Due to launch vehicle processing delays in preparation for spacecraft mate operations, NASA and United Launch Alliance have moved the first launch attempt of the Mars 2020 mission to no earlier than July 30. A liquid oxygen sensor line presented off-nominal data during the Wet Dress Rehearsal, and additional time is needed for the team to inspect and …
NASA and United Launch Alliance are now targeting Wednesday, July 22, for launch of the Mars 2020 mission due to a processing delay encountered during encapsulation activities of the spacecraft. Additional time was needed to resolve a contamination concern in the ground support lines in NASA's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF). The spacecraft and vehicle …
On June 22, NASA's ICON team released scientific data collected during the spacecraft's first eight months in orbit to the public. The data release features observations from ICON's four instruments — MIGHTI, FUV, EUV, and IVM — which have been observing the ins and outs of the ionosphere, the sea of charged particles high in …
by Emily Fischer Trudging through snow up to their thighs, researchers Nicholas Hasson and Phil Hanke pull 200 pounds of equipment through boreal terrain near Fairbanks, Alaska. Once they reach their destination – a frozen, collapsing lake — they drill through two feet of ice to access frigid water containing copious amounts of methane. Hasson …
Continuing on its path to preparation for next month's launch, NASA's Mars Perseverance rover spacecraft is, well, put together. Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Backshell-Powered Descent Vehicle and Entry Vehicle assemblies are now attached to Perseverance. The cone-shaped backshell contains the parachute, and along with …
NASA and ULA are now targeting Monday, July 20, for launch of the Mars 2020 mission of the Perseverance Rover on an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Additional time was needed for the team to repair an issue with the ground system equipment. Launch is …
On June 9, 2020, NASA's Parker Solar Probe signaled the success of its fifth close pass by the Sun, called perihelion, with a radio beacon tone.
On May 29, 2020, a family of sunspots — dark spots that freckle the face of the Sun, representing areas of complex magnetic fields — sported the biggest solar flare since October 2017. Although the sunspots are not yet visible (they will soon rotate into view over the left limb of the Sun), NASA spacecraft …
With the addition of a powerful piece of hardware, NASA's Mars Perseverance rover continues to progress toward its much-anticipated launch in less than two months. The spacecraft's booster arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Skid Strip on Monday, May 18. It was then offloaded and taken to United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Atlas Spaceflight Operations …
On May 9, 2020, NASA's Parker Solar Probe began its longest observation campaign to date.
