News & Features
Follow mission news or learn about exciting new discoveries from NASA centers and research partners.
MSL's Underground Scout
Oct. 25, 2011
Curiosity rover will soon use a special instrument to check for any water bound to shallow underground minerals on Mars.
Spitzer and WISE Telescopes Help Solve Ancient Supernova Mystery
Oct. 25, 2011
New infrared observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, reveal how the first supernova ever recorded occurred and how its shattered remains ultimately spread out to great distances.
The James Webb Telescope Will See Earth-Like Worlds
Oct. 24, 2011
The James Webb Space Telescope is facing possible cancellation due to the increasing cost of the project. But according to Matt Mountain and John Grunsfeld of the Space Telescope Science Institute, the telescope will provide an invaluable view of Earth-like worlds.
Photo of a Gas Giant Planet as Cool as Earth
Oct. 24, 2011
Astronomers have taken a photo of an extrasolar object whose temperature is as cool as the Earth.
New Technique Can Reveal Mars's Watery Past
Oct. 21, 2011
The presence of the mineral jarosite on Mars means that liquid water had to exist at some point in the planet's past. Scientists have developed a new method for determining the age of jarosite and the conditions under which it formed.
Herschel Finds Oceans of Water in Disk of Nearby Star
Oct. 21, 2011
Using data from the Herschel Space Observatory, astronomers have detected for the first time cold water vapor enveloping a dusty disk around a young star.
Watching a Young Planet Being Born
Oct. 20, 2011
Astronomers have captured the first direct image of a planet forming around its star. The 'protoplanet' is surrounded by cooler dust and gas, which is falling into the still-forming planet.
Orion's Belt Lights Up Cassini's View of Enceladus
Oct. 19, 2011
Cassini mission will take advantage of the position of two of the three stars in Orion's belt when the spacecraft flies by Saturn's moon Enceladus on Wednesday, October 19th, 2011.
Meteorite CSI
Oct. 19, 2011
Scientists have forensically reconstructed the impact of a meteorite on Earth and how debris was hurled from the crater to devastate the surrounding region. The study indicates that giant meteorite impacts may mimic the behaviour of large volcanic eruptions.
NASA and Japan Release Improved Topographic Map of Earth
Oct. 18, 2011
NASA and Japan released a significantly improved version of the most complete digital topographic map of Earth on Monday, produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.