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Space News

  • The FERMI Space Telescope. Today, August 26, 2008, NASA revealed first light images and announced a new name for its latest space telescope. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/26aug_firstlight.htm?list2471

  • Noctilucent clouds: A NASA Story.  High above Earth, astronauts on board the International Space Station have taken one of the best-ever photos of electric-blue noctilucent clouds. Their image, featured in today's story from Science@NASA, highlights a growing mystery: Where do these clouds come from and why are they spreading? FULL STORY at NASA http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/25aug_nlc.htm?list2471

  • Solar Sails: A NASA Story. Have you ever stared up at the night sky, felt a gentle breeze, and wished you could set sail for the stars? Get in line. Many great thinkers from history have had the same idea. This long-held fancy could soon become reality with one solar sail mission on the drawing board and another already on the launching pad, slated to blast off this summer. FULL STORY at NASA http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/31jul_solarsails.htm?list2471

  • Solar Eclipse: This Friday, August 1, 2008, millions of people in China will witness a well-publicized total eclipse of the sun. Less widely reported is the partial eclipse, which *billions* of people across a quarter of the globe can observe and enjoy. Today's story from Science@NASA explores the delights of partiality. FULL STORY at NASA: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/29jul_solareclipse.htm?list2471

  • Lunar rocks reveal signs of water!  The Los Angeles Times (7/10, Hansen) reports that "A new analysis of volcanic glass recovered from the moon decades ago found the rocks contain traces of the constituents of water, challenging a long-held notion that the moon is perfectly dry." This discovery suggests that there was, and still could be, water deep inside the moon! Let's find out more at www.space.com/news  

  • A Telescope made of Moondust! NASA Science News for July 9, 2008:   Mix moondust with epoxy, add a dash of carbon nanotubes, and spin. The result? A parabolic mirror perfectly suited for a giant lunar observatory. A NASA-supported scientist has discovered this new recipe for making telescopes out of moondust, and to prove it works he has spun a "moondust mirror" here on Earth. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/09jul_moonscope.htm?list2471

  • Voyager reveals the shape of the Solar System. Today S. Borenstein reports on the discovery by Voyager 2 that the heliosphere is "dented" and not round like scientists had assumed. "Voyager 2 hit the southern edge of the Solar System nearly 1 billion miles closer to the Sun than Voyager 1 did to the north." Read on: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080702/ap_on_sc/sci_solar_system_3;_ylt=AlWCFc.3GYkkOJyfg13ecp3lmlUA

  • According to New Scientist, "Hubble captured a close-up of the remnant of a supernova that exploded in the Milky Way on 1 May 1006.". The article notes that "the explosion is one of the brightest in recorded history and was visible with the naked eye." It shows a composite image made from the visible light emited by hydrogen atoms in the remnant.  Go to the article: http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14241-hubble-snaps-ghostly-ribbon-of-light.html

  • This summer, NASA engineers will try to realize a dream older than the Space Age itself: the deployment of a working solar sail in Earth orbit. The sail is NanoSail-D and it is scheduled for launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket on July 29, 2008.  FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/26jun_nanosaild.htm?list2471

  • Martian soil could potentially support plant life!  Among other news on Thursday, June 26, 2008, an ABC World News story reported: "Tonight, NASA scientists say they are flabbergasted...by new evidence about life on Mars. The intriguing findings come from the Phoenix Lander, which has already discovered ice on the red planet." Soil analysis conducted by the Phoenix lander "shows that Mars dirt is pretty much like what you find in your backyard, apparently with nutrients that could support life."                                                                                               Meanwhile, the Houston Chronicle today added that, "The soil Phoenix analyzed next to its north pole landing site has the right chemistry and mineral nutrients to grow green beans, turnips and asparagus." Imagine, the martian soil may be good to grow the vegetables to feed future explorers! The terraforming of Mars is now more feasible than ever.

  • Google launches new space race to the Moon. Full story at: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/06/20/google.lunar.xprize/index.html

  • In 1967, Surveyor 3 landed on the Moon. Two years later, Apollo astronauts visited the little unmanned spacecraft and brought pieces of it home to Earth. Now, a portion of Surveyor's robotic arm, the scoop it used to sample moondust, is teaching researchers some long-lost secrets.      FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/20jun_apollorelic.htm?list2471

  • Water found on Mars! Today NASA released a photo of a trench dug by Phoenix that shows white "chunks" that have disappeared over time, leading scientists to believe the chunck are ice. Visit JPL site for more info: www.jpl.nasa.gov

  • Sometimes you just can't believe your eyes. This week is one of those times. Check out the full Moon on June 18th and prepare to be deceived! FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/16jun_moonillusion.htm?list2471

  • Phoenix lander transmits detailed images of Martian soil.  Visit JPL for more http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/phoenix/main.php

  • NASA Science News for June 10, 2008: NASA has a daring new mission on the drawing board: Solar Probe Plus, a spacecraft tough enough to visit the sun itself. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/10jun_solarprobe.htm?list2471
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  • NASA Science News for May 29, 2008: NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found a bizarre ring of material around the magnetic remains of a star that blasted itself to smithereens. Although rings and spheres of material are common in the universe, this one is not quite like any ring astronomers have seen before. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/29may_magnetar.htm?list2471
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  • NASA Science News for May 25, 2008: NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed on Mars Sunday, May 25th, to begin three months of examining an arctic site chosen for its likelihood of having frozen water within reach of the lander's robotic arm. Check today's story for details of the landing and first pictures beamed back from the landing site. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/25may_phoenix2.htm?list2471
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  • NASA Science News for May 22, 2008: Gravitationally speaking, the moon is a strange place. Satellites in lunar orbit feel odd, sideways tugs and sometimes end up nose down in the moondust. Astronauts standing in the middle of lunar lava seas weigh more than they do standing on the shore. A new NASA mission named GRAIL aims to map the moon's quirky gravity field and thus pave the way for future exploration. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/22may_grail.htm?list2471
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  • Space Weather News for May 18, 2008: The 2008 "ISS Marathon" gets underway this week when the International Space Station spends three days (May 21-23) in almost-constant sunlight. Sky watchers in Europe and North America can see the bright spaceship gliding overhead two to four times each night.  The ISS is as bright as Venus or Jupiter, so even people in light-polluted cities can see it.  Please use our new and improved simple Satellite Tracker to find out when to look:
    http://spaceweather.com/flybys

    SPACE STATION MOVIE: Today's edition of spaceweather.com features a must-see movie of the International Space Station flying over Germany on May 12th.  Although it looks like footage from a satellite or high-powered telescope, the movie was made by an amateur astronomer using a backyard 5-inch refractor.  As a result of ongoing construction (every shuttle flight in recent months has added a new
    piece to the ISS), the space station is now a wide and easy target for amateur-class telescopes.  Catch the show at http://spaceweather.com.

  • NASA Science News for May 13, 2008: NASA's Phoenix lander is getting ready to touch down on Mars and begin an unprecedented investigation of the Red Planet's arctic realm.  FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/13may_phoenix.htm?list2471

          Let's celebrate the landing of the Phoenix Mars Lander on May 25!

Copyright by Dora Musielak