The Herschel Space Observatory has revealed thousands of newly discovered galaxies in their early stages of formation, providing a detailed view of the universe up to 12 billion years ago. The images are helping astronomers detect distant galaxies that would have been impossible to discover with current ground-based telescopes.
The Goddard team designed and built five ExPRESS Logistics Carriers (ELCs) to deploy experiments in space without a separate satellite. The ELCs will also serve as parking fixtures for ISS hardware, streamlining future missions.
Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Florida have launched novel nanomaterials into space to test their wear resistance and conductivity. The materials, developed using advanced manufacturing techniques, are designed to perform better in extreme conditions, such as high temperatures and radiation.
The University of Colorado is launching a butterfly experiment on the International Space Station on November 16, monitoring the growth and development of monarch and painted lady butterflies in weightless conditions. Thousands of K-12 students across the nation will compare the results with similar experiments on Earth.
The ESA workshop explored the potential of space-based services to address Arctic challenges such as climate change, ocean traffic management, and environmental protection. Space assets can improve search and rescue operations, monitor sea ice and ocean changes, and facilitate sustainable development in the region.
Researchers are developing a new imaging technique to detect tissue damage in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy. Preliminary results show that the technique can identify changes in skin tissue days before severe reactions occur, potentially allowing for preventative treatment and improved patient outcomes.
A recent space experiment using the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope has provided evidence about the fundamental structure of space and time. The team confirmed aspects of Einstein's theories of gravity, which unite space and time in the concept of space-time.
New research suggests that prolonged space travel weakens human immune systems, making astronauts more susceptible to disease. The study also found that microorganisms such as bacteria can grow more rapidly in space conditions, increasing the risk of contamination and serious infection.
The FASTSAT mission will analyze the Earth's outer atmosphere with three NASA-built instruments: Thermosphere Temperature Imager (TTI), Mini-ME neutral atom imager, and Plasma and Impedence Spectrum Analyzer (PISA). The instruments will provide critical data for global space weather prediction, improving communication and navigation.
A new study published in Biological Psychiatry examined the role of GABA receptors in anxiety disorders, revealing that inserting GABA receptors into neurons in the amygdala increases inhibition and prevents fear extinction. This discovery provides evidence for molecular mechanisms behind cognitive and behavioral therapies.
Researchers develop ALICE, a frozen mixture of water and nanoscale aluminum powder, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional propellants. The new propellant could be used for launch, long-distance space missions, and hydrogen fuel cells.
In the early 1960s, a Harvard-educated surgeon and US Air Force General proposed testing women in space due to their lighter weight, lower heart rate, and fewer reproductive system issues. A total of 19 women were enrolled, with 68% passing the tests, earning them the nickname 'Mercury 13'. The data from these women's physiological tes...
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is developing a transparent coating that mimics the self-cleaning properties of the lotus plant to prevent dirt from sticking to space gear and bacteria from growing inside astronaut living quarters. The coating, made primarily from silica, zinc oxide, and other oxides, offers great potential for use ...
Researcher Rohit Trivedi conducts crystal growth experiments on the International Space Station using a mini lab called DECLIC. The goal is to understand how materials form crystals and how variations affect crystallization patterns, which govern material properties.
The University of Utah has developed a two-minute water quality monitoring method that uses a handheld color sensor to detect iodine or silver levels in drinking water. The system is designed to be simple, low-cost and safe for use on the International Space Station.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has announced its honorees for the AIAA Honors and Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in space automation and robotics, space operations and support, and space systems. The awards will be presented at the AIAA SPACE 2009 Conference and Exposition.
A team led by Robert Clauer aims to build a chain of space weather instrument stations in Antarctica to better understand the effects of space weather on Earth's technologies. The project will provide insights into space plasma physics and help predict space weather conditions.
The Constrained Vapor Bubble (CVB) experiment aims to understand heat and mass transfer operations in microgravity. It will provide valuable data for developing new cooling systems for spacecraft and electronics devices, as well as improving terrestrial heat transfer devices.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has released three white papers on US space policy, urging a fundamental reformulation based on Cold War-era mindsets. Experts emphasize the need for a new approach that prioritizes collaboration and equitable utilization of space for common benefit.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft has arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where it will undergo final testing before its anticipated November launch. The mission aims to study the sun in unprecedented detail and its effects on Earth, collecting 1.5 terabytes of data daily.
The SPIRE instrument package has successfully made its first observations, targeting two galaxies near the Milky Way. The telescope's high-resolution images will aid in studying the birth and development of galaxies, shedding light on star formation processes.
The University of Colorado at Boulder is developing a new communications technology called Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) with NASA, which will extend Earth's Internet into outer space and across the solar system. The technology enables automated future communications capabilities for lunar habitation and surface exploration.
The NASA and NOAA GOES-O satellite has successfully launched into space, enhancing weather forecasting and monitoring environmental events globally. The satellite will be renamed GOES-14 after a 24-day orbit adjustment and will provide vital data to the United States.
New Cornell University research links 1908 Tunguska explosion to comet entry, supported by NASA space shuttle exhaust plume. The study reveals a possible connection between the two events through noctilucent clouds, which are the Earth's highest clouds forming at high altitudes and in extremely cold temperatures.
The University of Leicester has launched G-STEP, a business-facing service that harnesses space technology for earth-bound benefits. Researchers are working with businesses and public sector organisations to provide value-added services exploiting environmental data from the GMES system.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a new ultra-dense memory chip that can store up to one trillion bits per square inch and retain data for over a billion years. The chip uses a crystalline iron nanoparticle shuttle enclosed within a multiwalled carbon nanotube.
A recent study of 17 astronauts found that more than three-quarters had no connection between space motion sickness and their headaches, leading researchers to call for a new secondary disorder classification. The study discovered that space headache is a common and often isolated disabling complaint during space flight.
The Aerospace Corporation successfully tested the latest generation of high-efficiency solar cells on a 6.4kg nanosatellite, transmitting 17MB of data during its 110-day mission. The satellite's performance was characterized as successful, with improved communication links and valuable insights into solar cell degradation.
Magnetic blast waves can pinpoint and predict the location where space storms dissipate energy, which is equivalent to 50 gigawatts of power or 10 large power stations. The eye of the storm is located in space beyond low-Earth orbits, providing advance warning of arrival.
The Herschel Space Observatory, launched by the European Space Agency, hosts a 3.5 meter diameter telescope and observes conditions in galaxy mergers and planetary system formation. NRL scientists will study these phenomena using the observatory's instruments.
The James Webb Space Telescope, a massive infrared space telescope, will unfold in space once it achieves orbit. The telescope, roughly 65 feet from end to end, has a sunshield the size of a tennis court and an 18-segment mirror that looks like a honeycomb.
The CU-Boulder instrument, part of NASA's Hubble Servicing mission, will probe the universe's evolution from its perch on the Hubble Space Telescope. Scientists aim to reconstruct the physical conditions and evolution of the early universe by gathering information from ultraviolet light.
The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has achieved significant milestones, including the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Solar Dynamic Observatory. The center is also working on future missions to study global precipitation, Mars' lost atmosphere, and dark energy.
A multidisciplinary study using NASA's electronic nose found that it can detect odour differences between normal and cancerous brain cells, opening up possibilities for new diagnosis and treatment methods. The device has shown promise in detecting cellular trafficking, brain cancer metastasis, and stem cell migration.
Florida Institute of Technology professors Ming Zhang and Hamid Rassoul receive a $411,000 NASA grant to investigate the physics of particle transport in the distant heliosphere. The IBEX spacecraft mission will observe particles from beyond Pluto's orbit, providing insights into cosmic rays and future human space travel.
The James Webb Space Telescope's first flight mirror segment has successfully completed its series of cryogenic temperature tests, a crucial step towards the telescope's launch in 2013. The mirrors will undergo further polishing and verification to achieve the required 20 nanometer accuracy.
The NIH-NASA partnership aims to facilitate biomedical research on the International Space Station, addressing pressing health questions through unique microgravity conditions. Biomedical experiments will focus on bone and muscle deterioration, infectious disease, cancer growth, and more, with the goal of improving human health on Earth.
A Purdue University researcher is helping shape plans for a new experiment on the space shuttle Discovery, which will collect data to control deadly friction and heating. The experiment aims to design more efficient spacecraft and hypersonic aircraft.
The James Webb Space Telescope's mirrors are made of beryllium, a light metal that withstands extreme temperatures and is highly reflective. The 18 hexagonal mirror segments will allow the telescope to see galaxies from 13 billion light-years away.
The GOES-O satellite has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center for final pre-launch testing, targeting a launch on April 28. The satellite will provide enhanced weather monitoring and forecast operations with improved image resolution and navigation accuracy.
Daniela Trani, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University Medical Center, has been selected as an NSBRI Postdoc Fellow to investigate the effects of space radiation exposure on human health. Her research aims to understand injury responses to space radiation-induced inflammatory signaling in cells.
Researchers at the Center for Food and Environmental Systems for Human Exploration of Space successfully grew sweet potato cuttings in microgravity, showing that they can regenerate roots. The study found significant differences in root growth development between microgravity and ground-based conditions.
Researchers aim to understand the structure and dynamics of the heliosphere using cosmic rays to probe its outer environment. The project has potential implications for space weather forecasting and keeping astronauts safe from hazardous space radiation.
Researchers are sending worms to the International Space Station to study muscle atrophy in zero gravity. The goal is to understand why astronauts experience dramatic muscle loss and potentially develop new treatments for muscle wasting diseases.
Researchers at the Salk Institute have developed a new glioblastoma mouse model that closely resembles human brain tumors. The model uses modified viruses to shuttle cancer-causing oncogenes into adult mice, allowing scientists to study the development and progression of glioblastoma.
The Hubble Space Telescope is set to undergo its fifth and final service mission, which will provide the telescope with a future as bright as its past despite being nearly 18 years into troubled beginnings. The repairs will upgrade instruments, replace gyroscopes and heat shields, and add new capabilities for deeper observations.
Researchers have discovered that manipulating salmonella bacteria in space can reduce their infectiousness. The study found that microgravity alters the expression of genes related to virulence, with pathogenic cells displaying a significant increase in disease potential.
The revolutionary Space-DRUMS system, installed on the International Space Station, uses acoustic levitation to position chemicals in zero-gravity without a container. This technology enables the production of ultra-pure materials, such as temperature-resistant ceramics used in plane and engine coatings.
The NSF CubeSat program represents a new 'low cost access to space' approach to performing high-quality science. Firefly will explore the relationship between lightning and Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs), with potential implications for understanding Earth's upper atmosphere and near-Earth space environment.
Astronauts on the International Space Station successfully performed remotely-guided sonograms using a ground-to-space communication system. The study's findings demonstrate the feasibility of sonography in microgravity environments and could lead to new applications in space medicine.
The NASA-designed Sunshield is made of a super-tough polymer-based film that can block the sun's energy while maintaining structural integrity. The telescope needs to be extremely cold to observe distant galaxies and stars in infrared light, and the Sunshield plays a crucial role in achieving this.
BioServe is launching two educational experiments involving butterflies and spiders on a space shuttle mission in November. The experiments will compare the life cycles of butterflies and spiders in space to those on Earth, with over 100 K-12 students from Colorado participating.
The James Webb Space Telescope model is on display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany until October 28, 2008. The model showcases the telescope's size and complexity, measuring 80 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 40 feet tall.
Undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Michigan will design and build a small CubeSat satellite, called Radio Aurora Explorer (RAX), to measure ionosphere energy flow. The mission aims to understand space weather processes, which can affect GPS signals and other space communication systems.
Scientists at National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) are developing an interactive, multi-media program to assist astronauts in recognizing and managing depression. The system, part of the Virtual Space Station, provides a straightforward process for problem-solving and goal-setting, with features including graphics, vide...
Richard Garriott will use special software 'Windows on Earth' to identify targets for scientific research and educational exploration during his trip to the International Space Station. The software, developed by TERC and the Association of Space Explorers, simulates a realistic view of the Earth from space.
Researchers found water bears can withstand extreme dehydration and cosmic radiation in space, but are harmed by ultraviolet radiation. Ingemar Jönsson's team discovered that water bears can repair DNA damage after exposure to space conditions.
Researchers have developed a new temperature-regulating film that can be applied to micro-spacecraft, allowing them to withstand extreme heat and cold in space. This breakthrough technology has the potential to enable cheaper and more efficient satellite launches, opening up new applications for communications and defense.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics will present five awards for key contributions to space science and technology during the AIAA SPACE 2008 Conference & Exposition. Notable recipients include Elon Musk, Michael A'Hearn, and the TacSat-2 Spacecraft Team.
The American Chemical Society has inducted 25 scientists into its Heroes of Chemistry hall of fame, including Bruce Roth, inventor of Lipitor, the world's largest selling drug. The honorees are being recognized for their groundbreaking research and contributions to humanity.