Space Exploration News

Comet Siding Spring 2013 A1 to Pass Mars Today

Oct 19, 2014 by News Staff

On 19 October 2014, Comet Siding Spring will come within about 139,500 km of Mars – less than half the distance between Earth and our moon and less than one-tenth the distance of any known comet flyby of our planet. This proximity will provide an unprecedented opportunity for astronomers to gather data on both the comet and its effect on the Martian atmosphere. The comet’s nucleus will come closest to the Red Planet around 2:27 p.m. EDT...

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Mimas' surface, like the surfaces of most of the other major Saturnian moons without atmospheres, is not pure ice but contains some dark impurities; the relatively dark markings appear along the lower portion of the walls of the 130-km-wide Herschel Crater (the peak in the middle of the crater is about as tall as Mount Everest; the impact that made it likely almost destroyed the moon) and some of the smaller craters; scientists interpret this darkening as evidence for the gradual concentration of impurities from evaporating icy materials in areas where the dark impurities slide slowly down the crater wall. Image credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute.

Saturn’s Moon Mimas May Have ‘Life-Friendly’ Underground Ocean

Oct 17, 2014 by News Staff

Mimas – the smallest and innermost of Saturn’s eight main moons – has either a rugby ball-shaped rocky core or an underground ‘life-friendly’...

Close-up of Philae’s primary landing site J, which is located on the head of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Image credit: ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA.

ESA Confirms Landing Site on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Oct 15, 2014 by News Staff

European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission managers have confirmed the place and time they will attempt to land the Rosetta spacecraft’s Philae lander...

Some of the 70 irregular mare patches (s – smooth; u – uneven) Dr Braden and her colleagues identified on the Moon’s surface. Image credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University.

Study Provides Evidence for Geologically Recent Volcanic Eruptions on Moon

Oct 14, 2014 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience has identified 70 volcanic features scattered across the lunar surface, all younger than 100 million...

Mars; the center of the scene shows the entire Valles Marineris canyon system. Image credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Scientists Find Evidence for Ancient Glaciers on Mars

Oct 7, 2014 by News Staff

Data from two instruments aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have led to the discovery of a rare acid-sulfate mineral deposit on Mars, providing...

Top: the full Moon as seen from the Earth, with the Procellarum border structures superimposed in red. Image credit: Kopernik Observatory / NASA / Colorado School of Mines / MIT / JPL / Goddard Space Flight Center. Bottom: global maps of lunar properties – topography and gravity gradient. Image credit: Jeffrey C. Andrews-Hanna et al.

Planetary Researchers Solve Mystery of Moon’s Oceanus Procellarum

Oct 2, 2014 by News Staff

According to a new study led by Prof Maria Zuber of MIT, Oceanus Procellarum – a vast mare on the western edge of the Moon’s near side –...

This new global geologic map of Mars depicts the most thorough representation of the planet’s surface; colors show distribution of 44 map units; for example, greens represent mainly lowland and basin units; yellow is relatively young impact material; reds and purples are volcanic units; blues are polar units; and earth tones are apron, transition, and highland units. Image credit: Tanaka, K.L. et al.

Scientists Create New Geologic Map of Mars

Sep 26, 2014 by News Staff

A team of researchers led by Dr Kenneth Tanaka of the U.S. Geological Survey has produced a new global geologic map of Mars that records the distribution...

An illustration of water in our Solar System through time from before the formation of the Sun through the creation of the planets. Image credit: Bill Saxton / NSF / AUI / NRAO.

Half of Water on Earth Older than Sun, Scientists Say

Sep 26, 2014 by News Staff

Half of the water on our planet predates the formation of the Sun, according to a groundbreaking study carried out by a team of researchers from the United...

The Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument aboard MAVEN obtained these images just 8 hours after arrival. Image credit: NASA / Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics / University of Colorado.

MAVEN Takes its First Images of Mars

Sep 25, 2014 by News Staff

NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft – the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the upper atmosphere of Mars – has returned its first pictures...

This image shows an artist concept of NASA's MAVEN spacecraft. Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

NASA’s MAVEN Spacecraft Enters Orbit around Mars

Sep 22, 2014 by News Staff

On September 21, 2014, NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft successfully entered the orbit of the Red Planet after completing...

Southern hemisphere of Miranda; projection is orthographic, centered on the south pole; visible from left to right are Elsinore, Inverness, and Arden coronae. Image credit: NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Ted Stryk.

Miranda: Tidal Heating Responsible for Current Appearance of Uranus’ Icy Moon

Sep 20, 2014 by News Staff

Brown University planetary scientists in a new study have found that tidal heating is the main reason responsible for the present appearance of Miranda...

Cell-Like Structure Found within 1.3-Billion-Year-Old Martian Meteorite

Sep 17, 2014 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom and Greece led by Dr Elias Chatzitheodoridis of the National Technical University of Athens has found a mysterious...

Site J, the Rosetta probe’s landing site, is located on the head of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko; the inset shows a close-up of the site. Image credit: ESA / Rosetta / MPS for OSIRIS team MPS / UPD / LAM / IAA / SSO / INTA / UPM / DASP / IDA.

ESA Researchers Pick Site for Rosetta Probe Landing on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Sep 15, 2014 by News Staff

The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission has picked a location on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko where it aims to land the Rosetta’s lander,...

Colorized map of Triton based on Voyager 2 images. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Lunar & Planetary Institute.

U.S. Planetary Scientist Creates New Map of Triton

Aug 25, 2014 by News Staff

On August 25, 1989, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft passed within about 40,000 km of Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune. In commemoration...

Paleosols found inside Gale Crater on Mars are evidence of habitable environments, but have yielded no conclusive evidence of life. Image credit: Gregory J. Retallack.

U.S. Geologist Discovers Earth-Like Soils on Mars

Aug 22, 2014 by News Staff

Paleosols (ancient fossilized soils) filling the Yellowknife Bay geologic formation within the 3.7-billion-year-old Gale Crater on Mars are strong evidence...

This view looks across the geyser basin of Enceladus, along fractures spewing water vapor and ice particles into space. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Space Science Institute.

Scientists Discover 101 Geysers on Enceladus

Jul 29, 2014 by News Staff

A team of U.S. researchers using data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has discovered 101 active geysers erupting on Enceladus, the sixth-largest moon...

Artist's concept of a cryobot in the ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa. Image credit: NASA.

New Study Highlights Importance of Oceans for Exoplanet Habitability

Jul 21, 2014 by News Staff

Oceans are crucial for supporting Earth-like life on extrasolar planets, according to a study published in the journal Astrobiology. Artist’s concept...

Unlike an ordinary daytime photo, this nighttime image of Martian surface shows how warm various surface areas are: brighter tones mean warmer temperatures, which indicate areas with rockier surface materials; darker areas indicate cooler and dustier terrain. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Arizona State University.

Scientists Create Map of Martian Surface Properties

Jul 18, 2014 by News Staff

A group of planetary scientists using data from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) onboard NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter has created the most...

There are three types of ultraviolet radiation: UV-A (315-400nm), UV-B (280-315 nm) and UV-C (200-280 nm). The increased exposure to UV-B radiation has specific effects on human health, crops, terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles.

Record Level of Solar UV-B Radiation Measured in Bolivian Andes

Jul 9, 2014 by News Staff

A multinational team of researchers led by Dr Nathalie Cabrol of NASA Ames Research Center and the SETI Institute has recorded an unprecedented level of...

Voyager 1. Image credit: NASA.

Sun’s Coronal Mass Ejection Wave Reaches Voyager 1

Jul 9, 2014 by News Staff

Voyager 1 spacecraft has been hit by a ‘shock wave’ from the Sun as it travels through interstellar space, according to NASA scientists. Voyager 1....

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