Space Exploration news

Cassini's Big Sky: The View from the Center of Our Solar System

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

7 hours ago | 4.9 / 5 (7) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- When NASA's Cassini spacecraft began orbiting Saturn five years ago, a dozen highly-tuned science instruments set to work surveying, sniffing, analyzing and scrutinizing the Saturnian system.

Before Darkness Falls: Cassini to Scan Enceladus on Winter's Cusp

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

8 hours ago | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft will fly by Saturn's moon Enceladus this weekend for a last peek at the intriguing "tiger stripes" before winter darkness blankets the area for several years.

Planet 51 Star Brings NASA's Message of Exploration Down to Earth

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

2 hours ago | not rated yet | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Actor Dwayne Johnson, usually known for his action and comedic film roles, takes to the stars as an astronaut in a new animated feature that brings important messages about the importance of space exploration ...

SMOS satellite instrument comes alive (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

The MIRAS instrument on ESA's SMOS satellite, launched earlier this month, has been switched on and is operating normally. MIRAS will map soil moisture and ocean salinity to improve our understanding of the ...

Second Planned Extrication Drive is Straight Ahead Again

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | 3.8 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Because the first extrication drive for Spirit, on Sol 2088 (Nov. 17), stopped as soon as it began due to an exceeded tilt limit, the plan for an extrication drive on Sol 2090 (Nov. 19) wil ...

NASA Supercomputer Ranks Among World's Fastest

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 19, 2009 | 4 / 5 (3) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's premiere supercomputer located at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has garnered the sixth spot on the Top500 list of the world's most powerful computers.

Shuttle docks at space station, unloads parts (Update 2)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 18, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

(AP) -- Space shuttle Atlantis arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday for a weeklong stay, and the astronauts quickly unloaded a huge platform full of spare parts needed to keep the outpost ...

Meteor showers in Asia disappoint

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 18, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

(AP) -- Thousands of stargazers across Asia stayed awake overnight to catch a glimpse of what was advertised as an intense Leonid meteor shower, but the show fizzled rather than sizzled for many because of ...

NASA and Microsoft Allow Earthlings to Become Martians

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 17, 2009 | 5 / 5 (5) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA and Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash., have collaborated to create a Web site where Internet users can have fun while advancing their knowledge of Mars.

Tilt Parameters End First Extrication Drive for Spirit

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 17, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The preliminary results from the first extrication drive for Spirit on Sol 2088 (Nov. 17, 2009) indicate the rover stopped less than 1 second after it began, sensing more vehicle lateral tilt ...

Astronauts inspect space shuttle in case of damage

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 17, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1

(AP) -- Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts scoured their ship Tuesday for any signs of launch damage while pursuing the International Space Station.

COBE Satellite Marks 20th Anniversary

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 17, 2009 | 3.5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite rocketed into Earth orbit on Nov. 18, 1989, and quickly revolutionized our understanding of the early cosmos. Developed and built at Goddard ...

Swirling clouds over the South Pacific

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 17, 2009 | 3.8 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Rosetta's OSIRIS imaging system spotted an anticyclone over the South Pacific on the morning of 13 November. The images show the scene roughly as a human eye would see it.

Ghostly 'Spokes' Puff Out From Saturn's Ring's (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 16, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (6) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Massive, bright clouds of tiny ice particles hover above the darkened rings of Saturn in an image captured by the Cassini spacecraft on Sept. 22, 2009, around the time of Saturn's equinox. ...

NASA 'Drops' Next Generation Robotic Lander During Autonomous Tests

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 16, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (10) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA has successfully completed a series of autonomous "drop" tests of a robotic lander test article - in a record 10 months - to demonstrate the ability to perform a controlled landing on ...

Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off on supply mission

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 16, 2009 | 3.5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Space shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew began an 11-day delivery flight to the International Space Station on Monday with a 2:28 p.m. EST launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in ...

Dawn Enters Asteroid Belt -- For Good

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 16, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (7) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft re-entered our solar system's asteroid belt today, Nov. 13, and this time it will stay there.

Taking a Bite of Antarctic Ice

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Nov 16, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 1

Scientists with NASA’s IceBite project are heading this week for University Valley, a hanging valley perched more than 1600 feet (more than 1 mile) above sea level in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys. Their ...