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NASA’s
43 posts
NASA’s Search for Life on Mars Faces Issues With Rovers and Budget
Is or was there life on Mars? That profound question is so complex that it will not be fully answered by the two NASA rovers now exploring it.But because of the literal groundwork the rovers are performing, scientists are finally investigating, in-depth and in unprecedented detail, the planet’s evidence for life, known as its “biosignatures.”
NASA’s tiny CAPSTONE probe celebrates 450 days in orbit around the moon
Artist's illlustration of NASA's CAPSTONE cubesat mission in orbit around the moon. (Image credit: Illustration by NASA/Daniel Rutter) NASA's experimental CAPSTONE cubesat mission has been circling the moon for more than 450 days, testing a unique orbit that will be used for NASA's future moon-orbiting space station. According to the cubesat's maker, the mission is
NASA’s Juno Orbiter Captures Stunning Images of Jupiter’s Moon Io
On February 3, 2024, NASA’s Juno spacecraft made a second close flyby of Io, the fifth of Jupiter’s moons and the third largest. Like the previous flyby on December 30, 2023, this second pass was at a distance of about 1,500 km (930 miles). During the twin flybys, the spacecraft’s JunoCam instrument returned spectacular, high-resolution
NASA’s PACE Mission Faces Another Launch Delay Due to Weather Challenges
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, February 5, 2024. PACE is NASA’s newest earth-observing satellite that will help increase our understanding of Earth’s oceans, atmosphere, and climate by delivering hyperspectral
NASA’s Perseverance rover may already have found signs of life on Mars, discovery of ancient lake sediments reveals
An artist's depiction of NASA's Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, storing samples of Martian rocks in tubes for future delivery to Earth. Perseverance will land inside Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA's Perseverance rover has found that Mars' Jezero crater was at one point filled with water, offering a tantalizing hope
NASA’s Hubble Finds Water Vapor in Small Exoplanet’s Atmosphere
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observed the smallest exoplanet where water vapor has been detected in the atmosphere. At only approximately twice Earth's diameter, the planet GJ 9827d could be an example of potential planets with water-rich atmospheres elsewhere in our galaxy.However, it remains too early to tell whether Hubble spectroscopically measured a small
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe successfully completed its 18th close approach to the Sun on December 28, 2023, matching previous distance and speed records, and communicated its healthy status back to mission control. Credit: NASA GSFC/CIL/Brian MonroeParker Solar Probe’s 18th close approach to the Sun set distance and speed records, marking a key milestone in its
NASA’s 46-year-old Voyager 1 probe is no longer transmitting data
Artist's illustration of Voyager 1 probe looking back at the solar system from a great distance. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)) NASA's Voyager 1 probe is currently unable to transmit any scientific or systems data back to Earth. The 46-year-old spacecraft is capable of receiving commands, but a problem seems to have
NASA’s Artemis II crew meets their Moonship
Enlarge / Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen pose with their Orion spacecraft at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Trevor Mahlmann The three Americans and one Canadian slated to fly on NASA's Artemis II circumlunar mission had a "pinch me" moment Monday when they got
NASA’s Mars Sample Return in jeopardy after US Senate report
News Spaceflight Artist's conception of the vehicles that would participate in a Mars sample return by NASA and the European Space Agency. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is facing some tough scrutiny. The Senate Appropriations Committee offered their recommendations on the spending bill for fiscal year 2024, and they do not provide all