NASA-Funded Study Reveals Hazards of Severe Space Weather

A NASA-funded study describes how extreme solar eruptions could have severe consequences for communications, power grids and other technology on Earth.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Life's Growth Spurts
January 05, 2009
News and Features Life's Growth Spurts

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.

Snoopy Soars with NASA at Charles Schulz Museum
January 05, 2009
News and Features Snoopy Soars with NASA at Charles Schulz Museum

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.

Linking Life's Elements
January 05, 2009
News and Features Linking Life's Elements

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.

Brown Dwarfs Don't Hang Out With Stars
January 05, 2009
News and Features Brown Dwarfs Don't Hang Out With Stars

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.

New Year, New Shuttle Mission
January 05, 2009
News and Features New Year, New Shuttle Mission

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.

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.

NASA Kicks Off 2009 First Robotics Season With Live Broadcast
January 02, 2009
News and Features NASA Kicks Off 2009 First Robotics Season With Live Broadcast

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.

Tagula Island, Louisiade Archipelago
January 02, 2009
News and Features Tagula Island, Louisiade Archipelago

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.

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

Archive Summary