2011
The Mysterious Rumble of Thundersnow
Feb. 24, 2011
Last month, NASA scientists got a rare chance to study "thundersnow" first-hand when a freak winter storm rolled right over their research center.
SDO Sundog Mystery
Feb. 11, 2011
Last year, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory amazed observers when it destroyed a sundog en route to orbit. A new analysis of the event is shedding light on the way rocket shock-waves interact with clouds.
NASA Spacecraft Closes in on Comet Tempel 1
Feb. 9, 2011
NASA is about to discover how solar heat devours a comet as the Stardust-NExT probe closes in for a Valentines Day encounter with Tempel 1.
First Ever STEREO Images of the Entire Sun
Feb. 6, 2011
On Super Sun-day, NASA's STEREO spacecraft moved into position to photograph the entire sun--front and back. Researchers say this is a transforming moment in solar physics that could lead to big advances in space weather forecasting.
Watch Out for Solar Sail Flares
Feb. 1, 2011
NASA's first Earth-orbiting solar sail, NanoSail-D, is circling our planet and attracting the attention of sky watchers. Occasionally, sunlight glinting from the sail's reflective fabric produces a flash of light in the night sky. These "solar sail flares" are expected to grow brighter as NanoSail-D descends in the weeks ahead.
Robonaut 2 Set to Launch in February
Jan. 31, 2011
Robonaut 2, a dexterous humanoid robot explorer, is set to leave Earth in February for one of the greatest adventures in the history of robotics.
A Fizzy Ocean on Enceladus
Jan. 26, 2011
Evidence is mounting that Saturn's moon Enceladus harbors a bubbly subterranean ocean where conditions might be friendly to life.
Solar Sail Stunner
Jan. 24, 2011
In a stunning reversal of fortune, NASA's NanoSail-D spacecraft has unfurled a gleaming sheet of space-age fabric 650 km above Earth, becoming the first-ever solar sail to circle our planet.
Valentines Day Comet Encounter
Jan. 19, 2011
Sundiving Comet Storm
Jan. 12, 2011
2010 ended with an unprecedented flurry of small comets diving into the Sun. Researchers say this could herald a much larger comet still to come.