The Galileo program seeks to bridge the precision fiber optic controls and long-baseline astronomical interferometry technical communities to enable faster imaging of objects in geosynchronous orbit. By harnessing the power of flexible fiber optics, researchers aim to create a new means of better, faster imaging of objects in GEO.
NASA's GPM Cold-season Precipitation Experiment will measure light rain and snow in Ontario from Jan. 17 to Feb. 29 using an airborne science laboratory, simulating the measurements to be taken by the planned GPM Core satellite in 2014.
Researchers have discovered two new planets, Kepler-34b and Kepler-35b, orbiting a binary star system using data from NASA's Kepler mission. The low-density gas giants are comparable in size to Jupiter but much less massive, with Kepler-34 being about 24% smaller and Kepler-35 being about 26% smaller.
The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) is measuring radiation levels on NASA's next rover mission to Mars. RAD characterizes the radiation environment astronauts would experience during a future human mission to Mars.
Researchers have found a body of liquid water on Europa, similar to the North American Great Lakes, which could support life. The newly discovered lake is covered by floating ice shelves that facilitate nutrient and energy transfer between the surface and a vast ocean below.
The NRL-developed MIGHTI satellite instrument is part of the ICON mission to study the Earth's ionosphere and its impact on communications. The ICON mission aims to understand the extreme variability in the ionosphere, which can interfere with signals.
The 520-day Mars Mission simulated prolonged operational confinement on a six-member international crew, collecting over 4.5 million minutes of actiwatch data to evaluate the impact on sleep patterns and mental health. The study's findings will help scientists mitigate potential problems for future long-duration space missions.
The University of New Hampshire will provide instruments for the ESA's Solar Orbiter and JAXA's SCOPE missions. The Solar Orbiter will study the Sun's influence on its environment, while the SCOPE mission will investigate magnetosphere processes and solar flares.
Scientists are flying a suite of scientific instruments over Antarctica's land and sea ice to study changes in key features like Pine Island Glacier. The mission aims to build a record of change and understand how ice sheets contribute to sea-level rise.
A British engineering team is embarking on a scientific mission to collect water and sediment samples from a subglacial lake in Antarctica. The 'deep-field' research mission aims to find new forms of microbial life and provide clues about the Earth's past climate, with potential implications for understanding the evolution of life on o...
The European Space Agency (ESA) will collaborate with NASA on the Solar Orbiter mission, a spacecraft designed to study the powerful influence of the sun. The mission aims to understand how solar activity affects Earth's magnetic environment and potentially damaging satellites.
The MESSENGER mission has provided unprecedented data on Mercury's magnetic field, revealing a host of firsts, including evidence of widespread flood volcanism and direct measurements of its surface composition. The study sheds light on the planet's global magnetic field geometry and its interaction with solar wind.
The primary structure of NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission has been completed, marking a significant milestone in the project. The spacecraft will undergo static load testing before propulsion subsystem integration begins.
Astronomers at Yale University have discovered the first two potential exoplanets found by Planet Hunters users analyzing real scientific data from NASA's Kepler mission. The candidate planets orbit their host stars with periods ranging from 10 to 50 days and radii that range in size from two-and-a-half to eight times Earth's radius.
Researchers studying seaweed-eating fish and coral reef health may develop new methods to manage seaweed growth. The study aims to determine which mix of fish can control the most damaging seaweeds and protect corals.
Tropical Storm Lee caused massive rainfall across central Louisiana, Mississippi, and northern Alabama, with some areas receiving over 250 mm. The TRMM satellite's TMPA analysis showed heavy rains extending inland from the Gulf of Mexico, with Chattanooga Tennessee breaking its all-time 24-hour rainfall record.
The first manned mission to Mars poses significant challenges in provisioning astronauts with food, including weight, nutrition, and psychological factors. Bioregenerative systems that involve growing crops could supply food, oxygen, and purify air, while shipping bulk commodities is another option.
A team of researchers at the University of Warwick has found a solution to a 40-year-old problem in understanding solar wind turbulence. By analyzing data from the Cluster mission and creating a virtual model, they discovered that turbulence is not affected by the direction of travel of the solar wind, resolving a long-standing issue.
A Woods Hole team joins forces with NOAA to map and survey shipwrecks off North Carolina, a critical piece of WWII history. The mission aims to create detailed 3D images of wrecks using ROVs and dive teams, providing insights into the marine environment and potential new discoveries.
The NASA National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) has successfully completed its most comprehensive end-to-end compatibility test. The NPP satellite contains a suite of five sensors that will make measurements to continue producing key data products about Earth.
The Juno mission aims to resolve unanswered questions about the massive planet and its evolution. By analyzing microwave signals passing through Jupiter's atmosphere, scientists hope to understand how much water exists there.
The Juno Mission aims to study the origin and evolution of Jupiter, helping scientists understand planetary formation and the solar system. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times, measuring magnetic activity and water content in its atmosphere.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is preparing for suborbital flights with its astronaut payload specialists, aiming to develop commercial human spaceflight. The team has completed required FAA flight physicals and experiment payloads, and will wear a mission patch symbolizing the project.
The University of Tennessee is part of a $800 million NASA mission to collect samples from asteroid 1999 RQ36, which may hold clues to the origin of life. The mission aims to investigate organic molecules and water on the asteroid, potentially hazardous to Earth.
Two NASA probes, part of the THEMIS mission, will map the lunar surface and its magnetic field. The ARTEMIS mission aims to acquire a full 3D view of the moon's magnetic fields and surrounding environment.
A team of experts developed a high-tech, portable device to test soil for carcinogenic pollutants, providing fast and accurate results. The Safe Soil Tester can detect toxins in as little as 12 minutes, offering significant cost savings over traditional lab testing.
CU-Boulder alumni played a significant role in NASA's space shuttle program, with 16 astronauts flying on 40 missions. The university also contributed to numerous scientific experiments and instruments, including those for the Hubble Space Telescope.
Researchers on the final space shuttle mission are conducting an experiment to prevent bone loss in astronauts. The study uses mice as a model, exposing them to microgravity and testing a novel agent that blocks sclerostin, a protein involved in bone formation.
The Genesis mission analysis shows differences in oxygen and nitrogen isotopes between the sun and rocky inner planets, including Earth. These findings suggest that the solar system's formation was more complex than previously thought.
The ARTEMIS P1 spacecraft has entered lunar orbit after a two-year journey that relied on gravity boosts and minimal fuel. Engineers closely monitor the spacecraft's position, preparing for further adjustments.
The University of Houston's Center for Life Sciences Technology has received a $300,000 state grant to continue and expand its research-based education programs in biotechnology. The grant will support the center's mission to provide innovative interdisciplinary training to aspiring professionals and industry workers.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute engineer Cynthia Collins will study the effects of microgravity on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The research aims to understand how biofilms form in space, which could help protect astronauts from infections.
The Genesis mission has provided the first oxygen and nitrogen isotopic measurements of the Sun, showing significant differences from those on Earth. These results suggest that the solar system was formed through a complex process, with different astrophysical mechanisms contributing to the composition of space dust.
The DARPA System F6 program has chosen SwRI's wireless communications solution to validate a fractionated spacecraft architecture. This approach replaces traditional spacecraft designs with individual nodes connected wirelessly to support mission goals.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has successfully completed its one-year exploration mission, providing unprecedented detail of the moon's surface and subsurface. The orbiter's instruments have captured over 192 terabytes of data, including the most precise topographic maps to date of the moon's complex landscape.
University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist Don Hampton analyzed the comet Hartley 2's nucleus, revealing a dynamic mass of ice and dust emitting gases through cracks. This research provides valuable insights into the composition and unique behavior of comets, shedding light on their role in the solar system's history.
The EPOXI mission discovered that Hartley 2's strong activity in water release and carbon dioxide-powered jets occurred mainly at the ends of the comet, with most occurring at the small end. The study suggests that material in the waist region is likely redeposited material from the ends.
A CU-Boulder team will participate in the OSIRIS-REx mission, which aims to map and collect samples from a primitive asteroid. The mission is expected to provide insights into the formation of the solar system and potentially shed light on the origins of life.
A UCF scientist is part of a historic mission to retrieve the first-ever sample from an asteroid in orbit. The team will navigate unusual gravity fields and rotate quickly to land on the asteroid, collecting pristine space rock for insights into Earth's origins.
The OSIRIS-REx mission aims to study the asteroid 1999 RQ36, a primitive near-Earth object that contains original material from the solar nebula. The mission will return samples to Earth in 2023, providing insights into the solar system's formation and potential biosignatures.
The OSIRIS-REx mission will explore the asteroid 1999 RQ36 for over a year, collecting pristine organic material that may have seeded life on Earth. The returned samples will provide geologic context essential to expanding our understanding of the solar system and likely organic molecules.
NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute's MASPEX mass spectrometer for technology development funding to analyze comets and improve understanding of their origin. The instrument is expected to excel in identifying isotopes in low-density populations and provide valuable insights into the origin of life.
Physicists have found that supersolid helium has liquid-like characteristics, contradicting previous assumptions of a solid state. The researchers attribute this behavior to moving defects in the crystal structure, which relax at higher temperatures.
A new analysis of NASA's Galileo data confirms the existence of a molten magma layer on Jupiter's moon Io, explaining its intense volcanic activity and shedding light on the Earth and moon's formation. The 'ocean' of magma is estimated to be 30 miles thick and features blistering temperatures of over 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scientists use a field campaign to study convective clouds and their role in generating significant rainfall. The Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) combines data from various sources to better understand precipitation physics and improve satellite algorithms.
Astronomers have updated the census of sun-like stars with data from NASA's Kepler Mission, detecting changes in brightness in 500 stars. This provides a much better understanding of the stars' properties and their evolution, allowing for detailed measurements of star basics such as mass and age.
The Kepler spacecraft provides clear views of changes in star brightness, allowing astronomers to probe a star's core and determine its density and chemistry. The mission helps understand the life cycle of red giant stars, including whether they burn hydrogen or helium in the core.
Operation IceBridge studies changes in Arctic polar ice, glaciers, and sea ice to understand the effects of climate change. The mission aims to monitor ice sheet trends and track changes in glacier mass loss.
CU-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics designed an $8.7 million instrument onboard MESSENGER, which will help solve mysteries about Mercury's hot surface and atmosphere. The mission aims to better understand planetary systems and formation, with dozens of students involved in analyzing data.
The LRO mission has released a comprehensive collection of data, including global maps with resolutions as low as 100 meters per pixel. The dataset includes more than 192 terabytes of raw information, equivalent to approximately 41,000 typical DVDs.
The European Space Agency has approved a £400 million mission to study extra-solar planets, led by UCL, to look for signs of life in nearby star systems. The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) will use a 1.2 meter telescope to analyze the atmospheres of habitable planets and search for biomarkers.
The Total Irradiance Monitor instrument on Glory will study short- and long-term fluctuations in the sun's energy output, influencing Earth's climate. A tiny CU-Boulder satellite, Hermes, also launched on Taurus XL, aims to improve communications systems in tiny satellites.
The Stardust-NExT mission will allow scientists to study the surface of comet Tempel 1 before and after its orbit around the sun, comparing findings with previous probe data. The spacecraft's Dust Flux Monitor Instrument will also collect photographs of a crater left on Tempe 1 by a Deep Impact probe.
MESSENGER's successful entry into Mercury's orbit marks a major milestone in understanding the planet's origin, composition, and geological history. The spacecraft has captured stunning images of Mercury's previously unexplored hemisphere, revealing its intricate details.
Glory will measure aerosols and solar energy in Earth's atmosphere to refine climate models. The satellite carries two primary instruments: Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS) and Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM), which will collect data for at least three years.
The Planck satellite mission has provided unprecedented all-sky coverage of cosmic dust, offering insights into dust evolution in different environments. The data will help researchers understand the complex history of our universe and its present form.
The Cassini mission has discovered an oxygen atmosphere on Saturn's moon Rhea, which is extremely thin and sustained by high-energy particles bombarding its icy surface. The formation of oxygen and carbon dioxide could be a pre-requisite for life, with complex chemistry potentially common throughout the solar system.
Scientists from the University of Maryland's EPOXI mission have discovered that dry ice is the 'jet' fuel for comets, including Hartley 2. The discovery reveals that solar heating of subsurface frozen carbon dioxide is powering the comet's jets, which are rich in CO2 gas and particles of dust and ice.
The NASA Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) mission has been extended for the fourth time to study the upper atmosphere. The mission will focus on differentiating between human-induced and naturally occurring changes in this atmospheric region, allowing scientists to understand long-term trends.
The UMD-led EPOXI spacecraft flew by comet Hartley 2 at a distance of 435 miles, collecting never-before-seen images that will help scientists understand the composition and diversity of comets. The mission aims to learn more about the origin and history of our solar system by studying the material from comets.