Archive for 2009
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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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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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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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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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NASA Team Finds Riches in Meteorite Treasure Hunt
March 30, 2009
News and Features -
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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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
News and Features -
Seven astronauts from space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission returned to Houston.
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Mission Manager Update, March 26, 2009
March 27, 2009
News and Features -
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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Discovery Heads For Home After Powering Up Station
March 27, 2009
News and Features -
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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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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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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New Astronaut Crew Launches to International Space Station
March 26, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
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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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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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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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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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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"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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Discovery Set to Leave Station Today
March 25, 2009
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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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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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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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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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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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NASA and Microsoft to Make Universe of Data Available to the Public
March 24, 2009
NASA Breaking News -
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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Name NASA's Next Mars Rover
March 24, 2009
News and Features -
Choose From Nine Finalists
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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
News and Features -
When NASA launches the Glory satellite, researchers will have the most accurate instrument to date for measuring solar fluctuations.
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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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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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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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Rover Spots Distant Goal
March 23, 2009
News and Features -
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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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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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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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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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
NASA Breaking News -
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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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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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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From the Top to the Bottom
March 18, 2009
News and Features -
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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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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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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Space Station Construction Visible Through Backyard Telescopes
March 18, 2009
News and Features -
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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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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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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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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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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The Secret Life of Amino Acids
March 17, 2009
News and Features -
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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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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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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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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
News and Features -
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
News and Features -
Counting Down to the Greatest Mission of All
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Dust off the United Arab Emirates
March 05, 2009
News and Features -
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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Scientists Expose 'Buried' Fault That Caused Deadly 2003 Quake
March 05, 2009
News and Features -
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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CALIPSO Finds Smoke at High Altitudes Down Under
March 05, 2009
News and Features -
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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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
News and Features -
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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Trio of Galaxies Mix It Up
March 04, 2009
News and Features -
The Hubble Space Telescope has photographed three galaxies in the process of colliding.
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Snow Along the East Coast
March 04, 2009
News and Features -
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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Catching Pluto's Breath
March 04, 2009
News and Features -
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
News and Features -
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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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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Finding Earth’s Twin: No Easy Task
March 03, 2009
News and Features -
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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Reverse Ecology
March 03, 2009
News and Features -
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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Newfound Moon May Be Source of Outer Saturn Ring
March 03, 2009
News and Features -
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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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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Earth-Observing Landsat 5 Turns 25
March 02, 2009
News and Features -
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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The Case of the Missing Asteroids
March 02, 2009
News and Features -
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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Sinkhole Soup
March 02, 2009
News and Features -
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.
