STS-129: Stocking the Station

The spare parts delivered to the International Space Station by Atlantis during the STS-129 mission will mean spare years on the station’s life once the space shuttle fleet is retired.“You’ll see this theme in some of the flights that are going to come after ours as well,” said Brian Smith, the lead space station flight director for the mission. “This flight is all about spares – basically, we’re

Atlantis' Payload is Delivered; Astronauts Return to Kennedy

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the cargo for space shuttle Atlantis' mission to the International Space Station was moved to Launch Pad 39A overnight and will be installed into the shuttle's payload bay.Technicians will finish testing Atlantis' waste collection system, or toilet, this weekend and ground teams are getting ready for the final part of launch dress rehearsal known as the

Glenn and STS-95 Go to Space

The seven crew members in training for the STS-95 mission aboard Discovery pose for photographers prior to participating in a training session at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Pictured, from the left, are Pedro Duque, Curtis Brown, Chiaki Nauto-Mukai, then-U.S. Sen. John H. Glenn Jr. (D.-Ohio), Stephen Robinson, Steven Lindsey and Scott Parazynski.Sen. Glenn, who served as a payload specialist for

New Celestial Map Gives Directions for GPS

Many of us have been rescued from unfamiliar territory by directions from a Global Positioning System (GPS) navigator. GPS satellites send signals to a receiver in your GPS navigator, which calculates your position based on the location of the satellites and your distance from them. The distance is determined by how long it took the signals from various satellites to reach your receiver.The

Exoplanet House of Horrors

Astronomers may be closer than ever to discovering a planet that’s habitable like our own, but along the way they’ve discovered some very scary exoplanets – places where conditions are far too harsh for life as we know it to exist. We’ve rounded up some of the most frightening, deadly exoplanets, places that make even the scariest haunted house on Earth pale in comparison.Radiation Bath, Anyone

Ares I-X Lifts Off

Mission managers watch as NASA's Ares I-X rocket launches from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. The flight test will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

Ares I-X at the Launch Pad

NASA's Ares I-X rocket is seen on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. The flight test of Ares I-X, scheduled for today, Oct. 27, 2009, will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I.

Live Ares 1-X Launch on 10/28/2009

Posted on: October 28, 2009Posted in: Ares, Featured, Rocket Launches, VideoComment on This VideoAres I-X Launch on 10/28/2009The launch of the Ares I-X test vehicle from NASA at 15:30 UTC on October 28th, 2009.To view just the launch jump to 5:07 in the video!

Xenon lights reveal the Ares I-X rocket awaiting liftoff

Robot Armada Might Scale New Worlds

An armada of robots may one day fly above the mountain tops of Saturn's moon Titan, cross its vast dunes and sail in its liquid lakes. Wolfgang Fink, visiting associate in physics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena says we are on the brink of a great paradigm shift in planetary exploration, and the next round of robotic explorers will be nothing like what we see today. "The

Ares 1-X countdown timeline

NOTE: All data assumes an on-time launch at 8 a.m. EDT. L-0 Day October 27, 2009 T-00:00 (8:00:00 a.m. EDT)....SRM ignition and hold-down bolts fireT+00:00.225 (8:00:00.225 a.m. EDT)....Liftoff; Pyrotechnics fire to release umbilicalsT+00:06 (8:00:06 a.m. EDT)....Clear launch tower; Roll Control System activation;Start 90-degree rollT+00:20 (8:00:20 a.m. EDT)....RoCS turned off for 1

Ares I-X Launch The Count Is On

The launch team's "call to stations" came at 12:30 a.m. EDT, and the countdown picked up a half hour later. About 30 team members are operating today from the newly renovated Young-Crippen Firing Room, of Kennedy's Launch Control Center.The only spoiler for the 8 a.m. liftoff might be the weather. Currently, there only is a 40 percent chance of favorable weather during the window, which extends

NASA Sponsors Women in Astronomy and Space Science 2009 Conference

Space science research institutions have traditionally been populated by a strong male workforce, but this structure is rapidly changing. Today’s workforce is much more diverse with individuals from various cultures and backgrounds, a higher percentage of women, and in many cases, up to six generations in the same workplace.Both management and employees are in need of tools to help them

NASA App Now Available from App Store

The NASA App for the iPhone and iPod touch is now available free of charge on the Apple App Store. The NASA App delivers a wealth of NASA's mission information, videos, images and news updates to people's fingertips."Making NASA more accessible to the public is a high priority for the agency," said Gale Allen, director of Strategic Integration and Management for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission

JPL's 'Green' Space Flight Building Debuts with Ribbon-Cutting

NASA's "greenest" building to date -- an environmentally friendly Flight Projects Center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. -- is now open for business, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony today attended by lawmakers and local dignitaries.The building houses missions during their design and development phases. It will enable engineers and scientists from various countries to

NASA Researchers Explore Lightning's NOx-ious Impact on Pollution, Climate

Every year, scientists learn something new about the inner workings of lightning.With satellites, they have discovered that more than 1.2 billion lightning flashes occur around the world every year. (Rwanda has the most flashes per square kilometer, while flashes are rare in polar regions.) Laboratory and field experiments have revealed that the core of some lightning bolts reaches 30,000 Kelvin

History in Slow Motion

For more than 40 years, the twin crawler-transporters at NASA's Kennedy Space Center have traveled the gravel track between the massive Vehicle Assembly Building and the two launch pads at Launch Complex 39. These mammoth beasts carried all the Apollo Saturn V rockets, and later each space shuttle, on the last Earth-bound leg of their journeys to space.On Oct. 19, 2009, a new chapter in the

Building an Original

Ares I-X has completed the first leg of its upcoming mission.NASA's newest rocket -- currently the largest in the world -- emerged from the Vehicle Assembly Building at 1:39 a.m. EDT Oct. 20, 2009, beginning a 7.5-hour trek through the predawn darkness to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.It's the first new vehicle to occupy Launch Pad 39B in more than 25 years.The goal of the

A Long Night Falls Over Saturn's Rings

As Saturn's rings orbit the planet, a section is typically in the planet's shadow, experiencing a brief night lasting from 6 to 14 hours. However, once approximately every 15 years, night falls over the entire visible ring system for about four days.This happens during Saturn's equinox, when the sun is directly over Saturn's equator. At this time, the rings, which also orbit directly over the

SixthSense - Pranav Mistry

'SixthSense' is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information. We've evolved over millions of years to sense the world around us. When we encounter something, someone or some place, we use our five natural senses to perceive information about it; that information

Sea Ice from 2,000 Feet

Sea ice is seen out the window of NASA's DC-8 research aircraft on Oct. 21, 2009, as it flies 2,000 feet above the Bellingshausen Sea in West Antarctica. This was the fourth science flight of NASA's Operation Ice Bridge airborne Earth science mission to study Antarctic ice sheets, sea ice and ice shelves. Credit: Rose Dominguez/University of California Santa Cruz

NASA Technology Key Component of New Diagnostic Aid From DynaDx

NASA technology will now be available to the medical community to help in the diagnosis and prediction of syndromes that affect the brain, such as stroke, dementia, and traumatic brain injury.DynaDx Corporation of Mountain View, Calif. has released the Multimodal Pressure-Flow (MMPF) technique for analysis of dynamic cerebral autoregulation—the ability of cerebral vessels to maintain a constant

Into the Predawn Darkness

Perched atop the mobile launcher platform, space shuttle Atlantis rolls into the predawn darkness as it begins its 3.4-mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39A. First motion was at 6:38 a.m. EDT on Oct. 14. Atlantis is being prepared for its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station.

Friction Stir Weld

This close-up view of the friction stir weld tack tool used to manufacture of space shuttle external tanks shows the process of tack welding barrel panels together. Barrels were previously fabricated using traditional fusion welding, but friction stir welding is different in that the materials are not melted. A rotating tool pin uses friction and applied pressure to join the 20-foot longitudinal

NASA Announces Global Climate Change Education Awards

NASA has awarded $6.1 million in cooperative agreements to 15 organizations across the United States to enhance learning through the use of NASA's Earth Science resources. The selected organizations include colleges and universities, nonprofit groups, museums, science centers and a school district.The winning proposals illustrated innovative approaches to using NASA content to support elementary,

NASA Selects 18 University Proposals for Steckler Space Grants

NASA has chosen 18 proposals from universities around the country to receive up to $70,000 for Phase One of the NASA Ralph Steckler Space Grant Colonization Research and Technology Development Opportunity.Grant money will support university research and technology development activities that support a sustained human presence in space, increase understanding of the moon's environment and develop

Q-and-A at the Pad

The STS-129 astronauts, while at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a launch dress rehearsal, took the opportunity to speak with the media about their upcoming mission to the International Space Station.Space shuttle Atlantis Pilot Barry E. Wilmore reflected on the first shuttle flight he'll be flying."I can't begin to put into words how it feels," Wilmore said. "After being an astronaut

Ares I-X Secured at the Launch Pad

The Ares I-X now is secured on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The test rocket, sitting on a mobile launcher platform, was “hard down” on the pad’s pedestals at 9:17 a.m. EDT.The rotating service structure is expected to be rolled into place at about 12:30 p.m.Ground teams began rolling out Ares I-X and its launch platform aboard a crawler-transporter from Kennedy’s

Exotic Atmospheres

The basic chemistry for life has been detected in a second hot gas planet, HD 209458b, depicted in this artist's concept. Two of NASA's Great Observatories – the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope, yielded spectral observations that revealed molecules of carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor in the planet's atmosphere. HD 209458b, bigger than Jupiter, occupies a tight, 3.5-day

Astronomers do it Again: Find Organic Molecules Around Gas Planet

Peering far beyond our solar system, NASA researchers have detected the basic chemistry for life in a second hot gas planet, advancing astronomers toward the goal of being able to characterize planets where life could exist. The planet is not habitable but it has the same chemistry that, if found around a rocky planet in the future, could indicate the presence of life."It's the second planet

Getz Ice Shelf

On Oct. 16, Operation Ice Bridge researchers and crew completed the first flight of the Antarctic campaign. The flight was made from the southern tip of South America and its primary target was the Getz Ice Shelf along Antarctica's Amundsen Coast. During the flight along Amundsen Coast, the aircraft's downward-looking Digital Mapping System camera captured this image of sea ice from an altitude

Ready to Roll

In the Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility-1 in Florida, workers prepared space shuttle Atlantis to move from its hangar to the transfer aisle inside the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building.Subsequently, the shuttle was rolled to the launch pad in anticipation of its Nov. 12, 2009, launch on the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station.

JPL Develops High-Speed Test to Improve Pathogen Decontamination

A chemist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has developed a technology intended to rapidly assess any presence of microbial life on spacecraft. This new method may also help the military test for disease-causing bacteria, such as a causative agent for anthrax, and may also be useful in the medical, pharmaceutical and other fields.Adrian Ponce, the deputy manager for JPL's

Timbuktu

Timbuktu in the West African nation of Mali is at the intersection of an east-west and a north-south Trans Saharan trade route across the Sahara. The city-state was an intellectual and spiritual capital in the 15th and 16th centuries. After long years of decline, Timbuktu is still a tourist destination and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.This image was captured by the ASTER image aboard the Terra

College Team Wins Half-Million Dollar NASA Lunar Robot Prize

Paul’s Robotics, a team led by college student, Paul Ventimiglia of Worcester Polytechnic Institute won the $500,000 first prize in the 2009 Regolith Excavation Challenge that concluded on October 18. The second place prize of $150,000 was won by Terra Engineering of Gardena, California and the $100,000 third place prize went to Team Braundo of Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Twenty teams

The Rite of Spring

Of the countless equinoxes Saturn has seen since the birth of the solar system, this one, captured in a mosaic of light and dark, is the first witnessed up close by an emissary from Earth … none other than our faithful robotic explorer, Cassini.Seen from our planet, the view of Saturn's rings during equinox is extremely foreshortened and limited. But in orbit around Saturn, Cassini had no such

NASA and the National Federation of the Blind Celebrate Release of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar

To commemorate the United States Mint's release of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar and to recognize the critical role that Braille plays in the pursuit of careers in math and science by the blind, NASA's STS-125 mission flew two of the coins aboard during the Hubble Servicing Mission. This commemorative coin, only available until Dec. 11, 2009, is the first U.S. coin to have

Progress 35 Docks to Station

A new Progress cargo resupply vehicle docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment of the International Space Station at 9:40 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Oct. 17. The ISS Progress 35 unpiloted spacecraft brings to the orbiting laboratory 1,918 pounds of propellant, 110 pounds of oxygen and air, 926 pounds of water and 1,750 pounds of spare parts and supplies for the Expedition 21 crew.Progress 35 launched

IBEX Explores Galactic Frontier, Releases First-Ever All-Sky Map

NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft has made it possible for scientists to construct the first comprehensive sky map of our solar system and its location in the Milky Way galaxy. The new view will change the way researchers view and study the interaction between our galaxy and sun.The sky map was produced with data that two detectors on the spacecraft collected during six

Andromeda in Ultraviolet

In a break from its usual task of searching for distant cosmic explosions, NASA's Swift satellite acquired the highest-resolution view of a neighboring spiral galaxy ever attained in the ultraviolet. The galaxy, known as M31 in the constellation Andromeda, is the largest and closest spiral galaxy to our own. This mosaic of M31 merges 330 individual images taken by Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical

GOES-P Satellite Preparing for Launch in March 2010

Just two months after the successful launch of the GOES-O spacecraft, now called GOES-14 in orbit, the NASA team removed the GOES-P spacecraft from storage and commenced its post storage testing. GOES-P is being prepared for an early March 2010 launch and if the launch schedule holds, it boasts an unprecedented two launches in approximately 8 months.The GOES-P spacecraft completed its build late

Cassini Data Help Redraw Shape of Solar System

Images from the Ion and Neutral Camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft suggest that the heliosphere, the region of the sun's influence, may not have the comet-like shape predicted by existing models. In a paper published Oct. 15 in Science Express, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory present a new view of the heliosphere, and the forces that shape it."These images have

Galileo's Jupiter Journey Began Two Decades Ago

Launch: Oct. 18, 1989, from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on space shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-34Arrival in orbit around Jupiter: Dec. 7, 1995VEEGA (Venus-Earth-Earth Gravity Assist) is the acronym mission planners gave for Galileo's flight path through the inner solar systemObserved impacts of fragments from comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into JupiterApproximate number of people (from around the world

NASA'S LCROSS Captures All Phases of Centaur Impact

NASA’s Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was a smashing success, returning tantalizing data about the Centaur impact before the spacecraft itself impacted the surface of the moon.Last week, plunging headlong into Cabeus crater, the nine LCROSS instruments successfully captured each phase of the impact sequence: the impact flash, the ejecta plume, and the creation of the

Engineers Excited by EuTEF's Return on Discovery

When Fabio Tominetti and Marco Grilli last saw the EuTEF research platform in early 2008, it was carefully packed inside the payload bay of space shuttle Atlantis. It had been built and handled with the utmost care, and its white and thermal insulation and golden reflective sheets and experiments were pristine.EuTEF didn’t look much different as it hung upside down in a work stand a few days

Progress Launches to Space Station

A new Progress cargo resupply vehicle launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station at 9:14 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 14. Less than nine minutes later, the ISS Progress 35 reached its preliminary orbit and deployed its solar arrays and navigational antennas.It replaces the trash-filled Progress 34 which undocked on Sept. 21 and was destroyed on re-entry

Expedition 20 Lands

The Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka, Flight Engineer Michael Barratt, and spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. Padalka and Barratt returned from six months onboard the International Space Station, along with Laliberte who arrived at the station on Oct. 2 with Expedition 21

Hurricane Season 2009: Tropical Storm Nepartak (Western Pacific)

Tropical Storm Nepartak Becoming Extra-Tropical at SeaTropical Storm Nepartak is now speeding in a northeasterly direction in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where it is becoming extra-tropical and developing frontal qualities.The last official position of Napartak from the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center was on October 13 at 6 a.m. EDT, when the storm was 605 nautical miles

Hurricane Season 2009: Tropical Storm Patricia (Eastern Pacific)

Baja Watching Tropical Storm Patricia in the latest GOES-11 Satellite MovieThe nineteenth tropical cyclone of the Eastern Pacific formed over this past weekend, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Patricia. The GOES-11 satellite captured Patricia from her "birth" several hundred miles south of Baja California, to her track there today, Tuesday, October 13.The National Hurricane Center has posted

Aviation Pioneer Richard T. Whitcomb

Aviation pioneer Richard Whitcomb has died in Newport News at the age of 89. The NASA Langley Research Center engineer has been called the most significant aerodynamic contributor of the second half of the 20th century.If you look at almost any large airplane today -- especially those that fly at supersonic speeds -- you can see the genius of Dick Whitcomb."Dick Whitcomb's intellectual

NASA Portable Hyperbaric Chamber Technology Finds Home on Earth

NASA has signed a patent license agreement with a California company to improve the medical community's access to hyperbaric chambers used to treat many medical conditions and emergencies. OxyHeal Medical Systems Inc. of National City, Calif., will develop new products based on technologies NASA originally developed for space.Hyperbaric chambers create an environment in which the atmospheric

NASA to Reveal Data Showing a New View of Our Galaxy

NASA will hold a NASA Science Update at 2:15 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Oct. 15, to discuss new science data of our galaxy obtained from the agency's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft. NASA Television and the agency's Web site will provide live coverage of the briefing from the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, in Washington. The briefing

NASA Announces Commercial RLV Technology Roadmap Project

NASA is partnering with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a technology roadmap for the commercial reusable launch vehicle, or RLV, industry."NASA is committed to stimulating the emerging commercial reusable launch vehicle industry," said Lori Garver, deputy administrator at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "There is a natural evolutionary path from today's emerging commercial

NASA Launches Tweetup for Space Shuttle Atlantis Liftoff in Florida

NASA Twitter followers are invited to view a space shuttle launch in person at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA is hosting this unique Tweetup on Nov. 11 and 12. Space shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch at 4:04 p.m. EST, Nov. 12 on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station."This will be NASA's fifth Tweetup for our Twitter community," said Michael Cabbage,

Rice University Accepts Exploration Award

During the half-time ceremonies of the Rice vs. Navy football game Oct. 10, 2009, Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats presented Rice University President David Leebron with the Ambassador of Exploration Award that was presented posthumously to President John F. Kennedy. From left to right are Rep. Pete Olsen (R-TX), Rice University President David Leebron and JSC Director Michael Coats

NASA Celebrates Earth Science Week

During the week of October 11-17, the world will be celebrating Earth Science Week and NASA has a major part in that celebration. NASA studies a variety of topics on Earth science, from climate change to hurricanes.Every day at NASA, satellites, computer models and scientists study the changing Earth including dust plumes off the coast of Africa, pollution, the ozone hole, global temperatures,

Diviner Observes LCROSS Impact

The LRO Diviner instrument obtained infrared observations of the LCROSS impact. LRO flew by the LCROSS Centaur impact site 90 seconds after impact at a distance of ~80 km. Diviner was commanded to observe the impact site on eight successive orbits, and obtained a series of thermal maps before and after the impact at approximately two hour intervals at an angle of approximately 48 degrees off

Soyuz Landing Caps Historic Space Station Increment

International Space Station Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Michael Barratt landed their Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft on the steppes of Kazakhstan Sunday, wrapping up a six-month stay. Joining them was spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte, who spent 11 days in space.Padalka, the Soyuz commander, guided the spacecraft to a parachute-assisted landing at 12:32 a.m. EDT at a

High in Chilean Desert, NASA’s FIRST Makes New Observations of Earth’s Atmosphere

embedFlashVideoV2("/390323main_finalFIRST480.flv","center","/390326main_FIRST-audioslideshow3.xml","480","269","Interview with Marty Mlynczak and slideshow of pictures both describing the FIRST field mission in Chile.","/images/content/390315main_marty-covershot-480.jpg"); Interview with Marty Mlynczak and slideshow of pictures both describing the FIRST field

LCROSS Hits Its Mark

Onlookers participate in LCROSS pre-impact activities at NASA's AmesResearch Center. Credit: NASA The crowd at NASA Ames was poised and ready for impact as the LCROSS camera started sending back stunning images of the moon's south pole. At impact, a flash or large plume wasn't visible with the LCROSS camera, but even though we didn’t see it doesn't mean it wasn't there.The LCROSS mission

NASA Spacecraft Impacts Lunar Crater in Search for Water Ice

NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, created twin impacts on the moon's surface early Friday in a search for water ice. Scientists will analyze data from the spacecraft's instruments to assess whether water ice is present.The satellite traveled 5.6 million miles during an historic 113-day mission that ended in the Cabeus crater, a permanently shadowed region near the

LCROSS MOON IMPACT LIVE FROM NASA

LCROSS Lunar Impact

Posted on: October 9, 2009Posted in: VideoComment on This VideoOn Friday October 9th, 2009 at 1131 UTC LCROSS slammed in to the moon, hopefully kicking up water to be analyzed and used for future human colonization of our nearest neighbor.

Moon Bombing Video: Watch NASA's LCROSS Mission Bomb The Moon

*Watch video and see pictures below* Here are all the details on how to watch NASA bomb the moon on October 9 in a dramatic search for water in space. See a preview of the blast, then watch it LIVE from earth or on the web. LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite) mission will send a missile traveling at twice the speed of a bullet to blast a hole in the lunar surface near the

Noctis Labyrinthus

Layers in the lower portion of two neighboring buttes within the Noctis Labyrinthus formation on Mars are visible in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA Tests Load Limits for Ares I Rocket Main Parachute

NASA and industry engineers conducted a design limit load test of the Ares I rocket's main parachute Oct. 8 at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground near Yuma, Ariz. The Ares I is the first rocket in NASA's Constellation Program which will launch explorers on journeys to the International Space Station, the moon and beyond.Engineers from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.,

NASA's Ares I-X Ready to Launch

The Ares I-X flight test is scheduled to blast off in late October, accomplishing a huge milestone in NASA’s space exploration plans. This flight test, an essential first stepping stone in the Constellation program and the first flight test of Ares I, represents a successful collaboration between NASA centers all around the country. NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is playing a

Ullage Motor Testing at the Marshall Center

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., completed the first round of development testing on Oct. 8 for a key motor for the Ares I ocket. The ullage settling motor is a small, solid rocket motor that will provide the forward motion needed to push fuel to the bottom of the fuel tanks during the launch to orbit of the Ares I rocket.

NASA's Marshall Center Completes Successful Ullage Motor Development Test for Ares I Rocket

With a loud roar and a bright flash, engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., successfully completed the first round of development testing for the ullage settling motor -- a critical element of the Ares I rocket. The Ares I is the first rocket under development for NASA's Constellation Program, a program tasked with the development of vehicles necessary to carry

Masten Space Systems Qualifies for Level One Prize in Lunar Lander Challenge

Masten Space Systems successfully qualified for the remaining prize for Level One in the Centennial Challenges - Lunar Lander Challenge.The team flew their “Xombie” vehicle on two consecutive flights of over 90 seconds duration in an elapsed time of one hour and forty minutes at their test facility at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The Masten team made a previous attempt for the

Impact from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's Line of Sight

Scientist and engineers are adjusting LRO's orbit to have it fly its closest approach to the Cabeus target site just 90 seconds after the Centaur impacts the lunar surface.Artist Concept of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter with Apollo mission imagery in the background. Credit: NASA The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, better known as LRO, was a sister payload to LCROSS during launch and now the

A New Look at an Old Neighbor Moon

We have yet to uncover the full wealth of scientific information the moon holds. It at the cornerstone of understanding the birth and evolution of Earth and other planets, therefore we need to explore it. The moon looks very unchanging and calm in the night sky and is rarely thought of as an active planetary body. What most people don't know, is the moon receives LCROSS-sized impacts about once a

It's Almost Time Moon Impact

It's been over three months since the Atlas V soared from Cape Canaveral, Fla. into space carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite ("LCROSS" for short). Now it's finally time for LCROSS to do its things and get up close and personal with the moon.An artist's interpretation of NASA's LCROSS spacecraft observing the firstimpact of its

Is the Moon a Planet,Too?

Lunar scientist Barbara Cohen explains how our moon functions very much like a planet. You've all probably heard about the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decision to define a planet -- probably because it clarified that there is a big belt of icy objects out beyond the orbit of Neptune, and we now know that Pluto is one of thousands of them. The IAU definition also excludes moons from

Latest Updates on LCROSS Coverage

Live coverage of LCROSS Impact Event starts at 3:15 a.m. PDT or 6:15 a.m. EDT on NASA TV http://www.nasa.gov/ntvLCROSS Centaur SeparationLCROSS Centaur Separation occurred at 9:50 p.m. EDT (6:50 p.m. PDT), Oct. 8. After separation, the spacecraft performed a 180 degree pitch maneuver (turning around) to reorient the LCROSS science payload towards the receding Centaur.

LRO Sees Apollo 14's Rocket Booster Impact Site

The crater in the center of this image was formed by Apollo 14's Saturn IVB booster. The booster was intentionally impacted into the lunar surface on Feb. 4, 1971. The impact caused a minor "moonquake" that scientists used to learn about the moon's interior structure. Seismometers placed on the surface by Apollo astronauts returned data on the tremor. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/

Centaur Separation

Image of the centaur separation as viewed from the mid infrared camera. Image of the centaur separation as viewed from the mid infrared camera. STK (satellite toolkit) image of the LCROSS spacecraft after centaur separation.

Spacecraft's Lunar Crash Won't Hurt the Moon, NASA Says

The moon is due for a double whammy from two NASA probes Friday, with scientists assuring some skeptics that smacking the lunar surface with spacecraft is really okay.NASA's LCROSS mission will slam a spacecraft and an empty rocket stage into the moon's south pole Friday morning at 7:31 a.m. EDT (1131 GMT) in a search for water ice buried in the perpetual shadows of lunar craters.Scientists are

LCROSS Impact Events

USAAlabama (AL)Sci-Quest Museum102-D Wynn Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805www.sci-quest.orgOvernight lock-in at the Museum. Evening of Thursday, Oct. 8 with viewing opportunities Friday, Oct. 9 (Impact week is also Fall Break for our local schools). We will have LCROSS programs and activities throughout the evening and show NASA TV live coverage in the Sci-Quest auditorium. Members of the Von Braun

NASA to Rebroadcast Global Event from the Space Station

NASA Television will rebroadcast the Oct. 9 global event International Space Station resident Guy Laliberte designed to raise awareness about the need for clean water. Laliberte, who founded Cirque du Soleil, hosts the event from aboard the station."Moving Stars and Earth for Water," will take place in 14 cities across five continents between 9 and 11 p.m. EDT, and will be streamed live on the

Black Holes Go 'Mano a Mano'

This image of NGC 6240 contains new X-ray data from Chandra (shown in red, orange, and yellow) that has been combined with an optical image from the Hubble Space Telescope originally released in 2008. In 2002, Chandra data led to the discovery of two merging black holes, which are a mere 3,000 light years apart. They are seen as the bright point-like sources in the middle of the image.Scientists

Light-Toned Deposits in Noctis Labyrinthus

Layers in the lower portion of two neighboring buttes within the Noctis Labyrinthus formation on Mars are visible in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The view covers an area about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) wide.Dune fields blanket the ground in the upper left of the image and a portion of the ground between the

New Set of High-Resolution Mars Images Online

Thousands of image products from 233 recent telescopic observations by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show a diversity of surface shapes and textures on Mars. These views, captured during August 2009 by the orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera, are on the camera team's University of Arizona Web site, at: http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/releases/oct_09.php . The Mars

NASA Refines Asteroid Apophis' Path Toward Earth

Using updated information, NASA scientists have recalculated the path of a large asteroid. The refined path indicates a significantly reduced likelihood of a hazardous encounter with Earth in 2036.The Apophis asteroid is approximately the size of two-and-a-half football fields. The new data were documented by near-Earth object scientists Steve Chesley and Paul Chodas at NASA's Jet Propulsion

NASA Invites Reporters to Events for LCROSS Lunar Impact

LCROSS Lunar Impact 7:31 a.m. EDT/4:31 a.m. PDT Friday Oct. 9A live NASA TV Broadcast is planned for the LCROSS impacts starting at 6:15 a.m. EDT/3:15 a.m. PDT, Oct. 9, on NASA TV and www.nasa.gov/ntv.The 1.5 hour broadcast includes: Live footage from spacecraft camera Real-time telemetry based animation Views of LCROSS Mission and Science Operations Broadcast commentary with expert guests

Live Stream of Astronomy Night, Facebook Chat at the White House

UPDATE: The archived video of the President’s introductory remarks are available here: Before Astronomy Night at the White House began, Sally Ride and NASA participated in an online Facebook chat at 7 p.m.: At 8 p.m., starting with remarks by President Obama, Astronomy Night at the White House officially began. Events lasted until approximately 9:45. For more information, please

NASA and its International Partners Assign Space Station Crews

NASA and its international partners have assigned five new International Space Station crews and made changes to four previously assigned station crews.Among the newly announced crews for future station missions is the assignment of NASA astronauts Ron Garan, who was born in Yonkers, N.Y.; Mike Fossum, who grew up in McAllen, Texas; Dan Burbank, who considers Yarmouthport, Mass., his hometown;

Atlantis Awaits Installation to ET and SRBs

Space shuttle Atlantis was moved from its hangar in Obiter Processing Facility-1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building's transfer aisle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday.A sling was attached to the vehicle in order for it to be lifted and attached to the external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters already positioned on the mobile launcher platform.At this time, the lift process is

NASA’s LRO and LCROSS Missions: Lunar Impact – 09.10.07

Posted on: October 7, 2009Posted in: Daily, Featured, VideoComment on This VideoNASA, along with just about everyone else down here on Earth, is looking to see if there is water on the Moon. And not just random bits of ice on the surface, but really big quantities of water that we can use, should humans ever have a Lunar colony.

White House to Host Science and Astronomy Night for Students

Local middle school students will have an opportunity to learn about the solar system and the vast universe beyond during an Astronomy Night event on the White House South Lawn at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct 7. The White House will host 150 local students to star gaze and conduct hands-on experiments with astronomers from across the country. President Obama will speak about the importance of

New Antenna May Reveal More Clues About Lightning

Launch scrubs are nothing new at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In fact, there have been 116 space shuttle scrubs; 72 for technical reasons and 45 for inclement weather.During the summer, bad weather, particularly lightning, seems to strike as the countdown clock nears zero. Maybe it's because Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are well within what meteorologists call, "Lightning Alley."

Arctic Sea Ice Extent is Third Lowest on Record

U.S. satellite measurements show Arctic sea ice extent in 2009 – the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by floating ice – was the third lowest since satellite measurements were first made in 1979. The ice area at minimum was an increase from the past two years, but still well below the average for the past 30 years.Arctic sea ice reached its minimum extent around September 12, as shown in the image

The King of Rings

This diagram illustrates the extent of the largest ring around Saturn, discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The ring is huge, and far from the gas planet and the rest of its majestic rings.The bulk of the ring material starts about six million kilometers (3.7 million miles) away from the planet and extends outward roughly another 12 million kilometers (7.4 million miles). The diameter of

Saturn's Infrared Ring

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has spotted a nearly invisible ring around Saturn -- the largest of the giant planet's many rings. The ring is so diffuse that it reflects little sunlight, or visible light that we see with our eyes. But its dusty particles shine with infrared light, or heat radiation, that Spitzer can see.This artist's conception simulates an infrared view of the giant ring. Saturn

Infrared Ring Around Saturn

This diagram highlights a slice of Saturn's largest ring. The ring (red band in inset photo) was discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which detected infrared light, or heat, from the dusty ring material. Spitzer viewed the ring edge-on from its Earth-trailing orbit around the sun.The ring has a diameter equivalent to 300 Saturns lined up side to side. And it's thick too -- about 20

NASA Space Telescope Discovers Largest Ring Around Saturn

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered an enormous ring around Saturn -- by far the largest of the giant planet's many rings.The new belt lies at the far reaches of the Saturnian system, with an orbit tilted 27 degrees from the main ring plane. The bulk of its material starts about six million kilometers (3.7 million miles) away from the planet and extends outward roughly another 12

Buzz, Astronauts Shine as Stars of Disney Parade

Buzz Lightyear didn't quite make it to infinity, but he went well beyond the realm of other action figures.The icon of Disney's "Toy Story" films spent 15 months on the International Space Station and got a ticker-tape parade alongside real-life moonwalker Buzz Aldrin and Expedition 18 Commander and NASA astronaut Mike Finke to welcome him home to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 2."Buzz

NASA Invites Young People to Take Virtual Space Station Spacewalks

Imagine the thrill of floating out of the International Space Station and into the emptiness of space and what it would be like to work on the orbiting science laboratory. NASA has developed a new video game, Station Spacewalk, to give young people an "out of this world" virtual opportunity to experience the thrill of working on a mission to the International Space Station from their

NASA Selects Small Business Research and Technology Projects

NASA selected 152 proposals for negotiation of Phase 2 contract awards in the Small Business Innovation Research program, or SBIR. The selected projects have a total value of approximately $91 million. NASA will award the contracts to 126 small high technology firms in 27 states.The SBIR program works with NASA's mission directorates to competitively select ventures that address research and

Gullies at the Edge of Hale Crater, Mars

This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows gullies near the edge of Hale crater on southern Mars.Martian gullies carved into hill slopes and the walls of impact craters were discovered several years ago. On Earth, gullies usually form through the action of liquid water -- long thought to be absent on the Martian surface. Whether liquid water carves gullies under today's cold and dry

The Heart of Darkness

Some of the coldest and darkest dust in space shines brightly in this infrared image from the Herschel Observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important participation from NASA. The image is a composite of light captured simultaneously by two of Herschel's three instruments -- the photodetector array camera and spectrometer with its spectral and photometric imaging receiver.The image

Twenty-five Years After ERBS and SAGE II: The Life, Data and Death of a Satellite Mission

What makes a successful Earth observing satellite mission: flawless launch?During its October 1984 deployment from the Space Shuttle Challenger by astronaut Sally Ride, the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite Experiment (ERBS) solar panel stuck. Ride had to shake the satellite with the Shuttle's robotic arm for the panel to extend. embedFlashVideoV2("/389950main_sage2.flv","center","/

LCROSS Viewer's Guide

Just imagine. A spaceship plunges out of the night sky, hits the ground and explodes. A plume of debris billows back into the heavens, leading your eye to a second ship in hot pursuit. Four minutes later, that one hits the ground, too. It's raining spaceships!Put on your hard hat and get ready for action, because on Friday, Oct. 9, what you just imagined is really going to happen--and you can

NASA Researcher Shares in Nobel Prize

Jack W. Szostak, a principal investigator with NASA's Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology Program and a member of the NASA Astrobiology Insitute, is among a group of three researchers who have been awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Szostak shares this year's prestigious scientific award with Elizabeth H. Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco, and Carol W.

Squyres Wins Carl Sagan Medal for Public Outreach

For his work making NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission a compelling saga for millions of people, Steven W. Squyres, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy and principal scientific investigator for the mission, has received the 2009 Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society.The Sagan medal recognizes a planetary scientist for excellence in public communication. Squyres will

Preflight Interview: Maxim Suraev

Q: Of all the careers in all the world that a person could aspire to, you have ended up as a professional space traveler. Max, what motivated you or inspired you to become a cosmonaut?A: What inspired me? It’s no secret that a person always tries to be better than he is, than he actually is or than he is now. A person always tries to develop, to move forward. Therefore, initially, when I was a

NASA's Pathfinder Aircraft Tracks Weather for Ferry Flight

Space shuttle Discovery returned to NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Sept. 21 perched on top of a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet. But it wasn't an ordinary cross-country piggyback journey.In fact, the two-day ferry flight from California proved to be one of the greatest tests ever for the NASA C-9 "pathfinder" aircraft that scouts safe routes ahead of the shuttle."This shuttle return is the biggest

Preflight Interview: Jeffrey Williams

Q: Of all the careers in all the world that a person could aspire to, you’ve ended up as a professional space traveler. So what was it that motivated you, or inspired you, to become an astronaut?A: Well, I think it was a series of events and opportunities that kind of fell before me as I grew up. Growing up through high school even, I never even dreamed of the possibility. I thought it was all

Expedition 21 Crew Arrives at the International Space Station

Flight Engineers Jeff Williams and Maxim Suraev along with spaceflight participant Guy Laliberté have arrived at the International Space Station. They docked their Soyuz TMA-16 to the aft end of the Zvezda service module at 4:37 a.m. EDT Friday. They launched Wednesday at 3:14 a.m. EDT from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.The newest station crew members entered the station after opening the

Global Sources of Local Pollution: An Assessment of Long-Range Transport of Key Air Pollutants to and from the United States (2009)

Recent advances in atmospheric monitoring and modeling have helped confirm that air pollution can be transported aloft across oceans and continents, affecting air quality and ecosystems far from the original pollution sources. It is currently quite difficult to quantify this transport or its impacts, but there is evidence that in some cases, the influence of long-range pollution transport can be

NASA and Russian Space Agency Administrators Meet

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Left, and Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov turn to pose for a photograph at Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight

This Month in Exploration - October

Visit "This Month in Exploration" every month to find out how aviation and space exploration have changed throughout the years, improving life for humans on Earth and in space. While reflecting on the events that led to NASA's formation and its rich history of accomplishments, "This Month in Exploration" will reveal where the agency is leading us -- to the moon, Mars and beyond.100 Years

JPL Satellite Data on How Pollution Travels Highlighted in New Study

Data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite were used to create this short video showing plumes of carbon monoxide being transported in Earth's atmosphere around the globe. These observations track carbon monoxide at about 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) above the surface of Earth. In the movie, carbon monoxide emissions from large fires and large urban and

Herschel's Multi-Hued View of the Sky

A new image from the Herschel Observatory shows off the observatory's talents for seeing multiple wavelengths of light. The infrared observatory, a European Space Agency mission with important participation from NASA, can use two science instruments simultaneously to see five different "colors" of infrared, which is light that we can't see with our eyes.The new composite picture features a dark

NASA Launches New Education Initiatives with Disney's Buzz Lightyear

NASA and Disney Parks, which collaborated to carry toy space ranger Buzz Lightyear into orbit, are launching new efforts to encourage students to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.The 12-inch-tall action figure spent more than 15 months aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth on Sept. 11. On Friday, Oct. 2, a ticker-tape parade at Walt Disney

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Opening night festivities included a fireworks display in the skies above the lit up gas balloons.

BUZZ on ISS

Buzz Lightyear Returns From the International Space Station

Mariner 10

On Nov. 3, 1973, the Mariner Venus/Mercury 1973 spacecraft, also known as Mariner 10, was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, becoming the first spacecraft designed to use gravity assist. Three months after launch it flew by Venus, changed speed and trajectory, then crossed Mercury's orbit in March 1974.This photo identifies the spacecraft's science instruments, which were used to study

Opportunity Finds Another Meteorite

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found a rock that apparently is another meteorite, less than three weeks after driving away from a larger meteorite that the rover examined for six weeks.Opportunity used its navigation camera during the mission's 2,022nd Martian day, or sol, (Oct. 1, 2009) to take this image of the apparent meteorite dubbed "Shelter Island." The pitted rock is about

Expedition 21 Crew to Dock With Station Friday Morning

Expedition 21 Flight Engineers Jeff Williams and Maxim Suraev, along with spaceflight participant Guy Laliberté, are set to dock with the International Space Station at 4:37 a.m. EDT Friday.

Soyuz Lifts Off

Carrying Expedition 21 flight engineers Jeffrey Williams and Maxim Suraev, as well as a spaceflight participant, this Soyuz TMA-16 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, on its way to the International Space Station.

Expedition 21 Lifts Off

The Soyuz TMA-16 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, carrying Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté to the International Space Station.

A Second Look at Apollo 11

LROC's second look at the Apollo 11 landing site. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State UniversityA month after LROC's first image of the Apollo 11 landing site was acquired, LRO passed over again providing the LROC instrument a new view of the historic site. This time the Sun was 28 degrees higher in the sky, making for smaller shadows and bringing out subtle brightness

International Science Teams Selected for Aquarius/SAC-D Mission

NASA and Argentina's Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE), with support from the Argentine Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovative Production (MinCyT), have selected additional members of the international scientific investigating team for the Aquarius/Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D mission, scheduled to launch in 2010. The new team members include two from

Space Radar Reveals Topography of Tsunami Site

Two color-coded perspective views of the Independent State of Samoa (left) and American Samoa (right), generated with digital elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, illustrate the varying topography of the islands. A tsunami generated by a major undersea earthquake on Sept. 29, 2009, inundated the more heavily populated southern coast of Tutuila, the largest of the islands of

Training and Shuttle Preps Highlight the Day

Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida have completed Atlantis' crew module final prep work and side hatch closure in anticipation of the vehicle's rollover from Orbiter Processing Facility-1 to the Vehicle Assembly Building, scheduled for Oct. 6.Atlantis will be lowered on its wheels today and then weighed. A center-of-gravity check will be performed to make sure the shuttle is

Astro Mike Rockets to a Million on Twitter

In tweet-speak, it might have been called a “twace,” the great space race on Twitter.Astronaut Mike Massimino became the first human to tweet from space on his final trip to repair the Hubble telescope. It was no contest, however, that he recently also became the first astronaut to reach one million followers on Twitter.And who says, “In space, no one can hear you tweet?”On April 1, 2009, it was

Radial Channels Carved by Dry Ice

Spider-shaped features in the south polar region of Mars are carved by vaporizing dry ice in a dynamic seasonal process. This image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter includes several of the distinctive features in an area 1.2 kilometers (three-fourths of a mile) wide. It is one of the HiRISE camera team's featured images this

NASA Goddard Shoots the Moon to Track LRO

On certain nights, an arresting green line pierces the sky above NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. It's a laser directed at the moon, visible when the air is humid. No, we're not repelling an invasion. Instead, we're tracking our own spacecraft.28 times per second, engineers at NASA Goddard fire a laser that travels about 250,000 miles to hit the minivan-sized Lunar