Evidence Indicates Mars Was Struck by Small Protoplanets Early in Its History
Simulations of early impacts produce a mixed Mars mantle and hint at longer timescale for the planet’s formation. The early solar system was a chaotic…
Southwest Research Institute
Inner Complexity of Saturn’s Moon Enceladus Revealed – Hints at Habitable Conditions
Enceladus’ subsurface ocean composition hints at habitable conditions. A Southwest Research Institute team developed a new geochemical model that reveals that carbon dioxide (CO2) from…
Solar Wind Measurements on New Horizons Spacecraft Help Predict Location of Termination Shock
Southwest Research Institute built instrument confirms solar wind slows farther away from the Sun. Research could help predict when New Horizons spacecraft will cross the…
Latest Hypersonic Research: Testing Objects Flying at Faster Than 10 Times the Speed of Sound
Southwest Research Institute engineers are advancing what researchers know about hypersonic flight. A new study presented at the 2019 Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air Force (JANNAF) Propulsion Meeting…
Surprise: Saturn’s Icy Rings May Actually Be As Old As the Solar System Itself
Research of Cassini data suggests icy rings are as old as the solar system itself. No one knows for certain when Saturn’s iconic rings formed,…
Unusual Pair of Asteroids Reveal Evidence for Early Planetary Shake-Up
Scientists at Southwest Research Institute studied an unusual pair of asteroids and discovered that their existence points to an early planetary rearrangement in our solar…
New Mars Model Details the Violent Birth of Phobos and Deimos
Southwest Research Institute scientists posit a violent birth of the tiny Martian moons Phobos and Deimos, but on a much smaller scale than the giant…
Jupiter’s Colored Bands Extend Thousands of Miles into the Planet
In the year and a half NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been orbiting Jupiter, the science team led by Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Scott Bolton has…
SwRI Astronomers Identify the Oldest Known Asteroid Family
Scientists developed a technique to identify ancient asteroid families, revealing the oldest known asteroid family in the inner region of the main asteroid belt. Southwest…
Gradual Accumulation Planetary Pebbles Formed Gas-Giant Planets
In a newly published study a team of astronomers reveals the mystery of how Jupiter and Saturn likely formed. This discovery, which changes our view…
New Research Shows Pluto May Still Be Geologically Active
New research hints that Pluto may still be geologically active, a theory that could explain how Pluto’s escaping atmosphere remains flush with nitrogen. The latest…
Hubble Detects Water Vapor Over Europa’s South Pole
In a newly published study, researchers using Hubble Space Telescope data report the detection of transient water vapor at Europa’s south pole. NASA’s Hubble Space…