Bill Nelson came to NASA to do two things, and he’s all out of bubblegum
Working with Congress? "It's easy as pie." Enlarge / NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has been a steady hand for the space agency. (credit: NASA) Not for the first time, I was wrong. And heading into an interview earlier t.....»»
NASA terminal transmits first laser communications uplink to space
NASA's LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal), a ground station made of modified commercial hardware, has transmitted its first laser communications uplink to the TBIRD (TeraByte Infrared Delivery), a tissue box-sized payload formerly in low Earth orbit......»»
Hubble and New Horizons offer dual perspectives on Uranus to inform exoplanet research
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft simultaneously set their sights on Uranus recently, allowing scientists to make a direct comparison of the planet from two very different viewpoints. The results inform future plans to study l.....»»
NASA announces a new class of space missions: Probe explorers
NASA has sent a whole host of spacecraft across the solar system and even beyond. They range from crewed ships to orbit and to the moon to robotic explorers. Among them are a range of mission classes from Flagships to Discovery Class programs. Now a.....»»
Scientists long urged NASA to search for signs of life near Jupiter; now it"s happening
In 2015, Bill Nye was on Marine One with President Obama......»»
Polar jet stream could reveal Saturn"s rotational period
A hexagon-shaped atmospheric phenomenon first spotted on Saturn by Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 has intrigued scientists since the 1980s. More recently, NASA's Cassini mission has periodically observed the hexagon and its embedded strong eastward jet that.....»»
NASA"s Roman space telescope"s "exoskeleton" whirls through major test
A major component of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope just took a spin on the centrifuge at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Called the Outer Barrel Assembly, this piece of the observatory is designed to keep the tel.....»»
Anti-glitches detected in gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1522-5735
By analyzing the data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Russian astronomers have detected anti-glitches in a gamma-ray pulsar designated PSR J1522-5735. The discovery, published September 28 on the pre-print server arXiv, makes PSR J1522-5.....»»
SpaceX launches Hera asteroid mission, but delays Europa Clipper because of Hurricane Milton
SpaceX returned to flight with its Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, sending up the Hera probe for the European Space Agency on its way to a pair of asteroids, but SpaceX and NASA have called off plans to launch the Falcon Heavy later this week on NASA's Eu.....»»
Perseverance team revives SHERLOC instrument to help with Jezero crater discovery
In January 2024, the SHERLOC instrument aboard NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover encountered a significant issue. A fault in the instrument's motor caused the dust cover and autofocus mechanism to become inoperative, putting the rover's SHERLOC Ram.....»»
Curiosity rover provides new insights into how Mars became uninhabitable
NASA's Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale crater on Mars, is providing new details about how the ancient Martian climate went from potentially suitable for life—with evidence for widespread liquid water on the surface—to a surface that is.....»»
SpaceX launches Europe’s Hera asteroid mission ahead of Hurricane Milton
The launch of another important mission, NASA's Europa Clipper, is on hold due to Hurricane Milton. Two years ago, a NASA spacecraft smashed into a small asteroid millions of mile.....»»
An ace photographer is about to leave the ISS. Here are his best shots
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick has been sharing some awesome photos and videos taken during his first visit to the International Space Station......»»
NASA scrubs Thursday’s launch of Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter moon
An approaching hurricane has forced NASA and SpaceX to call off Thursday's planned launch of the highly anticipated Europa Clipper mission......»»
NASA"s Europa Clipper spacecraft will investigate whether an icy moon of Jupiter can support alien life
Discovering extraterrestrial life would be one of the most profound scientific and philosophical revelations that our species has ever made. But such a big discovery won't come easy. Our starting point is to first search other worlds for signs of hab.....»»
Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time, but designing the reactors that would power them isn"t easy
NASA plans to send crewed missions to Mars over the next decade—but the 140 million-mile (225 million-kilometer) journey to the red planet could take several months to years round trip......»»
NASA can now talk to its spacecraft using lasers
NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications test has completed its first phase, showing that laser communications in space are possible and faster than radio......»»
NASA can talk to its spacecraft using lasers now
NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications test has completed its first phase, showing that laser communications in space are possible and faster than radio......»»
NASA turns off another of Voyager 2’s instruments to save power
The Voyager spacecraft, launched in the 1970s, has turned off its plasma science instrument to save power for exploring interstellar space......»»
A NASA Mars rover has a giant hole in one of its wheels
The wheels on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover are falling apart, but the plucky rover keeps on rolling......»»
NASA is working on a plan to replace its space station, but time is running out
"Initially, Congress almost treated the program as a joke." The next year is crucial for the future of NASA and its plans to extend human activity in low-Earth orbit. For the firs.....»»