News Articles
Sun, Our Sun, Earth’s Space Environment
Nov 24, 2019
The wind speed of a devastating Category 5 hurricane can top over 150 miles per hour (241km/hour.) Now imagine another kind of wind with an average speed of 0.87 million miles per hour (1.4 million km/hour.) Welcome to the wind that begins in our Sun and doesn’t stop until after it reaches the edge... Read More
Universe, ISS
Nov 21, 2019
One of the largest human-made permanent magnets in space resides on the International Space Station (ISS), and it’s helping scientists better understand the origins of our universe. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is an observatory that is collecting data from measurements of cosmic rays,... Read More
Nov 14, 2019
On Nov. 14, 1969, NASA's second crewed mission to the Moon launched from the Kennedy Space Center. Despite being struck by lightning soon after launch, Apollo 12 successfuly completed its mission, landing on the Moon's Ocean of Storms to gather lunar samples. The crew -- Commander Charles "Pete"... Read More
Solar System
Nov 6, 2019
Highlights of the November sky include how to watch as Mercury transits the Sun on November 11, plus how to observe the regular dimming and brightening of the "Demon star," Algol, with your own eyes.
Solar System
Oct 24, 2019
As NASA prepares to return to the Moon, one of the many exciting opportunities scientists are preparing for is the ability to use the water that exists there to support human exploration. The presence of water has been a relatively recent discovery, opening up many exciting possibilities for future... Read More
Earth
Oct 1, 2019
At any given time, there is a fire burning somewhere on Earth. As the climate warms, it has directly affected the way fires occur, with longer fire seasons and more extreme fires that are harder to suppress. With a fleet of satellites orbiting Earth, NASA has a unique perspective to keep an eye on... Read More
Earth
Sep 13, 2019
In the Davis Mountains of far west Texas, at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, astronomers spend their nights peering at the stars through some of the world’s most powerful telescopes. Soon they’ll be adding a more down-to-Earth job. Within sight of the giant domes, NASA is installing a... Read More
Solar System, Planets of Our Solar System, Sky Watching
Sep 9, 2019
It is an ice giant, a planet of monster storms, and a recluse rarely seen. However on the night of September 9 the planet Neptune will be at opposition, the yearly event where Earth passes directly between Neptune and our Sun. Sky watchers and astronomers will take the opportunity to observe this... Read More
Mars
Sep 3, 2019
NASA invites U.S. students to submit essays to name NASA's next Mars rover. Kindergarten through 12th grade students have until Nov. 1, 2019 to submit their name.
Universe
Aug 15, 2019
Researchers supported in part by the Exobiology Program element of the NASA Astrobiology Program have recently featured in an article from The Atlantic. Their work focuses on the self assembly of fatty acid membranes on the early Earth, a process that could have led to the precursors... Read More
Universe
Aug 13, 2019
"Black holes" is one of the most highly searched terms about our universe. There’s a fascination with the idea of a region of space having a gravitational pull so strong, nothing can escape its deadly grasp, not even a sliver of light. Well, not quite. In fact, much of what we think we know about... Read More
ISS
Jul 30, 2019
Most likely, you’re aware of 3D printing, which allows you to design and produce one-of-a-kind pieces for a variety of purposes. But what if you could use that same technology to manufacture biological materials, like new tissue or blood vessels? Welcome to the world of 3D biomanufacturing, a... Read More
Solar System, Planets of Our Solar System
Jul 26, 2019
At the close of the last century, a comet, captured into orbit around a planet, traveled too close and was shredded by its gravity into multiple pieces, some as large as a half a mile (1 km) long. Those fragments would plunge into the the planet’s atmosphere in a series of impacts. Would the... Read More
Jul 12, 2019
As the Apollo 11 mission lifted off on the Saturn V rocket, propelling humanity to the surface of the Moon for the very first time, members of the launch firing team inside Launch Control Center watched through a window.
