News: Science News
Aquarius Makes First Ocean Salt Measurements
NASA’s Aquarius instrument has successfully completed its commissioning phase and is now “tasting” the saltiness of Earth’s ocean surface, making measurements from its perch in near-polar orbit. Aquarius will make NASA’s first space observations of the salinity, or concentration of … Continue reading
NASA Mission Suggests Sun and Planets Constructed Differently (June 23)
(June 23) Analysis of samples returned by NASA’s Genesis mission indicates our sun and its inner planets may have formed differently than scientists previously thought. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jun/HQ_11-199_Genesis.html
NASA Probe Nears Position for Year-Long Stay at Giant Asteroid (June 23)
(June 23) NASA’s Dawn spacecraft is on track to begin the first extended visit to a large asteroid. The mission expects to go into orbit around Vesta on July 16 and begin gathering science data in early August. Vesta resides … Continue reading
NASA Flights Seek to Improve View of Air Pollution From Space (June 23)
(June 23) Two NASA research airplanes will fly over the Baltimore-Washington region and northeast Maryland this summer as part of a mission to enhance the capability of satellites to measure ground-level air quality from space. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jun/HQ_11-200_Discovery-AQ.html
NASA Cassini Spacecraft Captures Ocean-Like Spray at Saturn Moon (June 22)
(June 22) NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has discovered the best evidence yet for a large-scale saltwater reservoir beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The data came from the spacecraft’s direct analysis of salt-rich ice grains close to the jets … Continue reading
Getting Ready for the Next Big Solar Storm (June 21)
(June 21) In Sept. 1859, on the eve of a below-average solar cycle, the sun unleashed one of the most powerful storms in centuries. The blast peppered Earth with the most energetic protons in half-a-millennium, induced electrical currents that set … Continue reading
NASA Details Achievements of Lunar Spacecraft (June 21)
(June 21) NASA has declared full mission success for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). LRO changed our view of the entire moon and brought it into sharper focus with unprecedented detail. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jun/HQ_11-192_LRO_Success.html
NASA Sets Sail on Second Leg of Arctic Ocean Research Voyage (June 21)
(June 21) Scientists embark this week from Alaska on the second and final campaign of a NASA field campaign to study how changing conditions in the Arctic affect the ocean’s chemistry and ecosystems. http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jun/HQ_11-195_Arctic_Voyage.html
NASA Spacecraft Confirms Theories, Sees Surprises at Mercury (June 16)
(June 16) NASA scientists are making new discoveries about the planet Mercury. Data from MESSENGER, the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, is giving scientists important clues to the origin of the planet and its geological history, and helping them better … Continue reading
NASA’s Chandra Finds Massive Black Holes Common in Early Universe (June 15)
(June 15) Using the deepest X-ray image ever taken, astronomers found the first direct evidence that massive black holes were common in the early universe. This discovery from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that very young black holes grew more … Continue reading
