NASA

Read the latest NASA news today on Newser.com

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Private Firms Hope to Haul NASA's Space Cargo

And US agency wants their help

(Newser) - Hauling crew and equipment between earth and the international space station is expensive work, and NASA is looking to private entrepreneurs to pick up some of the slack, the Washington Post reports. Among the front-runners is Elon Musk, a founder of Paypal, who has seen his three prototype shuttles crash...

Rubber Duckies Tracking Glacier

Bathtub toys to reveal glacier's flow

(Newser) - A key experiment that may help unlock more secrets of global warming involves planting 90 rubber duckies into one of Greenland's fastest moving glaciers, Reuters reports. US scientists are hoping some of the ducks will be found as they emerge into Baffin Bay to help track rate and movement of...

Experiment Raises Hope of Solar Power From Space

Successful test opens the possibility of humanity getting its energy from space

(Newser) - An experiment in beaming solar power has raised hopes that humanity can harness huge amounts of solar energy from satellites, Space.com reports. Researchers sent the energy about 90 miles between two Hawaiian islands via radio waves. The transmission of energy a hundred times further than earlier experiments proves the...

Mission Accomplished on Mars
 Mission Accomplished on Mars
ANALYSIS
Aug 29, 2008 5:32 PM CDT

Mission Accomplished on Mars

Time is up, but Phoenix keeps digging

(Newser) - Time's almost up for NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander: With its 90-day mission complete, the $480 million project will continue testing soil samples until the punishing winter puts it out of commission. Wired recaps Phoenix triumphs with an interactive timeline, from its flawless landing at Mars' north pole to its groundbreaking...

NASA Briefs White House on Possible Martian Life

Red planet could support greenery, reports show

(Newser) - NASA has briefed the White House on its plan to announce a new finding on the "potential for life" on Mars, Aviation Week reports. NASA has no evidence that the red planet has harbored life, but new Phoenix lander discoveries suggest it is possible—a finding that Phoenix officials...

NASA Lander Confirms Water on Mars
NASA Lander Confirms
Water on Mars
Jul 31, 2008 8:50 PM CDT

NASA Lander Confirms Water on Mars

'We've now finally touched and tasted it'

(Newser) - The Phoenix spacecraft has tasted Martian water for the first time. By melting icy soil in one of its lab instruments, the robot confirmed the presence of frozen water lurking below the Martian permafrost. Until now, evidence of ice in Mars' north pole region has been largely circumstantial. Scientists popped...

Sticky Soil Foils Mars Work
 Sticky Soil Foils Mars Work 
Jul 28, 2008 8:19 AM CDT

Sticky Soil Foils Mars Work

Dirt is sticking to lander's arm, so NASA revising its methods

(Newser) - NASA is revising its soil-harvesting method because the Phoenix Mars lander is having trouble with its icy finds, Space.com reports. The lander’s attempts to analyze the soil have been troubled because the soil is sticking to its scoop, stubbornly refusing to fall into the tiny oven designed to...

Astronaut Reports Alien Visits
 Astronaut Reports Alien Visits
Jul 25, 2008 3:44 AM CDT

Astronaut Reports Alien Visits

Apollo Moon walker Mitchell says US covered up close encounters

(Newser) - Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who walked on the moon during the Apollo 14 mission, says aliens have visited Earth but the information has been covered up by the government. The 77-year-old astronaut told a radio interviewer he was "privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited,...

Discoveries Boost Hope for Alien Life

New forms of extreme bacteria fuel hope for extraterrestrial life

(Newser) - Humans have always wondered about the possibility of alien life somewhere out there. And while scientists seem to agree that the discovery of extraterrestrials will not happen soon, growing numbers are convinced it will happen. The search is being fueled in part by recent discoveries of strange new life forms...

Scientists Hatch Round-Trip Mission to Mars

Unmanned spacecraft would bring back rocks and possibly microscopic life

(Newser) - Before scientists can put a man on Mars, they first need to figure out how to get a mission back to Earth, reports the Guardian. An international team is doing just that—developing an $8 billion mission to travel to Mars and return with rock samples and possibly microscopic life....

Water Found in Moon Rock
 Water Found in Moon Rock 
Jul 10, 2008 5:00 AM CDT

Water Found in Moon Rock

Discovery stuns lunar experts

(Newser) - Water has been detected in moon rock brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts, reports Space.com. A team used a new super-sensitive technique to discover the water in volcanic glass beads in the rock. The stunning find, detailed in the journal Nature, is forcing scientists to rethink theories about the...

There's a New Space Race, and US Is Losing

Rest of the world collaborates while fearful US falls behind

(Newser) - While the rest of the world cooperates incessantly on all matters extraterrestrial, the US, hampered by self-imposed regulations meant to keep weapons out of enemies' hands, is swiftly losing dominance of the final frontier, the Washington Post reports. The US’ military space program is still gargantuan, but the civil program,...

Upgrade Will Boost Hubble Vision

Upgrade will create spectacular images

(Newser) - Spectacular images from the Hubble telescope are about to get even more awe-inspiring, thanks to a $900-million upgrade during an upcoming space shuttle mission—the fifth and last mission to the orbiting observatory. Two new high-tech instruments and a series of repairs will make Hubble able to probe even deeper...

Mercury Is Shrinking
 Mercury Is Shrinking   
Jul 3, 2008 6:35 PM CDT

Mercury Is Shrinking

Messenger spacecraft reveals planets core still molten

(Newser) - The planet Mercury is shrinking, the LA Times reports. Data from NASA’s Mercury Messenger spacecraft reveal that the planet’s diameter has shrunk by a mile over its history, probably because its core is cooling. Messenger flew in for a close-up in January, and scientists are now piecing together...

'You Might Be Able to Grow Asparagus' on Mars

'Flabbergasted' scientists see soil able to support life on red planet

(Newser) - Samples of Martian soil analyzed by instruments onboard the Phoenix lander have earth-bound scientists “flabbergasted.” Why? Readings indicate that the extraterrestrial loam could, perhaps has, and possibly will, support life, Reuters reports. Along with ice the lander discovered earlier, “We basically have found what appears to be...

Scientists Hail Ice Find on Mars
Scientists
Hail Ice Find
on Mars
Jun 20, 2008 4:49 AM CDT

Scientists Hail Ice Find on Mars

Now the trick is for Phoenix Lander to collect it

(Newser) - White material on Mars that was puzzling NASA scientists has turned out to be ice, Wired reports. "Are you ready to celebrate? We have ICE! Best day ever!" gushed a team scientist. The discovery of evidence of water—essential for terrestrial life—is exactly what scientists were hoping...

Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft
Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft
Jun 19, 2008 3:16 PM CDT

Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft

Soil photos lost in transmission 'not really critical,' but lander's mission delayed

(Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander stopped digging yesterday to give its memory a rest after a computer glitch caused the loss of photographs and scientific data, the AP reports. Scientists were alerted to the problem after the lander transmitted a single piece of information 45,000 times. "It's unfortunate to...

Mars Lander Finds Ice... or Salt

Scientist debate mysterious white substance

(Newser) - The Phoenix Mars lander has found… well, something. While digging a pair of trenches on the Red Planet’s North Pole, the little robot sent back images of soil streaked with something white. Now scientists are wondering whether it’s the ice they’d hoped for, a salt deposit, or...

Discovery Returns to Earth
 Discovery Returns to Earth 
Jun 14, 2008 12:30 PM CDT

Discovery Returns to Earth

Mission saw successful expansion of space station

(Newser) - The space shuttle Discovery swooped back to Earth today after successfully expanding the International Space Station, the AP reports. The shuttle’s seven crew members delivered Kibo, the new billion-dollar Japanese science lab, and a pump to repair a broken toilet. Discovery also brought home flight engineer Garret Reisman, who’...

Strange Object Baffles Astronauts

Mysterious rectangle floats by

(Newser) - The Discovery’s crew was perplexed today when it spotted a mysterious object floating past the right wing, the Houston Chronicle reports. The astronauts sent videos and photos of the light-colored, rectangular object to NASA. They also noticed an unusual protrusion on the tail rudder. “We’re in data...

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