NASA’s decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. Sept. 24, 20 years and nine days after its launch on a 14-year mission that produced some of the first long-term records of chemicals in the atmosphere. The precise… Read more“NASA’s UARS Re-enters Earth’s Atmosphere”
NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars
The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA’s Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet — a planet orbiting two stars — 200 light-years from Earth. Unlike… Read more“NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars”
Origin of Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Remains a Mystery
PASADENA, Calif. — Observations from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission indicate the family of asteroids some believed was responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs is not likely the culprit, keeping open the case on one of Earth’s greatest mysteries. While scientists are confident a large asteroid crashed… Read more“Origin of Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Remains a Mystery”
NASA’s Chandra Finds Nearest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered the first pair of supermassive black holes in a spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way. Approximately 160 million light years from Earth, the pair is the nearest known such phenomenon. The black holes are located near the center of the spiral… Read more“NASA’s Chandra Finds Nearest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes”
Socializing Science With Smartphones in Space
Icon for SpaceLab for iOS app. (Courtesy of Odyssey Space Research) View large image Screenshot of SpaceLab for iOS app. (Courtesy of Odyssey Space Research) View large image One may think that participation with the International Space Station would be restricted to an exclusive club of high ranking officials and… Read more“Socializing Science With Smartphones in Space”
Voyage to Vaccine Discovery Continues with Space Station Salmonella Study
Any scientist can tell you that research is a time-consuming pursuit. In fact, it can take decades to show results, as the knowledge compounds and inspires additional studies. This building of information is what led to the Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine or RASV investigation, which launched to the International… Read more“Voyage to Vaccine Discovery Continues with Space Station Salmonella Study”
Juno Set to Launch For Jupiter on Aug. 5
NASA’s Jupiter-Bound Juno Spacecraft Mated to its Rocket 07.27.11 NASA’s Juno spacecraft passes in front of Jupiter in this artist’s depiction. The Juno mission is the first of NASA’s three planetary missions launching this year, making 2011 one of the busiest ever in planetary exploration. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech ›… Read more“Juno Set to Launch For Jupiter on Aug. 5”