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Stories about: nasa


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Flagships Martian Missions Impossible with New Budget

High-risk, high-reward missions to the Red Planet will no longer be possible with the new budget proposed for the American space agency, analysts say. Spacecraft such as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) are currently placed on hold indefinitely. NASA will only get $1.2 billion for its planetary science programs, w...

14 February 2012
16:01 GMT

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft Retired from Active Duty

After 38 years of service, and 33,004.1 hours of flight, one of only two NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) is being retired from active service. Codenamed NASA 911, the heavily-modified Boeing 747 saw plenty of action during the days of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP).The SCA were responsible for carrying the shutt...

14 February 2012
05:54 GMT

NASA FY 2013 Budget Proposal Detailed

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration requested a budget of $17.7 billion (€13.46 billion) for Fiscal Year 2013. NASA says that this level of funding will be sufficient to allow the United States to maintain its leadership status in space. The budget includes $627.6 million for the James Webb Spa...

14 February 2012
02:49 GMT

Oldest Known Supernova Gets New Portrait

A composite image of the oldest known supernova, called RCW 86, has just been released by NASA. The photograph contains X-ray data from the NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton Observatory, as well as infrared data from the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-Field Infr...

14 February 2012
02:17 GMT

Aurora and America: New Time-Lapse Video from ISS

One of the latest time-lapse videos of Earth released by the American space agency showcases parts of the North American continent, including the United States and Canada, and provides a brief glimpse of stupendous auroras taking place at higher latitudes. The video is shot during the nighttime, so all major cities ...

13 February 2012
07:38 GMT

Parts of East Antarctica Melting as Well

The tiny stretch of ice visible in the image to the left is a portion of the Amery Ice Shelf, a region of the Antarctica that is very narrow, but extremely significant to the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). A new study shows that this narrow basin drains about 16 percent of all EAIS ices. The Lambert Glacier is dr...

13 February 2012
04:14 GMT

NASA to Get Lowest Annual Budget in 4 Years

Sources close to US President Barack Obama say that he will ask for a budget of $17.7 billion (€13.34 billion) for NASA this fiscal year. This sum is the lowest the American space agency was proposed to receive over the last four years, analysts say. The forthcoming 2013 budget proposal is expected to severely ...

13 February 2012
03:43 GMT

6GB NASA Database Leaked, Hackers Notify Agency

Members of two hacker collectives, Team r00tw0rm and Team inj3ct0r, identified an SQL injection vulnerability on one of the subdomains owned by NASA and hosted on the domain nasa.gov. By leveraging the security hole, the hackers obtained a 6 gigabyte database, but refused to disclose the name of the flawed subdomain ...

13 February 2012
02:53 GMT

Space Base on the Far Side of the Moon: A Possibility

A group of scientists at NASA is strongly considering the possibility of constructing what they refer to as a waypoint tended by humans on the far side of the Moon. This structure would serve as a relay and resupply base for space missions probing deeper within the solar system. Top NASA officials say that the cons...

10 February 2012
08:45 GMT

Romanian NASA Hacker Indicted by US Prosecutors

Robert Butyka, the 26-year old Romanian hacker known as Iceman, famous for breaching into several NASA-owned servers, was indicted by US prosecutors after Romanian courts sentenced him to three years in prison. According to Antena3, LA prosecutors want the hacker to face another trial in Los Angeles, where he is cha...

10 February 2012
04:15 GMT

MSL Computer Error Tracked Back and Fixed

The computer processor aboard the NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) experienced a small glitch about three days after the mission launched. Now, scientists say that they were able to figure out what went wrong, and correct the error. The event is unlikely to cause any damages or delays to the mission. The MSL is a ...

10 February 2012
03:59 GMT

NASA Planetary Science Will Get Severe Budget Cuts

Two planetary exploration missions headed for Mars may have to go on without the participation of the American space agency, if analysts' predictions come true. They say that the budgets NASA gets for planetary exploration will receive deep cuts in fiscal year 2013. US President Barack Obama's federal bud...

10 February 2012
03:35 GMT

Anniversary: RHESSI Turns 10, Sees 40,000+ Solar Flares

Officials with the American space agency are proud to announce that one of their workhorse solar observatories is now celebrating its tenth anniversary in Earth's orbit. The spacecraft also holds the record for the most X-ray solar flares observed on the Sun. The probe reached its tenth anniversary on February...

10 February 2012
03:06 GMT

Advanced Tool for Weather Forecasting Turned On Aboard NPP

Experts managing the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, formerly the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project, say that the spacecraft has just turned on an instrument that will make it extremely suited for weather forecasting. The satell...

9 February 2012
14:01 GMT

GALEX Reaches End of Space Mission After 9 Years

Experts at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, announce that the GALEX spacecraft has been placed on stand-by. The telescope has been investigating the Universe for nearly 9 years, even though its mission was originally supposed to last for just 2 and a half years. Launched on April 28...

9 February 2012
03:32 GMT

Enceladus Takes Center-Stage in New Cassini Photo

As an avid (for some reason) fan of Saturn, I constantly keep track of the images the NASA/ESA Cassini orbiter sends back to Earth. Therefore, I couldn't resist the temptation of sharing the latest image the spacecraft snapped of Enceladus, while the ice-covered moon was at its crescent. Backdropped by the rin...

8 February 2012
11:04 GMT

NASA May Abandon the ExoMars Project

European ministers proposed the ExoMars mission to the Red Planet back in 2005, and the European Space Agency (ESA) wanted to include NASA in it as well. Though the American space agency accepted at first, it now looks like it will retire from this ambitious scientific endeavor. An official announcement has not yet ...

8 February 2012
03:49 GMT

NASA May Join ESA's Dark Matter Mapping Effort

An independent panel formed by the National Research Council (NRC) has determined that NASA should contribute up to $20 million to the European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid mission, but only if the American organization also decides to build the Wide-field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). The latter would be ...

7 February 2012
14:01 GMT

Space Related Websites Found Vulnerable by Longrifle0x

Ucha Gobejishvili, the Vulnerability Lab researcher also known as Longrifle0x, identified a number of space agency websites that contain cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities and publicly disclosed the information. He discovered multiple flaws on subdomains owned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administra...

7 February 2012
04:28 GMT

Colorado, Nebraska Under Heavy Snow Clouds

On February 5, the NASA Aqua satellite trained its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on a portion of the United States covering Colorado and Nebraska, which were severely affected by an impressive snowstorm just days earlier. As clearly visible from this image, the weather front brought...

7 February 2012
03:22 GMT

TeamHav0k Hackers Find XSS in NASA Website (Updated)

After being silent for more than a week, members of TeamHav0k came forward with another cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability found in a high-profile website. This time it’s the site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), more precisely the subdomain dedicated to the Kennedy Space Cente...

4 February 2012
04:37 GMT

SpaceX Dragon Launch Delayed to Early April

Officials from the Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) and the American space agency say that the private space mission which was supposed to launch to the International Space Station on February 7 has again been delayed, this time to at least March 20. SpaceX is working t...

3 February 2012
16:01 GMT

Heading for Jupiter: Juno Completes Course Correction

Officials at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California announce that the Juno spacecraft has just completed a new course-correction maneuver. This will place it on a more efficient trajectory towards Jupiter, its final destination. The maneuver began at 10:10 am PST (1810 GMT) on February 1,...

3 February 2012
04:59 GMT

Soyuz TMA-04M Launch Delayed by at Least a Month

According to the manager of the International Space Station (ISS) program at NASA, Mike Suffredini, the launch of the Russian-built Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft has been delayed by at least a month. He told reporters on February 2 that liftoff is now scheduled for no earlier than May 15. The space capsule, built for an...

3 February 2012
03:58 GMT

Sun Does Not Drive Global Warming

As if any more proof was needed for any person with at least a bit of common sense. A new study again demonstrates that global warming is caused by human-made pollution, and not excess heating from the Sun. Naturally, these conclusions will not sway those who have other interests at heart. The analysis was conducted...

2 February 2012
11:46 GMT

Cassini Captures Amazing View of Dione

With each new image the NASA Cassini orbiter sends back, I appreciate the spacecraft more and more. For almost 8 years now, the probe has been conducting various experiments around Saturn, its rings and it moons, and the latest view it captured of Dione proves its worth yet again. This time, the small moon was captu...

2 February 2012
10:49 GMT

NASA Receives Final Roadmaps from the NRC

The American space agency cannot go about exploring space without a series of guidelines to ensure that no time and money are needlessly wasted. The latest set of such guidelines were recently delivered to NASA by the US National Research Council (NRC). In the new report, entitled “NASA Space Technology Roadma...

2 February 2012
03:53 GMT

NASA Releases Sector 33 App for iPhone and iPad

NASA has released a new educational app for iPhone and iPad using an air traffic control theme to challenge students to use basic math and problem-solving skills. Sector 33 is based on Smart Skies Line Up With Math, an educational app developed under the direction of NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Director...

1 February 2012
10:30 GMT

Massive Crack Found in Pine Island Glacier

The Pine Island Glacier, known among experts as PIG, is one of Antarctica's five largest ice streams, and one of the most important ice fields in the world. During a study conducted at the location by NASA scientists, back in October 2011, a huge crack was found scarring its surface. This is nothing but bad ne...

31 January 2012
08:47 GMT

NASA to Call for New Spacecraft Proposals on February 7

The commercial crew program being fostered by the American space agency is bound to get an extension on February 7. NASA has just announced plans to solicit new proposals for the development of spacecraft capable of transporting astronauts to low-Earth orbit. This call for proposals is meant to attract more private...

31 January 2012
05:33 GMT

Earth's 'Missing Energy' Discovered by NASA Study

A study conducted on the planetary system's heating energy revealed an inconsistency when comparing data from satellites with measurements of how much Earth's oceans were heating. The mystery was just resolved in a new NASA investigation. The previous study was compiled by experts at the Boulder, Colorado-...

30 January 2012
08:59 GMT

MSL Tool Analyzes Latest Solar Flare in Detail

A few days ago, when the strongest solar flare to occur on the surface of the Sun since 2005 struck the Earth, the shock waves also headed for Mars, and then further out into the solar system. On its way, it met the Radiation Assessment Detector aboard the NASA Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft. The MSL is current...

30 January 2012
08:37 GMT

NOAA Picks Up Huge Clouds of Bad Weather Nearing the US

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite N (GOES-13), operated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) observed this massive cold front heading towards the United States on Thursday, January 26. The massive cloud was bound to cause severe weather, and will most likely continue t...

27 January 2012
04:23 GMT

Satellites Observe the Temporal Texture of Coral Reefs

A team of experts led by University of Charleston in South Carolina (UCSC) ocean ecologist and biology professor Phil Dustan announces the development of a new method for observing changes affecting coral reefs around the world. The technique requires the use of satellites. Dustan was one of the first experts in th...

27 January 2012
03:49 GMT

NASA's New X-Ray Telescope Arrives at VAFB

Officials at the American space agency say that NASA's new X-ray space observatory, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), was shipped to the California-based Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) on Tuesday, ahead of its upcoming launch. The vehicle was shipped out on Tuesday, January 24, and will rea...

26 January 2012
16:31 GMT

Apollo 1 Crew Showcased in Old NASA Image

This remarkably hopeful-looking image NASA brought back to public awareness recently depicts Virgil I. Grissom, Edward H. White II and Roger B. Chaffee, the three members of the Apollo 1 that were killed during a test of the first version of the Apollo Command Module. Originally designated Apollo Saturn-204 (AS-204)...

26 January 2012
10:45 GMT

Vesta May Be a Reservoir of Water-Ice

Planetary scientists say that the giant asteroid Vesta may contain large amounts of water-ice, which may be able to endure there for billions of years. The conclusion came from a new analysis of the protoplanet's surface, as well as its average temperatures. The NASA Dawn spacecraft has been orbiting Vesta sin...

26 January 2012
04:17 GMT

Martian Winds Create Beautiful Sand Ripples and Dunes

A group of investigators from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California, says that the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) was recently used to image amazing landscapes on the surface of Mars. HiRISE is one of the most ca...

26 January 2012
03:39 GMT

NPP Satellite Renamed After Verner E. Suomi

Officials at the American space agency announce that they have just changed the name of the NASA National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite to NPP Suomi, in honor of late Verner E. Suomi. Based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the expert is ...

26 January 2012
03:14 GMT

Celebrating 8 Years of Martian Mission for Opportunity

Officials at NASA are currently celebrating Opportunity's eight anniversary on the surface of Mars. The event stretches from January 24-25, since the machine arrived at Mars at 21:05 PST, but 12:05 am EST the following day, in 2004. The spacecraft is the second of two Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), and it land...

25 January 2012
03:19 GMT

SpaceX Will Launch Dragon Space Capsule in Late March

Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Inc. (SpaceX) is currently getting ready to launch its second Dragon unmanned space capsule to orbit, this time on a mission to attempt a dock with the International Space Station (ISS). This will be Dragon's second flight ever. Engineers with the comp...

24 January 2012
16:01 GMT

New Horizons Celebrates Six Years in Space

The NASA New Horizons spacecraft – the fastest robotic explorer ever built – is celebrating its sixth anniversary flying through space. The probe is heading for Pluto, but won't get there until 2015. At this point, all systems are nominal, and everything is going according to plan.Officials from the ...

20 January 2012
10:41 GMT

'Ebb and Flow' Will Begin Mapping the Moon's Gravity in March

The two identical space probes making up the NASA Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission are currently passing every single verification test engineers put them through with flying colors, rising hopes that they will indeed be ready to start their science mission in March.The spacecraft were sent in...

20 January 2012
09:22 GMT

Russia, US and Europe To Build Orbital Lunar Colony

Representatives from NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency (RosCosmos) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are currently discussing the prospect of establishing manned research stations around the Moon. These facilities would operate continuously, requiring permanent crews. What this means is that we may be witnessi...

20 January 2012
08:18 GMT

Triangular UFO Revealed by STEREO Is an Artifact

In late December, images posted by the science team operating the NASA Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) showed what appeared to be a triangular Unidentified Flying Object. The American space agency is now demonstrating that the UFO was just an artifact. This mission is designed to observe the Sun. I...

19 January 2012
14:01 GMT

Solar Magnetic Fields Brought Under Close Scrutiny

Researchers at the American space agency announce that they've found a way of using the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to gain a deeper insight into the nature of solar magnetic fields. The probe may even be used to map out these magnetic fields in detail. The SDO team wants to play a role in understand...

19 January 2012
05:12 GMT

GRAIL Spacecraft Renamed by Students in Montana

Officials at the American space agency announced yesterday, January 17, that they now have new names for the two GRAIL (Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory) spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon. The probes arrived in lunar orbit on December 31, 2011 and January 1, 2012, respectively. Their new names were subm...

18 January 2012
02:55 GMT

James Webb Telescope Will Receive Funding for 2012

The successor NASA plans for the Hubble Space Telescope will continue to receive funding throughout 2012, representatives from the American space agency announced recently. Still, this was not the only problem plaguing the project, and its fate has yet to be fully decided. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is o...

17 January 2012
20:01 GMT

Salt-Encrusted Lake Dazzles in New Satellite Image

About 130 kilometers (80 miles) inland from the coastal city of Esperance lies Lake Dundas, one of the largest in southwestern Australia. It is part of a system of lakes of various sizes, and its unique appearance can only be appreciated to its fullest when the landscape feature is seen from above. This image was ...

17 January 2012
09:16 GMT

SpaceX Delays Launch of First Private Capsule to the ISS

Officials from the Hawthorne, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) announce that they have decided to delay the launch of the Falcon 9 medium-lift delivery system and the unmanned Dragon space capsule, originally scheduled for February 7. The combo was to be the first privately-built ...

17 January 2012
05:14 GMT


More: next 50 >>

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