Researchers at UC Riverside have developed a reliable and accurate navigation system that exploits environmental signals like cellular and Wi-Fi to support autonomous vehicle development. The technology can be used as an alternative or complement to GPS-based systems, enabling consistent and tamper-proof navigation.
The CO2 Sounder Lidar is a strong contender for the ASCENDS mission, which aims to measure global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. The instrument uses advanced technologies, including a highly sensitive solid-state detector and a rapidly tuning laser system, to achieve unprecedented precision and resolution.
The NASA Solar Probe Plus mission is progressing toward its anticipated summer 2018 launch after passing a critical design review. The spacecraft will collect data on the mechanisms that heat the corona and accelerate the solar wind, crucial for understanding our space weather and its impact on satellites.
Researchers from Boston University found that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is responsible for heating the planet's upper atmosphere to unusually high temperatures. The team used infrared observations to map temperature anomalies across the planet, revealing that the Great Red Spot's heat distribution matches the observed values.
Astronomers confirm 104 exoplanets outside our solar system using NASA's Kepler spacecraft on its K2 mission. The discoveries include a planetary system with four promising rocky planets orbiting the M dwarf star K2-72.
The OSIRIS-REx mission will generate detailed maps of asteroid Bennu using data from its five instruments, enabling the selection of a suitable sampling site. The team will also develop a new 3D shape model capturing the asteroid's irregular shape and create routine operation maps for navigation and sampling.
The LISA Pathfinder mission has passed a series of tests with flying colors, coming closer to experiencing true free fall than any other human-made object. The experiment successfully tested systems that will be incorporated in the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) gravitational wave observatory scheduled for launch in 2034.
The LISA Pathfinder mission has achieved remarkable results in testing a crucial technology for detecting gravitational waves from space. By flying around identical test masses and isolating them from external forces, scientists have successfully demonstrated advanced technologies needed for a full-scale observatory.
New observations reveal a widespread view of activity below Jupiter's clouds, including hot spots and dry regions devoid of clouds and condensable gases. The detected ammonia plumes swell up in wave patterns, suggesting motion deep within the atmosphere.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will study asteroid Bennu in detail, collecting a sample to be analyzed on Earth. Four top-level maps will guide the sample collection process, assessing safety, navigation, surface material, and scientific value.
Scientists discover that Europa's tidal dissipation process generates significantly more heat in its ice than previously assumed. This finding has implications for estimating the thickness of the moon's outer shell and understanding the chemistry of the hidden ocean, which is crucial for searching for life.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is being tested in a thermal vacuum chamber to evaluate its performance under extreme conditions. The 22-day test will assess the spacecraft's instruments and systems, ensuring they can withstand the harsh environment of space.
A new NYU study reveals that three out of four top reasons urban farmers grow crops are driven by social motivations, including food security, education, and community building. The research also finds that many urban farms operate as nonprofits, shifting financial focus from sales to donations and grants.
A team of scientists led by UH professor Liming Li analyze Cassini spacecraft data to understand the seasonal changes on Saturn. They also examine the energy budget for Jupiter and Saturn to better comprehend planetary climate evolution.
The mission extends studies initiated by JAXA's Suzaku mission, enabling investigations into black hole motion, element abundances, and galaxy evolution. The SXS instrument features a 36-pixel microcalorimeter array, three-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator, and stronger filters to collect X-ray photons.
NASA is inviting the public to participate in the #WeTheExplorers campaign by submitting artworks that reflect their spirit of exploration. The artworks will be saved on a chip on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch in September and travel to asteroid Bennu.
Researchers at National Oceanography Centre use GPS reflections to measure sea surface height from space for the first time. This technique provides a new way to monitor ocean currents by detecting variations in sea surface height caused by currents.
The CANYVAL-X mission demonstrates the technology for a virtual telescope by aligning two tiny satellites to create a single telescope. This feat is expected to benefit scientists studying the sun's corona and searching for planets beyond our solar system.
The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will aid researchers in unraveling the secrets of the universe by studying dark energy and dark matter. The observatory will discover new worlds outside our solar system and advance the search for life-suitable planets.
A new study published in Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found that a sustainable surgical follow-up program can be cost-effective in ensuring acceptable outcomes for patients treated during short-term mission trips. The study showed that 97% of fractures were successfully repaired, and 101 patients experienced successful wound healing.
A student-built experiment aboard NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission has been integrated to study asteroid Bennu's elemental abundances. The Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) will observe solar X-rays and their interaction with the asteroid's surface material, providing maps of elements present on its surface.
The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission is providing unprecedented insights into magnetic reconnection, a process that drives giant magnetic bursts and oscillations in Earth's magnetic fields. Scientists are using MMS' high-resolution measurements to better understand the role of magnetic reconnection in shaping the space environme...
A York University-led laser altimeter, OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), will map the surface and create a 3D model of asteroid Bennu during a NASA mission. The instrument will help guide the spacecraft to a safe spot to grab a sample, providing Canadian scientists with their first direct access to a pristine asteroid sample.
The OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), contributed by the Canadian Space Agency, will create 3-D maps of asteroid Bennu to select a sample collection site. The OLA is an advanced LIDAR system scanning the entire surface of the asteroid for fundamental data on its shape and topography.
The San Bernardino shooting is a rare example of a hybrid mass killing involving multiple shooters and a female perpetrator. Experts warn that such incidents are becoming increasingly common due to societal factors like lack of compassion and empathy.
The SAGE Journal will begin publishing the International Bulletin of Mission Research in partnership with The Overseas Ministries Study Center. The journal provides in-depth analyses of worldwide Christianity and mission-focused book reviews. IBMR is an unparalleled source of information on the world church in mission.
Operation IceBridge collected critical data on Arctic sea ice and Antarctic glaciers, revealing significant glacier losses in the Antarctic Peninsula. The mission also provided essential measurements for calibrating satellite data and validating numerical models of ice sheet gains and losses.
Scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center are developing a beach ball-sized titanium occulter to study the sun's corona and predict solar flares. The mission aims to improve scientists' understanding of coronal mass ejections, which can disrupt electronics and power grids.
The Martian atmosphere is losing gas to space via stripping by the solar wind, with erosion rates increasing significantly during solar storms. Researchers have determined that almost 75% of escaping ions come from Mars' tail region.
The upgraded McMurdo TDRSS Relay System (MTRS) is transmitting terabytes of data at 200 megabits per second, enabling the production of global maps and enhancing natural hazard monitoring. The system's performance has improved data flow and will eventually support other polar-orbiting spacecraft.
The IBEX mission has created the first global maps of how our heliosphere interacts with interstellar space, revealing significant changes over time. The mission also directly measures interstellar neutral atoms flowing into the solar system.
A new MIT study proposes refueling on the moon to reduce launch mass for a Martian mission, with the potential to save 68% of cargo. The research suggests that establishing an infrastructure in space could enable sustainable travel between planetary bodies.
The Lucy mission aims to survey the diversity of Trojan asteroids, which are believed to be remnants from the formation of the outer gas giants. The spacecraft will use remote-sensing instruments to study geologic and physical properties of the asteroid targets.
Celeste is a hierarchical model designed to catalog stars, galaxies and light sources in the universe, enabling astronomers to identify promising galaxies for spectrograph targeting and better understand Dark Energy. The model aims to improve data analysis methods, significantly reducing the time and effort spent working with image data.
Researchers developed a new method to eliminate artificial satellites in Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO) by leveraging gravitational effects. The methodology, tested with the European Space Agency INTEGRAL mission, reduces both cost and risk.
The OSIRIS-REx camera suite, consisting of PolyCam, MapCam, and SamCam, will enable the spacecraft to image and map Bennu, select a safe sampling site, and collect a sample. The mission is scheduled to launch in September 2016 and will return the largest sample from space since the Apollo lunar missions.
The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission is gathering data on magnetic reconnection, a phenomenon that happens when the Earth's magnetic field connects and disconnects from the solar wind. The tetrahedral formation of MMS spacecraft allows scientists to study this process in three dimensions.
The OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (OVIRS) instrument will help the team select a suitable sampling site on asteroid Bennu by measuring visible and near infrared light. The mission aims to investigate the composition of the early solar system, organic materials, and water.
The OSIRIS-REx team is preparing to ship its instruments to the spacecraft's assembly facility, with a launch date of September 2016. The mission aims to bring back a small sample from asteroid Bennu for study, providing insights into the asteroid's composition and properties.
The MAVEN mission has discovered that Mars' atmosphere is losing gas to space due to solar wind and electric forces, creating a polar plume of escaping particles. The spacecraft also detected a long-lived layer of metal ions in the upper atmosphere, and witnessed aurora displays caused by solar activity.
The Aquarius instrument successfully completed its primary three-year mission in November 2014, achieving its science objectives and providing valuable data on ocean dynamics and climate models. The loss of onboard power regulation and spacecraft attitude stabilization led to the end of operations.
Operation IceBridge successfully collected data over sea and land ice regions, releasing two sea ice data products to aid in forecasting Arctic sea ice behavior. The mission also supported various international research collaborations and provided valuable data to inform models predicting summer sea ice melt.
NASA has selected two Southwest Research Institute instruments, a mass spectrometer and ultraviolet spectrograph, to investigate Jupiter's fourth-largest moon, Europa. The mission will explore potential life in the outer solar system and study the moon's subsurface ocean.
A CU-Boulder instrument, SUDA, has been selected for a NASA mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa to measure surface particles and study the moon's hidden ocean. The mission aims to understand the prerequisites of life in the solar system.
Australian scientists are part of the Advanced LIGO project aiming to find gravitational waves, ripples in space-time caused by violent cosmic events. The technology requires high sensitivity and precision, pushing the limits of components like low-noise detectors and high-power lasers.
A calibration mission on a Terrier-Black Brant suborbital sounding rocket will help calibrate the EVE instrument on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The mission aims to measure the total energy output of the sun in extreme ultraviolet light waves and track changes over time.
MIT engineers have developed an autonomous mission-planning system that enables underwater robots to plan their own missions, execute, adapt, and re-plan them alone without human support. The system allows robots to make high-level decisions, prioritize tasks, and avoid collisions, freeing engineers to focus on overall strategy.
The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission successfully launched a unique formation of four identical spacecraft to study magnetic reconnection, driving space weather events that disrupt Earth's orbit. The Goddard-developed Navigator GPS receiver enabled precise navigation and tracking in weak signal areas.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) has ended its 17-year mission, providing critical rainfall data for tropical cyclone monitoring, flood detection, drought monitoring, and disease monitoring. TRMM's legacy lives on through the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, which succeeds and improves upon the TRMM project.
The MMS mission will provide the first three-dimensional views of reconnection occurring in Earth's magnetosphere, releasing bursts of energy that can reach billions of megatons of TNT. Scientists expect the mission to help them better understand magnetic reconnection and its impact on modern technological systems.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a rare triple-moon conjunction of Jupiter's largest moons Europa, Callisto, and Io. The event occurred on January 24, 2015, with the moons' orbital velocities slowing down as they approached Jupiter's cloud tops.
The Rosetta mission provided the closest-ever look at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, revealing its structure, surface features, and composition. The study helps scientists understand how comets form and evolve over time.
Astronomers have found evidence that the recipe for Earth applies to terrestrial exoplanets orbiting distant stars. The HARPS-North instrument measured the masses of small, Earth-sized worlds and found a tight relationship between mass and size, suggesting rocky compositions similar to those of Venus and Earth.
The MAVEN mission has made groundbreaking discoveries about the loss of Mars' atmosphere to space over time. The spacecraft has detected a stream of solar-wind particles that penetrate deep into the planet's upper atmosphere and ionosphere, revealing a new process by which atmospheric loss occurs.
The NASA Operation IceBridge mission has completed its 2014 Antarctic campaign, building on previous studies to understand changes in ice conditions over time. Researchers collected data on sea ice, glaciers, and sub-ice water depth to inform projections of future Antarctic Ice Sheet changes.
The HS3 mission investigated the processes underlying hurricane formation and intensity change in the Atlantic Ocean basin. The study focused on four tropical cyclones: Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, and Gonzalo. Data collected by NASA's Global Hawk aircraft revealed strong winds and dry air shifts near Hurricane Cristobal's center.
Researchers from the University of Zurich successfully tested DNA's ability to survive extreme conditions, including space travel and re-entry. The study found that DNA molecules were still able to transfer genetic information to bacterial cells after being launched into space and back.
A team of researchers has mapped the 'mission control centers' of the mouse genome, which are responsible for regulating gene activity. This discovery sheds light on why studies in mice cannot always be replicated in humans and highlights the importance of regulatory regions in common chronic human diseases.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) will cease science operations in April 2015, ending 17 years of rainfall and storm monitoring. The satellite's instruments, including the Precipitation Radar, have provided critical insights into precipitation patterns and their impact on climate, weather, and natural disasters.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has imaged the impact crater created by NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission. The crater is small, less than ten feet in diameter, due to the spacecraft's low mass and velocity.