Artist’s concept of the heating mechanism from Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Credits: Art by Karen Teramura, UH IfA with James O’Donoghue and Luke Moore New NASA-funded research suggests that Jupiter’s Great Red Spot may be the mysterious heat source behind Jupiter’s surprisingly high upper atmospheric temperatures. Here on Earth, sunlight… Read more“Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Likely a Massive Heat Source”
Small Asteroid Is Earth’s Constant Companion
A small asteroid has been discovered in an orbit around the sun that keeps it as a constant companion of Earth, and it will remain so for centuries to come. A small asteroid has been discovered in an orbit around the sun that keeps it as a constant companion of… Read more“Small Asteroid Is Earth’s Constant Companion”
NASA Glenn Successfully Ignites Largest Fire Experiment in Space
Engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio and Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia successfully conducted the first remote Spacecraft Fire Experiment, or Saffire I, carried inside an Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo vehicle that departed the International Space Station on Tuesday, June 14. The experiment’s purpose is to learn… Read more“NASA Glenn Successfully Ignites Largest Fire Experiment in Space”
NASA’s CYGNSS Microsatellites Pass Testing Milestone
Thermal vacuum (shown) and other environmental tests of the CYGNSS microsatellites wrapped last month at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. The final series of tests will soon commence on all eight observatories, stacked in the final launch configuration. Credits: Southwest Research Institute Thermal vacuum tests of the… Read more“NASA’s CYGNSS Microsatellites Pass Testing Milestone”
BEAM Closed as Crew Packs Spaceships for Departure
Astronaut Jeff Williams works inside the BEAM before closing its hatches. Credit: NASA TV BEAM’s hatches have been closed completing crew operations for the month. Meanwhile, a pair of spaceships is also being packed for departure this month. After three days of operations inside BEAM, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module… Read more“BEAM Closed as Crew Packs Spaceships for Departure”
Cloudy Days on Exoplanets May Hide Atmospheric Water
Hot Jupiters, exoplanets around the same size as Jupiter that orbit very closely to their stars, often have cloud or haze layers in their atmospheres. This may prevent space telescopes from detecting atmospheric water that lies beneath the clouds, according to a study in the Astrophysical Journal. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Full… Read more“Cloudy Days on Exoplanets May Hide Atmospheric Water”
Hubble Discovers Moon Orbiting the Dwarf Planet Makemake
Peering to the outskirts of our solar system, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a small, dark moon orbiting Makemake, the second brightest icy dwarf planet — after Pluto — in the Kuiper Belt. The moon — provisionally designated S/2015 (136472) 1 and nicknamed MK 2 — is more than… Read more“Hubble Discovers Moon Orbiting the Dwarf Planet Makemake”