Aerospace

Swift Satellite Tracks C/2007 N3- Comet Lulin

Astronomers using the NASA Swift Satellite are tracking a spectacular comet as it closes in on Earth and sheds gas and dust from its vaporized ice. A comet is a clump of frozen gases mixed with dust. These "dirty snowballs" cast off gas and dust ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 29 2011 - 10:04am

John Glenn Orbits The Earth- 47 Years Ago Today

February 20th marks a historic anniversary in the American Space Program. On this day in 1962, astronaut John Glenn boarded the Friendship 7 spacecraft and became to first American to orbit the earth as part of the successful Mercury-Atlas 6 mission. The d ...

Article - Kimberly Crandell - Feb 22 2009 - 3:17pm

5 Things About The Orbiting Carbon Observatory

Here are some quick facts about the Earth-orbiting satellite, scheduled to launch on Feb. 24, 2009. -- It will study carbon dioxide sources (where it comes from) and sinks (where it is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored). Carbon dioxide is a major con ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 22 2009 - 7:25pm

Kepler Gets Set To Look For Life On Other Planets

NASA's Kepler spacecraft will soon begin a journey to search for worlds that could potentially host life. Kepler is scheduled to blast into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a Delta II rocket on March 5 at 7:48 p.m. Pacific Tim ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 22 2009 - 7:29pm

5 Quick Facts About The Kepler Mission To Find Earth-Sized Planets

The Kepler spacecraft and its Delta II rocket have been cleared to launch into space at 10:49 p.m. EST Friday night.   Its mission;  watch a patch of space (see image below) for the next 3.5 years and look for signs of Earth-sized planets moving around sta ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 5 2009 - 10:49pm

See Climate Change With NASA Using 'Eyes On The Earth 3-D'

New interactive features on NASA's Global Climate Change Web site give the public the opportunity to "fly along" with NASA's fleet of Earth science missions and observe Earth from a global perspective in an immersive, 3-D environment.  ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 12 2009 - 6:47pm

Chasing The Demon In The Sky- On Autopilot

When a jet is flying faster than the speed of sound, one small mistake can tear it apart.   It was so feared that the physics blended with the supernatural in the mid 1940s.  Luckily, Chuck Yeager didn't believe in demons. There was a demon that lived ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 29 2009 - 12:17pm

Kepler Mission Status Report- Let The Planet Hunting Begin

NASA's Kepler spacecraft has begun its search for other Earth-like worlds. The mission, which launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 6, will spend the next three-and-a-half years staring at more than 100,000 stars for telltale signs of planets. ...

Article - News Staff - May 13 2009 - 11:58pm

Herschel And Planck: Next Stop- The Origins Of The Universe

The dual launch of the far-infrared space telescope Herschel and cosmic background mapper Planck on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana is the beginning of two of the most ambitious missions ever attempted to unveil the secrets ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 21 2013 - 12:42pm

Get Ready For The Best Gravity Data Ever: GOCE Goes Drag-Free

GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer), launched in March and currently progressing through the commissioning phase, has achieved a first in the history of satellite technology; an electric propulsion system able to keep the satel ...

Article - News Staff - May 26 2009 - 12:38pm