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A look back at NEOWISE, the NASA mission that cataloged objects around Earth for over a decade

Alison Klesman — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

The NASA project NEOWISE, which has given astronomers a detailed view of near-Earth objects – some of which could strike the Earth – ended its mission and burned on re-entering the atmosphere after over a decade. On a clear night, the sky is full of bright objects – from stars, large planets and galaxies toContinue reading "A look back at NEOWISE, the NASA mission that cataloged objects around Earth for over a decade"

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NASA releases new infrared images from retired NEOWISE mission

Samantha Hill — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 17:00:00 +0000

Although it completed its mission in July, NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) still has interesting archival data covering the solar system thanks to the team at the Infrared Processing & Analysis Center (IPAC) at Caltech. After the spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere in November, IPAC completed a final data release ofContinue reading "NASA releases new infrared images from retired NEOWISE mission"

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Proba-3 launches, ready to eclipse the Sun

Korey Haynes — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 14:42:51 +0000

UPDATE: Proba-3 launched successfully Thursday morning at 5:34 A.M. EST (10:34 GMT). You can watch a replay of the launch here. In a fabulous feat of formation flying, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission, now set to launch Thursday morning, will fly two spacecraft 490 feet (150 meters, or one and a half footballContinue reading "Proba-3 launches, ready to eclipse the Sun"

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Opinion: An international affairs expert breaks down Harris and Trump’s records on space policy

Alison Klesman — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 19:45:49 +0000

The next president of the United States could be the first in that office to accept a phone call from the Moon and hear a woman’s voice on the line. To do so, they’ll first need to make a series of strategic space policy decisions. They’ll also need a little luck. Enormous government investment supports outerContinue reading "Opinion: An international affairs expert breaks down Harris and Trump’s records on space policy"

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How the Cluster II mission studied the Sun’s effects on Earth

Sten Odenwald — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

On July 26, 2000, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Salsa satellite, which joined its three companion satellites — Samba, Rumba, and Tango — on the Cluster II mission, scheduled to last two years. On Sep. 8, after more than 24 years of service, Salsa re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in a controlled de-orbit, where itContinue reading "How the Cluster II mission studied the Sun’s effects on Earth"

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NASA’s Europa Clipper sets sail for Jupiter

Alison Klesman — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:43:44 +0000

NASA’s newest scientific flagship is on its way to the Jupiter system to explore the icy moon Europa, one of the most compelling worlds in our solar system. The mission lifted off Oct. 14 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 12:06 p.m. EDT aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.Continue reading "NASA’s Europa Clipper sets sail for Jupiter"

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30 years ago: Magellan Venus mission successfully concluded

Ben Evans — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon, Venus is known for its opalescent splendor at dawn or dusk. Humans have long been drawn to its exquisite beauty and tied it to goddesses of love — from Inanna of Mesopotamian myth to the Greek Aphrodite and Roman Venus. But Venus isContinue reading "30 years ago: Magellan Venus mission successfully concluded"

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Europa Clipper launch postponed until at least Oct. 13 due to Hurricane Milton

Mark Zastrow — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 21:33:54 +0000

UPDATE Oct. 10: The Kennedy Space Center remains closed as NASA begins “the assessment and recovery process” from Hurricane Milton, the agency said in a statement today. The statement continued: “The agency’s Europa Clipper launch team will schedule an official launch date when teams from NASA and SpaceX are able to perform their assessments, andContinue reading "Europa Clipper launch postponed until at least Oct. 13 due to Hurricane Milton"

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ESA’s Hera mission is headed to Dimorphos, the asteroid NASA crashed into

Samantha Hill — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 17:48:07 +0000

Although the day started out with a few clouds and rain, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera mission successfully launched on Monday at 10:52 a.m. EDT from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Although advance forecasts gave only a 15 percent chance of favorable weather, fears of postponement quickly dissipated as each stage of theContinue reading "ESA’s Hera mission is headed to Dimorphos, the asteroid NASA crashed into"

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What to know about the Hera mission to the deflected asteroid Dimorphos

Samantha Hill — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 06:55:56 +0000

UPDATE Oct. 7: The Hera mission lifted off today, Monday, Oct. 7 at 10:52 a.m. EDT. The launch livestream can be viewed below via the European Space Agency’s YouTube stream or on X via SpaceX’s account. Here’s what to know about the Hera mission. In 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully slammed intoContinue reading "What to know about the Hera mission to the deflected asteroid Dimorphos"

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