• The Microgravity Science Glovebox Marks 10 Years

    The Microgravity Science Glovebox Marks 10 Years

    07.31.12 - 
    In the more than 12,000 hours it has been used aboard the International Space Station, the glovebox has handled its share of research.

    The glovebox, also known as MSG, is sealed and at negative pressure, so astronauts can manipulate experiment hardware and samples without the risk of small parts, particulates, fluids or gasses escaping into the open.

  • NASA X-ray Concept Inspired from a Roll of Tape

    NASA X-ray Concept Inspired from a Roll of Tape

    07.27.12 - 
    The inspiration behind NASA scientist Maxim Markevitch's quest to build a highly specialized X-ray mirror using a never-before-tried technique comes from an unusual source: a roll of Scotch® tape.

    Markevitch and a team of X-ray optics experts at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., have begun investigating the feasibility of fashioning a low-cost mirror from plastic tape and tightly rolling it like the sticky adhesive commonly found in most homes and offices.

  • Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt

    Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt

    07.24.12 - 
    For several days this month, Greenland's surface ice cover melted over a larger area than at any time in more than 30 years of satellite observations.

    Nearly the entire ice cover of Greenland, from its thin, low-lying coastal edges to its two-mile-thick center, experienced some degree of melting at its surface, according to measurements from three independent satellites analyzed by NASA and university scientists.

  • A Fish Friendly Facility for the ISS

    A Fish Friendly Facility for the ISS

    07.25.12 - 
    While aquariums provide a relaxing pastime for humans on Earth, recreation is not the goal behind the new Aquatic Habitat, or AQH, aboard the International Space Station. Instead, researchers will use this unique facility to look at how microgravity impacts marine life.

    Scientists have multiple studies planned to look at the impacts of radiation, bone degradation, muscle atrophy, and developmental biology.

  • Mars Orbiter Repositioned to Phone Home Landing

    Mars Orbiter Repositioned to Phone Home Landing

    07.24.12 - 
    NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has successfully adjusted its orbital location to be in a better position to provide prompt confirmation of the August landing of the Curiosity rover.

    The landing will mark the beginning of a two-year prime mission to investigate one of the most intriguing places on Mars.

  • HTV3 Berths to ISS

    HTV3 Berths to ISS

    07.27.12 - 
    Expedition 32 Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency used the International Space Station's Canadarm2 to berth the Kounotori3 to the Earth-facing port of the space station's Harmony module at 10:34 a.m. EDT on July 27.

    In early September, the cargo vehicle will be filled with trash, detached from the station and sent to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

  • NASA's Condolences on the Passing of Sally Ride

    NASA's Condolences on the Passing of Sally Ride

    07.18.12 - 
    Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, has passed away.

    Ride’s contribution to America’s space program continued right up until her death at age 61 this week. After two trips to orbit aboard the shuttle, she went on to an award-winning academic career at the University of California, San Diego, where her expertise and wisdom were widely sought on matters related to space.

      › Photo Gallery: First American Woman in Space  › Statement by the President on the Passing of Ride

  • Space Launch System Passes Major Agency Review

    Space Launch System Passes Major Agency Review

    07.25.12 - 
    The rocket that will launch humans farther into space than ever before passed a major NASA review Wednesday.

    The Space Launch System (SLS) Program completed a combined System Requirements Review and System Definition Review, which set requirements of the overall launch vehicle system. SLS now moves ahead to its preliminary design phase.

  • Landsat Celebrates 40 Years of Earth Observations

    Landsat Celebrates 40 Years of Earth Observations

    07.23.12 - 
    NASA and the Interior Department Monday marked the 40th anniversary of the Landsat program, the world's longest-running Earth-observing satellite program. The first Landsat satellite was launched July 23, 1972, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

      › Top Ten Stories of Landsat's 40 Years  › Landsat Images as Art

  • NASA Successfully Tests Inflatable Heat Shield

    NASA Successfully Tests Inflatable Heat Shield

    07.23.12 - 
    The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) was launched by sounding rocket at 7:01 a.m. Monday from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va.

    The purpose of the IRVE-3 test was to show that a space capsule can use an inflatable outer shell to slow and protect itself as it enters an atmosphere at hypersonic speed during planetary entry and descent, or as it returns to Earth with cargo from the International Space Station.