New Research Explains Loss of Carbon in Martian Atmosphere
New research from Caltech and NASA offers an explanation for the “missing” carbon in the Martian atmosphere, showing that a transition from a moderately dense…
JPL
‘Chemical Laptop’ Could Be Used to Search for Life Beyond Earth
Scientists have developed a miniaturized laboratory, called Chemical Laptop, that could be used to search for signs of life outside Earth. If you were looking…
New Images from Mars Orbiter Show Sites of Fiction Film’s Mars Landings
New images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveal details of real regions on Mars where a new Hollywood movie, “The Martian,” places future astronaut adventures….
Dawn Spacecraft Reveals New Maps and Insights about Ceres
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft continues to provide scientists with new data on Ceres and scientists are still trying to identify the “bright spots” and the processes…
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on Mars
New research using NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveals the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars. Using an imaging spectrometer on…
Hot Jupiters Orbit 20 Times Closer to Their Host Stars Than Earth Does to the Sun
New research reveals that Jupiter-like planets quickly move to orbits close around their baby stars, helping astronomers better understand how planetary systems like our own…
Engineers Developing ‘Hedgehog’ Robots That Hop and Tumble in Microgravity
Engineers from NASA, MIT and Stanford are developing “hedgehog” robots that are specifically designed to overcome the challenges of traversing small bodies in microgravity by…
NASA Comet Hitchhiker Would Take Tour of Small Asteroids and Comets
Comet Hitchhiker is in Phase I study through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program. Its goal is to use the kinetic energy of comets and…
Engineers Develop Optical Devices That Shape Light in Exotic Ways
Engineers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology have developed innovative flat, optical lenses that are capable of manipulating light in…
NASA’s Oceans Melting Greenland Mission Maps Greenland’s Coastline
NASA’s Oceans Melting Greenland mission is making the first high-resolution maps of the complete Greenland coast and continental shelf, helping scientists to better understand ice…
NASA Dismisses Rumor, States “There is No Asteroid Threatening Earth”
In an effort to dispel rumors of an impending asteroid impact on Earth, NASA has stated, “There is no scientific basis — not one shred…
NASA Study Reveals Oceans Temporarily Hide Global Warming
A newly published NASA study shows that the recent extra heat from greenhouse gases has been trapped in the waters of the Pacific and Indian…
Triple Crescent Moon Image From Cassini
This image taken by the Cassini spacecraft shows three of Saturn’s moons: Titan, Mimas, and Rhea. A single crescent moon is a familiar sight in…
Astronomers Identify a Quadruple Star System, 30 Ari
Using the Robo-AO adaptive optics system and the PALM-3000 adaptive optics system, astronomers have identified a planet in a quadruple star system for only the…
Plasma Irregularities in the Polar Ionosphere Can Distort GPS Signals
New research from scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at the University of New Brunswick looks at irregularities in the ionosphere, comparing turbulence in…
A New Way to Detect the Early Stages of Massive Star Formation
Using data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, volunteers discovered a new way to detect the early stages of massive star formation. Sometimes it takes a…
Asteroid 2004 BL86 Has a Small Moon
As asteroid 2004 BL86 made its way past Earth yesterday, scientists were able to better measure the asteroid’s size, rotation and location and detected a…
Small Helicopter Could Improve the Exploration of Mars
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are working on a small helicopter that could ‘scout’ a trail for future Mars rovers. Getting around on Mars…