/rss/ Discovery NASA news articles in RSS feed Wed, 16 May 2012 19:40:57 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1023 With two weeks until its flyby of comet Tempel 1, NASA's Stardust spacecraft fired its thrusters on Jan. 31 to help refine its flight path toward the comet. The Stardust-NExT mission will fly past comet Tempel 1 on Valentine's Day - Feb. 14, 2011. The trajectory correction maneuver consumed about 300 grams (10.6 ounces) of fuel and changed the spacecraft's speed by 2.6 meters per second (about 5.8 mph). The EPOXI mission spacecraft revealed a cometary snow storm created by carbon dioxide jets spewing out tons of golf-ball to basketball-sized fluffy ice particles from the peanut-shaped comet's rocky ends. At the same time, a different process was causing water vapor to escape from the comet's smooth mid-section. This information sheds new light on the nature of comets and even planets. Wed, 02 Feb 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1023 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1024 The Kepler mission has discovered its first Earth-size planet candidates and its first candidates in the habitable zone, a region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Five of the potential planets are near Earth-size and orbit in the habitable zone of smaller, cooler stars than our sun.   Candidates require follow-up observations to verify they are actual planets. Kepler also found six confirmed planets orbiting a sun-like star, Kepler-11. This is the largest group of transiting planets orbiting a single star yet discovered outside our solar system. Fri, 04 Feb 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1024 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1025 The Stardust-NExT mission spacecraft is within a quarter-million miles of its target, comet Tempel 1, which it will fly by tonight. The spacecraft is cutting the distance with the comet at a rate of about 6.77 miles per second or 24,000 mph. The flyby of Tempel 1 will give scientists an opportunity to look for changes on the comet's surface since it was visited by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft in July 2005. Since then, Tempel 1 has completed one orbit of the sun, and scientists are looking forward to discovering any differences in the comet. Mon, 14 Feb 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1025 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1026 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The Stardust-NExT mission flew close by comet Tempel 1 on Valentine’s Day, and mission scientists loved what they saw.  The recycled but dependable Stardust spacecraft returned exciting new images of Tempel 1 almost six years after the Deep impact mission first showed us the comet up close. The Stardust-NExT (New Exploration of Tempel 1) mission met its three imaging goals in this bonus round:  observing changes in surface features in areas imaged by Deep Impact; photographing new terrain not previously seen; and viewing the crater generated when the Deep Impact mission propelled an impactor into the comet.  It also accomplished its dust measurement goals using the Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer.   Wed, 16 Feb 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1026 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1027 The February 2011 issue of the award winning Discovery and New Frontiers News features early findings from the EPOXI and Stardust-NExT comet encounters, the latest from MESSENGER as it prepares to go into its year-long orbit about Mercury, Dawn happenings as Vesta orbit insertion is just months away, a remembrance of Rick Grammier, program office news, and current status of Juno and GRAIL as they make progress toward launch later this year. Mon, 28 Feb 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1027 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1028 On the evening of March 17 Eastern Time, the MESSENGER spacecraft will execute a 15-minute maneuver that will place it into orbit about Mercury, making it the first craft ever to do so, and initiating a one-year science campaign to understand the innermost planet. Starting on Monday, March 7, antennas from NASA's three Deep Space Network ground stations in California, Spain, and Australia will begin a round-the-clock vigil, allowing flight control engineers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, MD, to monitor MESSENGER on its final approach to Mercury. Wed, 09 Mar 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1028 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1029 At 9:10 p.m. EDT, engineers in the MESSENGER Mission Operations Center at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., received the anticipated radiometric signals confirming nominal burn shutdown and successful insertion of the MESSENGER probe into orbit around the planet Mercury.   The spacecraft rotated back to the Earth by 9:45 p.m. EDT, and started transmitting data.  Upon review of these data, the engineering and operations teams confirmed that the burn executed nominally with all subsystems reporting a clean burn and no logged errors. Thu, 17 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1029 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1030 On Thursday, March 24 at about 4 p.m. PDT, the Stardust spacecraft will perform a final burn with its main engines. "We call it a 'burn to depletion,' firing our rockets until there is nothing left in the tank," said Stardust-NExT project manager Tim Larson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. "It's a unique way for an interplanetary spacecraft to go out. Essentially, Stardust will be providing us useful information to the very end."   At first glance, the burn is an insignificant event. The venerable spacecraft has executed 40 major flight path maneuvers since its 1999 launch.  Between the main engines and the reaction control system, the rocket motors have fired more than 2 million times. But the March 24 burn will be different from all others. It will effectively end the life of NASA's most traveled comet hunter. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1030 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1031 On March 29, MESSENGER delivered its first image since entering orbit about Mercury on March 17. It was taken today at 5:20 am EDT Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) as the spacecraft sailed high above Mercury’s south pole, providing a glimpse of portions of Mercury's surface not previously seen by spacecraft. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1031 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1032 "Space School Musical," a creative collaboration between NASA's Discovery and New Frontiers Programs and KidTribe, has been awarded a 2011 Telly Award in the Children's Audience category.   The musical is a multi-disciplinary project that combines singing and dancing with solar system science.  Students move, groove and laugh along with the planets, moons, asteroids, a feisty meteor, a stand-up comet, and some really rockin' scientists.  Kids can watch the video, learn the content and the songs, and perform the play themselves.    Wed, 06 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1032 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1033 The Dawn spacecraft has reached its official approach phase to asteroid Vesta.  It will now begin using cameras to aid navigation for an expected July 16 orbital encounter.   Tue, 03 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1033 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1034 NASA has selected three science investigations to conduct concept studies as candidates for the next mission in the Discovery Program.  One of the three will be chosen as a potential 2016 mission – either a first look at the Martian interior; the first exploration of an extraterrestrial sea by landing a craft on Saturn's moon Titan; or studying in unprecedented detail the surface of a comet's nucleus.   Each investigation team will receive $3 million to conduct preliminary design studies and analyses. After a detailed review of the concept studies in 2012, NASA will select one to continue development efforts leading up to launch. The selected mission will be cost-capped at $425 million, not including launch vehicle funding.      Thu, 05 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1034 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1035 NASA's Dawn spacecraft has obtained its first image of the giant asteroid Vesta, which will help fine-tune navigation during its approach. Dawn expects to achieve orbit around Vesta on July 16, when the asteroid is about 117 million miles from Earth.   The image from Dawn's framing cameras was taken on May 3 when the spacecraft began its approach and was approximately 752,000 miles from Vesta. The asteroid appears as a small, bright pearl against a background of stars. Vesta also is known as a protoplanet, because it is a large body that almost formed into a planet.    Wed, 11 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1035 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1036 An asteroid sample return is the third mission selected in NASA’s New Frontiers Program of solar system explorations.  The Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, will be the first U.S. mission to carry materials from an asteroid back to Earth.  Launching in 2016, the spacecraft will use a robotic arm to pluck samples that could better explain our solar system's formation and how life began.   "This is a critical step in meeting the objectives outlined by President Obama to extend our reach beyond low-Earth orbit and explore into deep space," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. "It’s robotic missions like these that will pave the way for future human space missions to an asteroid and other deep space destinations."      Wed, 25 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1036 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1037 After close to four years cruising at stunning speeds, the Dawn spacecraft is catching up to Vesta, its first destination in the main asteroid belt. Dawn will soon be entering into  a year-long orbit around asteroid Vesta, seeing it up close for the first time.  Celebrate the beginning of Dawn's year-long exploration with a Vesta Fiesta!   Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1037 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1038 Analysis of samples returned by NASA's Genesis mission indicates our Sun and its inner planets may have formed differently than scientists previously thought.   The data revealed slight differences in the types of oxygen and nitrogen present on the Sun and planets. The elements are among the most abundant in our solar system. Although the differences are slight, the implications could help determine how our solar system evolved.   The air on Earth contains three different kinds of oxygen atoms, which are differentiated by the number of neutrons they contain. Nearly 100 percent of oxygen atoms in the solar system are composed of O-16, but there also are tiny amounts of more exotic oxygen isotopes called O-17 and O-18. Researchers studying the oxygen of Genesis samples found that the percentage of O-16 in the Sun is slightly higher than on Earth, the moon, and meteorites. The other isotopes' percentages were slightly lower.   "The implication is that we did not form out of the same solar nebula materials that created the Sun -- just how and why remains to be discovered," said Kevin McKeegan, a Genesis co-investigator from the University of California, Los Angeles and the lead author of one of two Science papers published this week. Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1038 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1039 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 in the main asteroid belt and is thought to be the source of a large number of meteorites that fall to Earth.   After traveling nearly four years and 1.7 billion miles, Dawn is approximately 96,000 miles away from Vesta. When Vesta captures Dawn into its orbit, there will be approximately 9,900 miles between them. They will be approximately 117 million miles away from Earth. Fri, 24 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1039 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1040 The Dawn spacecraft began its year-long orbit around the asteroid Vesta on July 15 and returned the first close-up image of the giant space rock two days later. Dawn is the first probe to enter orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The image shows Vesta in greater detail than ever before. When Vesta captured Dawn into its orbit, there were approximately 9,900 miles between the spacecraft and asteroid. Engineers estimate the orbit capture took place at 10 p.m. PDT Friday, July 15.   Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1040 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1041 As the Dawn spacecraft spirals toward the first of four intensive science orbits of asteroid Vesta, the mission team unveiled the first full-frame image of Vesta taken on July 24.  The image was taken by Dawn's framing camera at a distance of 3,200 miles, revealing the first surface details of the giant asteroid. These images, taken for navigation purposes and as preparation for scientific observations, go all the way around Vesta, since the giant asteroid turns on its axis once every five hours and 20 minutes.   Mon, 01 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1041 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1042 The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission is making final preparations for an early September launch. The twin lunar probes, called GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B, will fly in tandem orbits around the Moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. The mission will also provide answers to longstanding questions about our Moon and give scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed and evolved. It will provide important data for future lunar exploration.   Thu, 18 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1042 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1043 The August  2011 issue of the award-winning Discovery and New Frontiers News features:  - Juno's spectacular launch on August 5 - Dawn becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a main belt asteroid and the Vesta Fiestas to celebrate the milestone - MESSENGER's historic insertion into orbit around Mercury - GRAIL as it prepares for a September launch - New Horizons adding a new target to its 2015 flyby of the Pluto system with the discovery of a fourth moon - OSIRIS-REx selected as the third New Frontiers mission - Selection of three new Discovery mission candidates -The Thrill of Discovery educator workshop held last March - "Space Musical Musical" - a Telly award, new activity guide, and more! Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1043 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1044 NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission to study the Moon from crust to core successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 9:08 a.m. ET on Saturday, September 10. Mission controllers received timely communications from both GRAIL spacecraft indicating that they successfully separated from the upper stage of their Delta II rocket, the rocket nose cone, or fairing, was jettisoned, and the solar arrays deployed.   "We are on our way, and early indications show everything is looking good," said David Lehman, GRAIL project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. The spacecraft is on a path that will reach the Moon in about 3-1/2 months.   Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1044 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1045 The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth.   Unlike Star Wars' Tatooine, the planet is cold, gaseous and not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy. Previous research has hinted at the existence of circumbinary planets, but clear confirmation proved elusive. Kepler detected such a planet, known as Kepler-16b, by observing transits, where the brightness of a parent star dims from the planet crossing in front of it.   Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1045 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1046 Now that the GRAIL mission to the Moon is underway, the two robotic spacecraft, currently dubbed "GRAIL-A" and "GRAIL-B," need real names -- ones that capture the spirit and excitement of lunar exploration.   Students, choose names for the two GRAIL spacecraft and explain your choice. Your justification can be any length, from a short paragraph to a 500-word essay.   Thu, 22 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1046 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1047 MESSENGER scientists presented 30 papers and posters with the latest results from observations made during the spacecraft’s first six months in orbit around Mercury at a special session of the joint meeting of the European Planetary Science Congress and the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society in Nantes, France. “This is the first major scientific meeting at which MESSENGER orbital observations are being presented to the scientific community,” said Principal Investigator Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. “As the first spacecraft to orbit our solar system’s innermost planet, MESSENGER continues to reveal new surprises every week. It is timely to sum up what we’ve learned so far and to seek feedback from our international colleagues across planetary science on our interpretations to date.” After three successful flybys of Mercury, the MESSENGER spacecraft entered orbit about the innermost planet on March 18, 2011. The orbital phase of the mission is enabling the first global perspective on the planet’s geology, surface composition, topography, gravity and magnetic fields, exosphere, magnetosphere, and solar-wind interaction.   Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1047 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1048 Among the significant early science discoveries the Dawn mission team has revealed is the discovery of one of the largest mountains in our solar system in the southern hemisphere of the giant asteroid Vesta.  Team members presented findings at the recent annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis, MN, and the joint meeting of the European Planetary Science Congress and the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society in Nantes, France.   The Dawn spacecraft has been orbiting Vesta since mid-July. Team members presented findings at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Minneapolis, MN, and the joint meeting of the European Planetary Science Congress and the Division of Planetary Sciences in Nantes, France.   Mon, 17 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1048 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1049 NASA has announced that it will extend the MESSENGER mission for an additional year of orbital operations at Mercury beyond the planned end of the primary mission on March 17, 2012. The MESSENGER probe became the first spacecraft to orbit the innermost planet on March 18, 2011.   "We are still ironing out the funding details, but we are pleased to be able to support the continued exploration of Mercury," said NASA MESSENGER Program Scientist Ed Grayzeck, who made the announcement on November 9, 2011, at the 24th meeting of the MESSENGER Science Team in Annapolis, MD.   Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1049 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1050 Vesta appears in a splendid rainbow-colored palette in new images obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. The colors, assigned by scientists to show different rock or mineral types, reveal Vesta to be a world of many varied, well-separated layers and ingredients. Vesta is unique among asteroids visited by spacecraft to date in having such wide variation, supporting the notion that it is transitional between the terrestrial planets -- Earth, Mercury, Mars and Venus -- and its asteroid siblings. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1050 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1051 The Kepler mission has confirmed its first planet in the "habitable zone," the region where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface. Kepler also has discovered more than 1,000 new planet candidates, nearly doubling its previously known count. Ten of these candidates are near-Earth-size and orbit in the habitable zone of their host star. Candidates require follow-up observations to verify that they are actual planets.        Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1051 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1052 0 0 1 50 288 lockheed / JPL 2 1 337 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} NASA's Dawn spacecraft has sent back the first images of the giant asteroid Vesta from its low-altitude mapping orbit. The images, obtained by the framing camera, show the stippled and lumpy surface in detail never seen before, piquing the curiosity of scientists who are studying Vesta for clues about the solar system's early history. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1052 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1053 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} NASA's Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system. The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are too close to their star to be in the so-called habitable zone where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface, but they are the smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our Sun.   The discovery marks the next important milestone in the ultimate search for planets like Earth. The new planets are thought to be rocky. Kepler-20e is slightly smaller than Venus, measuring 0.87 times the radius of Earth. Kepler-20f is slightly larger than Earth, measuring 1.03 times its radius. Both planets reside in a five-planet system called Kepler-20, approximately 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1053 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1054 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The first of two NASA spacecraft to study the Moon in unprecedented detail entered lunar orbit on Dec. 31, followed by the second a day later.    The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)-A spacecraft successfully completed its planned main engine burn at 5 p.m. ET on New Year’s Eve and entered into orbit around the Moon.   The second craft, GRAIL-B, caught up with its twin on New Year’s Day, achieving orbit at 5:43 pm ET.  Working together, GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B will study the Moon as never before, vastly expanding knowledge about our Moon and the evolution of our planet. Tue, 03 Jan 2012 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1054 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1055 0 0 1 112 640 lockheed / JPL 5 1 751 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} NASA’s twin GRAIL spacecraft have new names, thanks to elementary students in Bozeman, Montana. Their winning entry, "Ebb and Flow," was selected as part of a nationwide school contest that began in October 2011.   The names were submitted by Nina DiMauro’s class of 28 fourth graders from Emily Dickinson Elementary School. Nearly 900 classrooms with more than 11,000 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia participated in the contest. Previously named Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL-A and -B, the washing machine-sized spacecraft began orbiting the Moon earlier this month after a September 2011 launch. Science operations will begin in March.   Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1055 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1056 0 0 1 60 348 lockheed / JPL 2 1 407 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} A new workshop for educators will bring together scientists and artists to inspire and engage students with a fresh approach to appreciating and interpreting images from space.  "A Vision of Discovery," presented by NASA's Discovery and New Frontiers Programs, will be held in four locations across the country on March 10, 2012.   Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1056 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1057 0 0 1 72 416 lockheed / JPL 3 1 487 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} The 2012 NASA Spacecraft Fault Management Workshop brings together NASA’s Fault Management (FM) community — including project managers, systems and software engineers, researchers, technologists, and FM practitioners — to actively, and collaboratively, address near-term challenges and to develop a long-term vision for the FM discipline.   Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1057 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1058 0 0 1 75 429 lockheed / JPL 3 1 503 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) Moon-orbiting spacecraft began their science collection phase on March 6. During the next 84 days, scientists will obtain a high-resolution map of the lunar gravitational field to learn about the Moon's internal structure and composition in unprecedented detail. The data also will provide a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed and evolved. Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1058 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1059 0 0 1 65 376 lockheed / JPL 3 1 440 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} On March 17, 2012, MESSENGER successfully wrapped up a year-long campaign to perform the first complete reconnaissance of the geochemistry, geophysics, geologic history, atmosphere, magnetosphere, and plasma environment of the solar system's innermost planet. The following day, March 18, 2012, marked the official start of an extended phase designed to build upon those discoveries.   0 0 1 98 562 lockheed / JPL 4 1 659 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} "What MESSENGER has accomplished since its launch in August 2004 is amazing," said MESSENGER Mission Systems Engineer Eric Finnegan, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, MD. The achievements include six-plus years of cruise operations, capped by a year of nearly flawless orbital operations, with an additional year of scientific return ahead in the harsh environment at 0.3 astronomical units (27,886,766 miles) from the Sun.      Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1059 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1060 0 0 2012-04-02T16:35:00Z 2012-04-02T16:35:00Z 1 90 519 lockheed / JPL 4 1 608 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} One of two GRAIL spacecraft orbiting the Moon in tandem has beamed back the first student-requested pictures of the lunar surface from its onboard camera. Fourth grade students from the Emily Dickinson Elementary School in Bozeman, Montana, received the honor of making the first image selections by winning a nationwide competition to rename the two spacecraft.   Over 60 student–requested images were taken by the MoonKAM camera on the Ebb spacecraft from March 15-17 and downlinked to Earth on March 20.   Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1060 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1061 The March 2012 issue of the Discovery and New Frontiers News, now in its 13th year of publication, contains the latest updates on the missions and highlights from education and public outreach activities.   The newsletter has photos from the recent San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering Expo Day which featured a NASA booth for the first time. Scientists and educators from many of the D/NF missions brought a wide array of activities that engaged kids and their parents, proving that science is cool! Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1061 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1062 0 0 1 47 274 lockheed / JPL 2 1 320 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} 0 0 1 47 274 lockheed / JPL 2 1 320 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} 0 0 1 58 334 lockheed / JPL 2 1 391 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} The Kepler mission has been approved for extension through fiscal year 2016. Originally planned to operate through 2012, NASA's Senior Review recommended the extension to add four additional years to Kepler's search for Earth-size planets around sun-like stars in our galaxy.    Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1062 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1063 0 0 1 117 669 lockheed / JPL 5 1 785 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} The Dawn mission has received official confirmation that 40 extra days have been added to its exploration of the giant asteroid Vesta, the second most massive object in the main asteroid belt. The extension allows Dawn to continue its scientific observations at Vesta until Aug. 26, while still arriving at the dwarf planet Ceres at the same originally scheduled target date in February 2015.   "We are leveraging our smooth and successful operations at Vesta to provide for even more scientific discoveries for NASA and the world." said Robert Mase, Dawn project manager based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. "This extra time will allow us to extend our scientific investigation and learn more about this mysterious world." Thu, 19 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1063 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1064 0 0 1 92 530 lockheed / JPL 4 1 621 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} On April 16 and April 20, MESSENGER mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, MD, conducted maneuvers to reduce the spacecraft’s orbital period about Mercury. The fist maneuver shortened the orbital period from 11.6 to 9.1 hours and consumed the remaining oxidizer, one of two propellants that supply the higher-efficiency large thruster. With the second maneuver, accomplished with the spacecraft’s four medium-sized thrusters, MESSENGER is now in the 8-hour orbit from which it will operate for the next year.   Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1064 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1065 0 0 1 122 696 lockheed / JPL 5 1 817 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} Images from the Dawn spacecraft are revealing new details about the giant asteroid Vesta, including its varied surface composition, sharp temperature changes and clues to its internal structure. The findings were presented on April 24 at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna, Austria, and will help scientists better understand the early solar system and processes that dominated its formation.   Images from Dawn's framing camera and visible and infrared mapping spectrometer, taken 420 miles and 130 miles above the surface of the asteroid, show a variety of surface mineral and rock patterns. Coded false-color images help scientists better understand Vesta's composition and enable them to identify material that was once molten below the asteroid's surface.  Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1065 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1066 0 0 1 158 907 lockheed / JPL 7 2 1063 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} On May 3, MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System delivered the 100,000th image of Mercury since the spacecraft entered into orbit around the planet on March 18, 2011. The instrument — one of seven aboard the spacecraft — has globally mapped the planet in high-resolution monochrome images and in color images through eight of its color filters, uncovering a new view of Mercury and shedding light on the planet's geologic history.   "That our inventory of orbital images of Mercury is now expressed in six figures constitutes an important footnote in the history of solar system exploration," offers MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. "The MESSENGER mission has at last provided us a view of the innermost planet that is fully global, multispectral, and at a range of illumination conditions. Moreover, we are steadily building a library of targeted high-resolution images that allow us to view features and discern geological processes in unprecedented detail."   Thu, 03 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1066 http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1067 0 0 1 151 861 lockheed / JPL 7 2 1010 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:JA;} The Dawn spacecraft is yielding new insights into the creation of asteroid Vesta and its kinship with terrestrial planets and Earth's moon. Vesta has been revealed as a special fossil of the early solar system with a more varied, diverse surface than originally thought. Scientists have confirmed a variety of ways in which Vesta more closely resembles a small planet or Earth's moon than another asteroid. Results appear in today's edition of the journal Science. "Dawn's visit to Vesta has confirmed our broad theories of this giant asteroid's history, while helping to fill in details it would have been impossible to know from afar," said Carol Raymond, deputy principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. "Dawn's residence at Vesta of nearly a year has made the asteroid's planet-like qualities obvious and shown us our connection to that bright orb in our night sky."   Thu, 10 May 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://discovery.nasa.gov/news/index.cfml?ID=1067