After completing the STS-135 mission, space shuttle Atlantis is rolled over to the Orbiter Processing Facility shortly after landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility. Atlantis and the STS-135 crew completed a 13-day mission to the International Space Station and the final flight of the Space Shuttle… Read more“Completing the Mission”
Spitzer Sees Spider Web of Stars
Those aren’t insects trapped in a spider’s web — they’re stars in our own Milky Way galaxy, lying between us and another spiral galaxy called IC 342. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope captured this picture in infrared light, revealing the galaxy’s bright patterns of dust. At a distance of about… Read more“Spitzer Sees Spider Web of Stars”
Astronomers Find Largest, Most Distant Reservoir of Water
Two teams of astronomers have discovered the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever detected in the universe. The water, equivalent to 140 trillion times all the water in the world’s ocean, surrounds a huge, feeding black hole, called a quasar, more than 12 billion light-years away. “The environment… Read more“Astronomers Find Largest, Most Distant Reservoir of Water”
What’s Next for NASA?
“As a former astronaut and the current NASA Administrator, I’m here to tell you that American leadership in space will continue for at least the next half-century because we have laid the foundation for success — and failure is not an option.” Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator National Press Club,… Read more“What’s Next for NASA?”
NASA’s Next Mars Rover to Land at Gale Crater
PASADENA, Calif. — NASA’s next Mars rover will land at the foot of a layered mountain inside the planet’s Gale crater. The car-sized Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity, is scheduled to launch late this year and land in August 2012. The target crater spans 96 miles (154 kilometers)… Read more“NASA’s Next Mars Rover to Land at Gale Crater”
Recalculating the Distance to Interstellar Space
Scientists analyzing recent data from NASA’s Voyager and Cassini spacecraft have calculated that Voyager 1 could cross over into the frontier of interstellar space at any time and much earlier than previously thought. The findings are detailed in this week’s issue of the journal Nature. Data from Voyager’s low-energy charged… Read more“Recalculating the Distance to Interstellar Space”
Dawn Captures Video on Approach to Asteroid Vesta
PASADENA, Calif. – Scientists working with NASA’s Dawn spacecraft have created a new video showing the giant asteroid Vesta as the spacecraft approaches this unexplored world in the main asteroid belt. The video loops 20 images obtained for navigation purposes on June 1. The images show a dark feature near… Read more“Dawn Captures Video on Approach to Asteroid Vesta”