Tag Archives | solar system

pia26063orig

Sending “Water” to Europa

NASA/JPL-Caltech This image from March 8, 2024, shows waveforms of the word “water” in 103 languages etched onto a triangular metal plate. The plate will be attached to the Europa Clipper spacecraft, set to fly to one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa , after it launches in October 2024. The waveforms radiate out from a symbol […]

Continue Reading
5663_Bailys_Beads-1-1

ESA, NASA Solar Observatory Discovers Its 5,000th Comet

4 min read ESA, NASA Solar Observatory Discovers Its 5,000th Comet On March 25, 2024, a citizen scientist in the Czech Republic spotted a comet in an image from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, which has now been confirmed to be the 5,000th comet discovered using SOHO data. SOHO has achieved this milestone […]

Continue Reading
planetary-defense-by-the-numbers-february-infographic

IXPE Operations Update

1 min read IXPE Operations Update On March 23, NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer ) stopped transmitting valid telemetry data. The only previous interruption of IXPE science observations was due to a similar issue in June of 2023. On March 26, using procedures developed following that previous interruption, the team initiated a spacecraft avionics […]

Continue Reading
artemis-astronaut-with-instrument

NASA Selects First Lunar Instruments for Artemis Astronaut Deployment

Artist’s concept of an Artemis astronaut deploying an instrument on the lunar surface. Credits: NASA NASA has chosen the first science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of the Moon during Artemis III. Once installed near the lunar South Pole, the three instruments will collect valuable scientific data about the lunar environment, […]

Continue Reading
pia26168orig

CADRE Rovers’ Test Drive in the Mars Yard

NASA/JPL-Caltech Two full-scale development model rovers, part of NASA’s Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) technology demonstration, drive in the Mars Yard at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California in this image from August 2023. The project is designed to show that a group of robotic spacecraft can work together as a team […]

Continue Reading
A top-down view of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head with the lid removed, revealing the remainder of the asteroid sample inside. The TAGSAM is round, metallic silver, and looks like three concentric circles. The outermost circle has eight triangular metal ridges. The second ring is covered in deep gray, rocky dust particles and small rocks, with silver bolts peeking through the dust. The central circle has three metal bars, crossing in a star pattern.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Mission Awarded Collier Trophy

NASA and the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) mission team have won the National Aeronautic Association’s (NAA) Robert J. Collier Trophy. NAA awards the trophy annually for what it determines is “the greatest achievement in aerospace and astronautics in America.” The OSIRIS-REx team will be celebrated at an award […]

Continue Reading
bhm-clayton-p.-turner

Order Up: High School Students Compete to Launch Their Food into Space with NASA HUNCH Culinary Competition

3 Min Read Order Up: High School Students Compete to Launch Their Food into Space with NASA HUNCH Culinary Competition High School students in chef jackets line long black tables at NASA’s Langley Research Center preparing savory breakfast dishes fit for astronauts onboard the International Space Station. Credits: NASA/Angelique Herring On Monday, Feb. 26, visitors […]

Continue Reading
grc-hangar-1

Tech Today: Cutting the Knee Surgery Cord

2 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Lazurite’s ArthroFree Wireless Camera System incorporated aerospace-grade lithium-ion batteries after developers consulted with NASA engineers. Credit: Lazurite Holdings LLC After Eugene Malinskiy saw a physician assistant trip over arthroscopic camera cords during a medical procedure, he and his brother, Ilya, set out to develop […]

Continue Reading

Space, astronomy and science