News & Features
Follow mission news or learn about exciting new discoveries from NASA centers and research partners.
NASA'S Glory Satellite Fails To Reach Orbit
March 4, 2011
At a news conference following the unsuccessful attempt to place the Glory spacecraft in orbit, a team from NASA and Orbital Sciences Corporation, maker of the Taurus XL rocket, discussed the failure of the rocket's fairing to separate.
Glory Launch Set for March 4
March 3, 2011
The Glory spacecraft is set to launch from California at 5:09 a.m. EST on Friday, March 4. Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate.
Radiation No Concern for Space Crops?
March 3, 2011
Flax seeds can grow in radioactive soil near the contaminated site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident without much change to their proteins, experiments show. This study may point the way to growing crops in space, on the Moon, or on Mars.
Researchers Crack the Mystery of the Spotless Sun
March 3, 2011
In 2008-2009, sunspots almost completely disappeared for two years. It was a big event, and solar physicists openly wondered, where have all the sunspots gone?
Time to Fly: SAGE III - ISS Prepped for Space Station
March 2, 2011
After nine years in a clean room, the SAGE III instrument returns to service measuring the Earth's atmosphere and ozone layer.
Monster Prominence Erupts from the Sun
March 2, 2011
When a rather large M 3.6 class flare occurred near the edge of the Sun on Feb. 24, 2011, it blew out a gorgeous, waving mass of erupting plasma that swirled and twisted for 90 minutes.
How Severe Can the Climate Get?
March 1, 2011
New research shows that modern climate change could become worse than anything known in written history. Could we be facing megadroughts in the future?
NASA Spacecraft Images New Zealand Quake Region
March 1, 2011
Two new images from NASA’s Terra spacecraft show the region devastated this week by New Zealand’s most destructive earthquake in 80 years.
NanoSail-D Flashes Over the United States Sky
March 1, 2011
Streaking across the North American skies between now and Mar. 7, NanoSail-D will next be observable with the naked eye. NanoSail-D unfurled the first ever 100-square-foot solar sail in low-Earth orbit on Jan. 20.
Glory Mission Slated for March 4 Launch
March 1, 2011
Orbital Sciences and NASA engineers are making good progress in troubleshooting the ground support equipment issue that caused the postponement of the Glory launch on Feb. 23. Launch will be no earlier than March 4.