An international team of astronomers has identified a candidate for the smallest-known black hole using data from NASA’s Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The evidence comes from a specific type of X-ray pattern, nicknamed a “heartbeat” because of its resemblance to an electrocardiogram. The pattern until now has been recorded… Read more“NASA’s RXTE Detects ‘Heartbeat’ of Smallest Black Hole Candidate”
NASA, Industry Leaders Discuss New Booster Development for Space Launch System
On Dec. 15, more than 120 aerospace industry leaders from more than 70 companies attended the Space Launch System’s Advanced Booster Industry Day held at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The event focused on a NASA Research Announcement for the Space Launch System’s (SLS) advanced booster. Marshall is… Read more“NASA, Industry Leaders Discuss New Booster Development for Space Launch System”
Mars Science Laboratory Mission Status Report: Course Excellent, Adjustment Postponed
Mission Status Report PASADENA, Calif. – Excellent launch precision for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission has forestalled the need for an early trajectory correction maneuver, now not required for a month or more. That first of six planned course adjustments during the 254-day journey from Earth to Mars had originally… Read more“Mars Science Laboratory Mission Status Report: Course Excellent, Adjustment Postponed”
Preparing to Send Humans Deeper Into the Solar System Than Ever Before
Orion Continues to Make a Splash 12.02.11 Click to enlarge The seventh Orion test article drop test at the Hydro Impact Basin, December 1, 2011. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith Testing continues at NASA Langley Research Center as the 18,000-pound (8,164.6 kg) Orion test article took its seventh splash into the Hydro… Read more“Preparing to Send Humans Deeper Into the Solar System Than Ever Before”
Herschel Space Observatory Finds Oceans of Water in Disk of Nearby Star
PASADENA, Calif. — Using data from the Herschel Space Observatory, astronomers have detected for the first time cold water vapor enveloping a dusty disk around a young star. The findings suggest that this disk, which is poised to develop into a solar system, contains great quantities of water, suggesting that… Read more“Herschel Space Observatory Finds Oceans of Water in Disk of Nearby Star”
Arctic Sea Ice Continues Decline, Hits 2nd-Lowest Level
Last month the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean declined to the second-lowest extent on record. Satellite data from NASA and the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado in Boulder showed that the summertime sea ice cover narrowly avoided a… Read more“Arctic Sea Ice Continues Decline, Hits 2nd-Lowest Level”
The first global map of the salinity, or saltiness, of Earth’s ocean surface produced by NASA’s new Aquarius instrument reveals a rich tapestry of global salinity patterns, demonstrating Aquarius’ ability to resolve large-scale salinity distribution features clearly and with sharp contrast. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL-Caltech Aquarius Yields NASA’s First Global Map of Ocean Salinity
PASADENA, Calif. – NASA’s new Aquarius instrument has produced its first global map of the salinity of the ocean surface, providing an early glimpse of the mission’s anticipated discoveries. Aquarius, which is aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D (Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas) observatory, is making NASA’s first space observations of ocean surface salinity… Read more“The first global map of the salinity, or saltiness, of Earth’s ocean surface produced by NASA’s new Aquarius instrument reveals a rich tapestry of global salinity patterns, demonstrating Aquarius’ ability to resolve large-scale salinity distribution features clearly and with sharp contrast. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL-Caltech Aquarius Yields NASA’s First Global Map of Ocean Salinity”