For two more years, NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) will continue its hunt for asteroids and comets – including objects that could pose a hazard to Earth. This mission extension means NASA’s prolific near-Earth object (NEO) hunting space telescope will continue operations until June 2023. Comet NEOWISE—which was Discovered on March 27, 2020 by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission—captured on July 6, 2020 above the northeast horizon just before sunrise in Tucson. Credits: Vishnu Reddy “At NASA, we’re always looking ..read more

SpaceX has scrubbed the high altitude test of its newest Starship prototype, the SN15, which had been scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, April 30. No reason has been given for the cancellation, and it likely means that the test will be pushed back to next week. The high altitude test is one of the biggest challenges for a prototype. In it, the prototype is fueled and launched and ascends to a high altitude. The prototype then performs its “belly flop” maneuver to turn over and attempts to come back down to Earth for a controlled vertical landing. This hasn’t been easy, however, as four pre ..read more

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is giving astronomers a rare look at a Jupiter-sized, still-forming planet that is feeding off material surrounding a young star. “We just don’t know very much about how giant planets grow,” said Brendan Bowler of the University of Texas at Austin. “This planetary system gives us the first opportunity to witness material falling onto a planet. Our results open up a new area for this research.” This illustration of the newly forming exoplanet PDS 70b shows how material may be falling onto the giant world as it builds up mass. By employing Hubble’s ultraviolet light ..read more

As NASA’s human spaceflight centers are busy preparing the Orion spacecraft and its components for the early Artemis missions around the Moon, a NASA aeronautics-focused center is lending a hand. Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida meticulously applied more than 180 blocks of ablative material to the heat shield for the Orion spacecraft set to carry astronauts around the Moon on Artemis II.Credits: NASA Photo / Isaac Watson NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, is providing system engineering and integration expertise to assist w ..read more

NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch of Northrop Grumman’s 15th commercial resupply services mission (NG CRS-15) for NASA. The Antares rocket carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft will bring about 8,000 pounds of cargo, science, and supplies to the International Space Station. The mission’s launch is targeted for 12:36 p.m. EST Saturday, Feb. 20, from the mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. Members of the public can attend the launch virtually, receiving mi ..read more

The universe is merciless and infinite, and satellites orbiting the earth are witnessing this first hand. Extreme temperature differences between the side of the earth facing towards and away from the sun pose a significant challenge for orbiting satellites, and because repair or maintenance of active satellites is impossible, the satellite, its components and materials must undergo extensive testing, including temperature and vacuum resistance. Common Satellite Operating Conditions Modern life would be impossible without satellite-communicated services like weather forecasts, TV pr ..read more

Antarctic ice is melting, contributing massive amounts of water to the world’s seas and causing them to rise – but that melt is not as linear and consistent as scientists previously thought, a new analysis of 20 years’ worth of satellite data indicates. The analysis, built on gravitational field data from a NASA satellite system, shows that Antarctica’s ice melts at different rates each year, meaning the models scientists use to predict coming sea level rise might also need adjusting. “The ice sheet is not changing with a constant rate – it’s more complicated than a linear change,” said ..read more

NASA is working on various science instruments and technology experiments from the agency that will operate on the Moon once American companies on Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts deliver them to the lunar surface. Through CLPS flights, NASA is buying a complete commercial robotic lunar delivery service and does not provide launch services, own the lander or lead landing operations. The agency has already purchased space on five upcoming commercial Moon missions and is expected to announce yet another task order award soon. The upcoming award keeps the agency on track for it ..read more

NASA and three international partners have signed a statement of intent to advance a possible robotic Mars ice mapping mission, which could help identify abundant, accessible ice for future candidate landing sites on the Red Planet. The agencies have agreed to establish a joint concept team to assess mission potential, as well as partnership opportunities.  This artist illustration depicts four orbiters as part of the International Mars Ice Mapper (I-MIM) mission concept. Low and to the left, an orbiter passes above the Martian surface, detecting buried water ice through a radar instrume ..read more

The Apollo 11 landing site, Tranquility Base, as viewed from orbit by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. (NASA/GSFC/ASU) Preserving the historic sites where humans first landed on the moon is now not only a good idea, it is also the law. The United States has enacted its first legislation that requires American companies and other entities working with NASA on new missions to the moon to avoid disturbing the U.S. hardware that was left there 50 years ago. The “One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act” became law on Thursday (Dec. 31). “I have long advocated for the preservatio ..read more