The CODEX device will allow unmanned rovers to determine the age of rocks on the Moon and Mars by analyzing radioactive elements. This technology has major implications for understanding the history of the inner solar system, including the duration of bombardment and volcanism.
Researchers from Southwest Research Institute image thunder for the first time, capturing the sound waves created by artificially triggered lightning. The technique allows scientists to study the origins of thunder and the energetic processes associated with lightning, revealing new insights into this natural phenomenon.
A NASA-funded SwRI-led research team independently estimated the Moon's age as 4.47 billion years based on shock signatures found in stony meteorites originating from the Main Asteroid Belt. This study provides insights into the last stages of planet formation in the inner solar system.
A team of scientists suggests that hydrothermal processes at the rock-water boundary could produce methane in Enceladus' ocean. Analyzing Cassini data, they propose two possible explanations for the moon's methane abundance: one involving hydrothermal activity and another based on ice formation/melting cycles.
The MMS mission aims to investigate how the Sun's magnetic field merges with the Earth's magnetic field, explosively converting magnetic energy into heat and kinetic energy. The four identical spacecraft will use the Earth's magnetosphere as a laboratory to study this universal force of nature.
The comet's coma composition changes in response to temperature and seasonal variations, suggesting a complex nucleus-nucleus relationship. This finding challenges the long-held assumption that comets are made mostly of water ice.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has developed a portable solar observatory called SSIPP for use on commercial suborbital spacecraft. The observatory aims to enable cost-effective space-based observation similar to ground-based observatories.
Asteroid Patroclus-Menoetius has been found to have a non-spherical shape, with axial ratios indicating a mostly oblate shape. The team's analysis also revealed the asteroid pair's spins were faster when they formed, currently in a doubly synchronous state.
Nathaniel Putzig, a senior research scientist at SwRI, has been awarded the NASA Planetary Science Early Career Fellowship for his work on detecting ground ice within sand dunes across the southern hemisphere of Mars. The grant will support his research project using morphologic and thermal data.
The Rosetta-Alice spectrograph has obtained the first far ultraviolet spectra of a cometary surface, revealing an unusually dark comet surface and no large water-ice patches. Hydrogen and oxygen have been detected in the comet's coma.
The Voyager and IBEX missions have greatly expanded our understanding of the outer heliosphere, providing detailed information about interactions at its edge. Recent studies have focused on the enigmatic ribbon of enhanced emissions, which was only detected by IBEX in 2009.
Asteroid impacts were a key factor in shaping early Earth's surface, with large collisions melting and burying the crust. The Hadean eon's geography was heavily reprocessed, with impact-generated melt contributing to the formation of the Moon.
Researchers used physical analog models to simulate Ganymede's geologic structures, finding that stretching forces created characteristic patterns of ridges and troughs. The study suggests that a process involving crustal breaks due to large amounts of extension is the primary mechanism for forming these features.
SwRI-led CuSPP mission aims to measure Solar Particles and shock waves causing severe electromagnetic storms. The mission will provide critical measurements on hazardous charged particle populations accelerated at the Sun and interplanetary space.
The Rosetta-Alice spectrograph is starting its science mission to study the origin, composition, and workings of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It will analyze the comet's atmosphere, map its surface, and study fine dust particles.
Scientists discovered a relationship between the time of the Moon-forming event and material added to Earth, forming a 'clock' to date the Moon. The new method estimates the Moon's age to be 95 ±32 million years after the beginning of the solar system.
A French, American team of researchers has discovered that the regolith of small asteroids is formed by thermal fatigue, a process caused by temperature cycling. This finding challenges previous theories that suggested impacts and micrometeoroid impacts were responsible for creating the asteroid's surface.
The CYGNSS mission will determine how a tropical cyclone forms and strengthen, improving hurricane forecasting and tracking. NASA has given a preliminary go-ahead to proceed with instrument development and launch of the hurricane-studying mission's eight microsatellites.
The study of energetic particles at the edge of our solar system suggests that the galactic magnetic field wraps around our heliosphere, influencing the orientation of energetic particles. The research combines data from IBEX and ultra-high-energy cosmic ray physics to provide a more complete picture of the interactions between the two.
The Radiation Assessment Detector measured radiation on Mars' surface, revealing an average GCR dose equivalent rate of 0.67 millisieverts per day. The findings also show that most mission radiation exposure will occur during outbound and return travel, posing a challenge for future human exploration.
The SwRI-led ISET team will study the origin, evolution, and physical properties of near-Earth asteroids and their moons, aiming to better understand their potential for cost-effective human exploration. The research will also investigate minimoons, small bodies with the potential to provide insights into the history of the Solar System.
The CYGNSS hurricane satellite mission has passed NASA's Systems Requirements Review and Key Decision Point-B, moving into the next phase of development. The constellation of eight microsatellites will use GPS signals to measure ocean surface properties and determine how hurricanes form and strengthen.
Researchers from Southwest Research Institute discovered frozen water can melt to form debris flows on Alaskan sand dunes, mirroring Martian 'dark dune spot' seepage flows. These findings provide valuable analogies for understanding Martian processes and their potential impact on future Mars missions.
Neutral interstellar atoms flow into the solar system from a different direction than previously observed, according to IBEX measurements. The longitude of the interstellar helium wind has changed by 6.8 degrees over the past 40 years.
The IBEX spacecraft has provided the first complete pictures of the solar system's downwind region, revealing a unique and unexpected structure. The images show two lobes dominating the downwind side of the solar system, which researchers initially thought was the heliotail but is now believed to be separate structures.
Scientists have concluded that the oldest visible terrains on Mercury date back to 4 billion to 4.1 billion years ago, with volcanic activity resurfacing the planet's surface during this time period. The findings suggest a global resurfacing event due to volcanism and may indicate that large projectiles enhanced the observed resurfacing.
The Southwest Research Institute-led Radiation Assessment Detector made detailed measurements of the energetic particle radiation environment inside the spacecraft, providing important insights for future human missions to Mars. The data show an average galactic cosmic ray dose equivalent rate of 1.8 milliSieverts per day in cruise.
A SwRI-led remote-sensing study has revealed accelerated loss of surface water in shallow lakes and ponds in Arctic Alaskan wetlands, with a recent 27-year period showing a 5.5% decrease in water-body surface area. The analysis also found changes in permafrost degradation and ice-wedge polygon morphology.
The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) aboard LRO detected mercury and hydrogen in GRAIL impact plumes, which rapidly expanded into space at near-escape velocities. This is a first for LAMP and any previous instrument, as it measures the presence of native lunar atomic hydrogen gas.
The European Space Agency's JUICE mission will observe ultraviolet emissions from Jupiter's system, providing insights into the composition of the icy moons' surfaces and atmospheres. The instrument will also map the moons' surfaces, sound their interiors, and determine their potential for supporting life in future manned missions.
Researchers propose that charged particles trapped in the region create the ribbon as they escape as neutral atoms, producing higher fluxes of ENAs and forming the bright ribbon seen by IBEX. The model shows good association with observed data, offering insights into the nearby galactic magnetic field and its strength.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been selected to provide a low-rate crosslink wireless communications platform for the DARPA System F6 Program. The K-band space crosslink radio supports continuous data links among cluster members and high-rate point-to-point data links.
The Cassini mission has discovered a second feature shaped like the video game icon PAC-MAN on Saturn's moon Tethys. This finding confirms that high-energy electrons can dramatically alter icy satellite surfaces, and suggests that such anomalies may be widespread in the Saturn system.
The SwRI Solar Instrument Pointing Platform (SSIPP) is a portable unit that will fly on new commercial manned suborbital craft, providing a stabilized view of the Sun to small instruments. SSIPP aims to reduce costs and accelerate innovation in space instrumentation by delivering common infrastructure and conditioned optical beams.
A new model developed by Southwest Research Institute reconciles the Moon's Earth-like composition with the giant impact theory of formation. The model involves larger impacts and produces an Earth that rotates faster than implied, but a subsequent resonant interaction could have decreased the angular momentum.
The New Horizons team has discovered a high risk of collisions with debris orbiting Pluto due to its fast speed. To mitigate this risk, the team is plotting alternative courses that would preserve most of the science mission while avoiding deadly encounters.
Scientists using the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have detected helium in the tenuous atmosphere surrounding the Moon. This observation complements previous in-situ measurements and expands our understanding of the lunar atmosphere.
Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars in August, beginning its primary mission to assess the planet's surface radiation environment. Researchers will use the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument to measure energetic particle species and provide insights into potential habitability.
CYGNSS will study tropical cyclones' formation and intensification by analyzing ocean surface properties, atmospheric thermodynamics, and radiation. The mission aims to advance hurricane forecasting and tracking methods.
A team of scientists has discovered an unseen planet orbiting a Sun-like star,KOI-872, by analyzing transit variations caused by the hidden object's gravity. The planet is estimated to be about the mass of Saturn and orbits its host star every 57 days.
A team of researchers discovered that a giant impact crater on Asteroid Vesta was formed in a recent collision. The analysis of high-resolution images from the Dawn spacecraft suggests that the impact occurred only about 1 billion years ago, which is unexpectedly young considering Vesta's formation age.
The study found that the heliosphere moves through the interstellar medium at about 52,000 miles per hour, slow enough to create a bow wave rather than a shock. This new data contradicts previous theories and has implications for how galactic cosmic rays propagate around the solar system.
Researchers have discovered a series of ancient rock layers containing impact debris from massive asteroids that struck Earth over 3.8-1.7 billion years ago. The findings suggest an intense period of asteroid bombardment, with some impacts rivaling those that created the largest craters on the Moon.
The TWINS and IBEX spacecraft observed a powerful solar storm impacting the Earth's magnetosphere, causing an important communications satellite to founder. The ENA cameras enabled global imaging of the magnetosphere, revealing precise timing of the compression and propagation of charged particles into the atmosphere.
Researchers using IBEX data measure neutral 'alien' particles entering our solar system, revealing their speed, direction, and interaction with the heliosphere. The findings provide insights into the local interstellar medium, galaxy distribution of elements like oxygen and neon, and the future trajectory of the Sun's planetary system.
The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) has measured the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to during a recent solar storm. The data collected will provide valuable information for future human space exploration, including insights into the physics of giant clouds and shielding provided by spacecraft.
The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project detects water frost and high surface porosities in lunar permanently shadowed regions, challenging previous assumptions about its loss and accumulation. This finding adds to the understanding of the Moon's water resources and supports future exploration and potential permanent base considerations.
Researchers from Southwest Research Institute and Nebraska Wesleyan University discovered a strong ultraviolet-wavelength absorber on Pluto's surface, indicating the presence of complex hydrocarbon and/or nitrile molecules.
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.
The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on NASA's Curiosity rover measures the Martian surface radiation environment, shedding light on habitability and planning for future human missions. RAD's data will help scientists assess conditions favorable for life and determine required radiation shielding.