NASA Briefings and TV Coverage Schedule for Phoenix Mars Landing
(MAY 15) PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA news briefings, live commentary and updates
before and after the scheduled Sunday, May 25 arrival of the agency's Phoenix
Mars Lander will be available on NASA Television and on the Web.
More
Myanmar Misery
Since its launch in 1999, NASA's Terra spacecraft has monitored numerous natural
disasters. On May 5 Terra's MODIS instrument recorded the extensive flooding in
Myanmar (Burma) from Cyclone Nargis. The country's once distinct coastline
resembles an irregular mix of islands and water (this is especially evident in the
lower left). The entire coastal plain is flooded and fallow agricultural areas
appear to have been especially hard hit. Several large cities are in the affected
area and Yangon (population over 4 million) is almost completely surrounded by floods.
MODIS was built by Santa Barbara Remote Sensing in California. Image and caption
NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center
Intense Testing Paved Phoenix Road to Mars
(MAY 9) When NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander descends to the surface of the Red
Planet on May 25, few will be watching as closely as the men and women who have
spent years planning, analyzing and conducting tests to prepare for the dramatic
and nerve-wracking event known as EDL -- Entry, Descent and Landing.
More
Saturn Does the Wave in Upper Atmosphere
(MAY 7) Two decades of scrutinizing Saturn are finally paying off, as scientists
have discovered a wave pattern, or oscillation, in Saturn's atmosphere only
visible from Earth every 15 years. More
Saturn Electrical Storm
A long-lived storm on Saturn appears as a light area in this Cassini spacecraft
image released by California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) April 29th. The
powerful electrical storm produces lightning bolts 10,000 times more powerful
than those found on Earth. Storms on Saturn have diameters of several thousand
miles and radio signals produced by their lightning are thousands of times more
powerful than those produced by terrestrial thunderstorms. Cassini's radio
plasma wave instrument detects the storm every time it rotates into view. JPL, a
division of Caltech, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Science Mission
Directorate. Image and caption courtesy JPL.
Send Your Name to the Moon
(MAY 1) WASHINGTON -- NASA invites people of all ages to join the lunar
exploration journey with an opportunity to send their names to the moon aboard
the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, spacecraft.
The Send Your Name to the Moon Web site enables everyone to participate in the
lunar adventure and place their names in orbit around the moon for years to come.
Participants can submit their information at
http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/index.php,
print a certificate and have their name entered into a database. The database
will be placed on a microchip that will be integrated onto the spacecraft. The
deadline for submitting names is June 27, 2008.
LRO will also create a comprehensive atlas of the moon's features and resources
that will be needed as NASA designs and builds a planned lunar outpost. The
mission will support future human exploration while providing a foundation for
upcoming science missions. LRO is scheduled for launch in late 2008.
NASA
Ocean Survey Spacecraft Arrives at Vandenberg
(APR 30) PASADENA, Calif. -- A NASA and French Space Agency (CNES) spacecraft
designed to continue a long-term survey of Earth's oceans has arrived at
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for final launch preparations.
More
Gulf Stream Winds

The frequency of high winds above the Gulf Stream during winter is revealed in
this map created from data collected by NASA's QuikScat satellite. Lower wind
speeds are depicted in purple and higher wind speeds in red. The contour lines
show sea surface temperatures in degrees Celsius. QuikScat was launched aboard a
converted Titan II ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California in 1999. Image
credit: NASA/JPL/University of Hawaii at Manoa
Stalling Motor Plagues Mars Rover
(APR 23) A small motor in the robotic arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover
Opportunity that began stalling occasionally more than two years ago has become
more troublesome recently. More
JPL Invites Public to Open House
(APR 22) NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will welcome members
of the public to its Open House on Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4. Children
will be able to participate in many hands-on activities.
More
M83
The outlying regions of the galaxy M83 are highlighted in this composite image
from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and the National Science
Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope in New Mexico. GALEX
ultraviolet observations, shown in blue (far-UV) and green (near-UV), highlight
the galaxy's farthest-flung clusters of young stars up to 140,000 light-years from
its center. VLA radio observations at 21 centimeters appear in red. They
highlight gaseous hydrogen atoms, or raw ingredients for stars, which make up the
lengthy, extended arms. Caltech in Pasadena, California, hosts the GALEX science
center and has overall responsibility for the project. Image courtesy
NASA/JPL-Caltech/VLA/MPIA
Boeing Selected to Launch WorldView-2
(APR 16) Boeing Launch Services has been awarded a contract to launch
DigitalGlobe's second WorldView Earth-imaging satellite. The payload is slated
to lift-off from California's Vandenberg AFB in mid-2009 aboard a Delta II rocket.
More
ATK Awarded Minuteman III Propulsion Work
(APR 15) MINNEAPOLIS -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has received a contract
option worth $134 million from Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) to
refurbish components and replace propellant on Minuteman III Stage 1, 2 and 3
rocket motors. This award is the seventh full-rate production option under the
ICBM Propulsion Replacement Program.
The option is for 50 motor sets and will extend the program through August 2009.
The Minuteman III Propulsion Replacement Program (PRP) began in 1998 as a Joint
Venture between ATK and Pratt & Whitney. All work content was transitioned to
ATK in the 2003-2004 timeframe following a contract restructure. Most of the
work on the contract will be performed at the company's facilities in Utah.
Alliant Techsystems
Martian Moon
The battered surface of the martian moon Phobos is revealed in this Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter image released by the University of Arizona. The
spacecraft's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) imaged the moon
on March 23rd from a distance of about 4,200 miles miles (6,800 kilometers).
Clearly visible are the large impact crater Stickney (right) and a series of
grooves and crater chains. The University of Arizona operates the HiRISE camera
for NASA. Image courtesy the University of Arizona
NASA Sets Sights on Lunar Dust Mission
(APR 9) MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA is preparing to send a small spacecraft
to the moon in 2011 to assess the lunar atmosphere and the nature of dust lofted
above the surface. More
CU to Launch Sounding Rocket Payload
(APR 9) The University of Colorado at Boulder's own version of "The Rocket Boys"
(and Girls) will help to launch a CU payload on a sounding rocket to measure
ultraviolet radiation from the sun from the White Sands Missile Range in New
Mexico April 10. More
Test Launch
A Minuteman III missile lights up the night sky above California. The ICBM
lifted-off from Vandenberg AFB at 01:01 PDT on April 2nd and sent an unarmed
warhead some 4,800 miles downrange to a predetermined target at Kwajalein in the
Central Pacific. Aerospace photographer Brian Lockett
recorded the launch in this impressive time exposure taken from the mountains
northwest of Santa Barbara. Copyright 2008, Brian Locket. Used with permission.
Vandenberg Launches Minuteman III
(APR 2) VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A Minuteman III intercontinental
ballistic missile configured with a National Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA) test assembly was launched from North Vandenberg today at 1:01 a.m.
More
Minuteman III Launch
(MAR 31) VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An unarmed Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile is scheduled to launch from North Vandenberg
Wednesday morning as an operational test to determine the weapon system's
reliability and accuracy. The six-hour launch window is from 1:01 a.m. to 7:01
a.m.
The missile will launch under the direction of the 576th Flight Test Squadron.
Col. Michael E. Fortney, 30th Space Wing vice commander, is the spacelift
commander for this mission. Lt. Col. Lesa K. Toler, 576th FLTS commander, is the
mission director.
Members of the 576th FLTS installed tracking, telemetry and command destruct
systems on the missile to collect data and meet safety requirements.
The missile's single unarmed re-entry vehicle is expected to travel approximately
4,200 miles, hitting a pre-determined water target in the Marshall Islands.
The entire ICBM community, including the Department of Defense and the Department
of Energy, will use the data collected from this mission.
Vandenberg AFB
Sunspots
To the delight of solar observers, three diminutive sunspots recently emerged on
the Sun. The spots, which are numbered 987, 988, and 989 are visible in this
SOHO satellite image taken March 30th. Despite their small size, the solar
blemishes have been having an impact. On March 25th, sunspot 989 produced a
sizable solar flare. Meanwhile, increased solar activity associated with the
spots improved high frequency (shortwave) radio transmission and reception.
Image courtesy NASA
Falcon 9 Engines Tested
(MAR 27) California-based SpaceX reports the firm conducted the first
three-engine firing of its Falcon 9 medium to heavy lift rocket at its facility
outside McGregor, Texas on March 8, 2008. At full power the engines
generated over 270,000 pounds of force, and consumed 1,050 lbs of fuel and
liquid oxygen per second. A total of nine Merlin 1C engines will power the
Falcon 9 rocket.
The test series continues with the addition of two engines for a total of five,
then finally the full compliment of nine engines. With all engines firing, the
Falcon 9 can generate over one million pounds of thrust in vacuum - four times
the maximum thrust of a 747 aircraft.
The Merlin 1C next generation liquid fueled rocket booster engine is among the
highest performing gas generator cycle kerosene engines ever built, exceeding
the Boeing Delta II main engine, the Lockheed Atlas II main engine, and on par
with the Saturn V F-1 engine.
The first Falcon 9 remains on-schedule for delivery to Cape Canaveral, Florida,
by the end of 2008.
Space Development Corporation (SpaceX)
Cassini Detects Organic Material at Enceladus
(MAR 26) PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft tasted and sampled a
surprising organic brew erupting in geyser-like fashion from Saturn's moon
Enceladus during a close flyby on March 12. Scientists are amazed that this tiny
moon is so active, "hot" and brimming with water vapor and organic chemicals.
More
New Mexico Dust Storm
Winds blow gypsum sand from White Sands National Monument, New Mexico across the
southern part of the state. Pale gypsum sand covers some 275 square miles (715
square kilometers) of desert at White Sands, providing ample material for
storms when strong winds strike. NASA's Aqua spacecraft imaged the event as it
passed overhead on March 14. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Lieutenant's Experiment Flies on Shuttle
(MAR 21) VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. - The crew of the STS-123 Endeavour Space
Shuttle is traveling with a unique payload that was designed by a lieutenant
here. More
Water Vapor Detected in Protoplanetary Disks
(MAR 18) Researchers from the California Institute of Technology and other
institutes have detected water vapor in the spinning disks of particles
surrounding two newly formed stars. More
Atlas V Debut
The first-ever Atlas V launch from Vandenberg AFB traces an arc in the early
morning sky on March 13. Matt Batryn captured the event in this time exposure
from Port San Luis, California. Clearly visible are the rocket's trajectory
including a lateral maneuver and numerous star trails caused by the Earth's
rotation. Batryn used a Nikon D70S digital SLR and an exposure of 207 seconds at
f/3.5 and ISO 200. Copyright 2008, Matt Batryn. Used with permission.
Atlas V Launch a Success
(MAR 13) Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., - Adding to the Atlas rocket's
legacy of launches from the west coast that began in 1959, United Launch
Alliance's Atlas V made its debut flight from Space Launch Complex-3 East here
at 3:02 a.m. PDT, today. More
Atlas V Launch
(MAR 11) VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Vandenberg is scheduled to launch
an Atlas V rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload, Thursday
with a current launch window of 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. from Space Launch
Complex-3 on south Vandenberg.
Col. Steve Tanous, 30th Space Wing commander, will be the spacelift commander for
this mission.
This will be the first Atlas V launched from Vandenberg as well as the first
launch of the year.
Vandenberg AFB
LBT First Images
On March 6 the University of Arizona released the first images from the Large
Binocular Telescope (LBT) including this false-color view of the galaxy NGC 2770.
The image combines ultraviolet, green, and deep red light and enhances the
detailed structure of hot, moderate and cool stars in the galaxy. Billed as the
world's most powerful telescope, the LBT sits atop Mount Graham in southeastern
Arizona and has a light-collecting area equivalent to a single 11.8-meter
(39-foot) surface. Image courtesy Large Binocular Camera team, Rome Observatory
Moon-Mars Conjunction
(MAR 9) If the sky is clear this Friday (March 14), look for the close
encounter of the Moon and Mars. From Los Angeles, closest approach occurs at
about 19:58 PDT (02:58 UTC) during evening twilight. At that time, the first
quarter Moon will lie about 1.3° north of the + 0.5 magnitude Red Planet.
The close pairing of the two objects is somewhat misleading. Although they will
be lined up in the same part of the sky, the Moon will be about 247,000 miles
from Earth while Mars will be 109 million miles further away.
Asteroid's Moon to Occult Star
(MAR 6) With just binoculars, you might see a relatively bright star wink out
briefly as a moon of the asteroid (45) Eugenia covers it; this rare event will
be visible across the southern USA Saturday evening, March 8.
More
Past News
|