Blogs
Blog Archive
What's up in the solar system in February 2010
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/02/01 01:56 CST
What's up in the solar system in February 2010
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2010/01/31 11:00 CST
Five and a half years after they were supposed to be history, the Mars Exploration Rovers celebrated their sixth Earth year on the Red Planet with Opportunity pulling up to a fresh, new crater on the road to Endeavour, and Spirit working on repositioning itself to settle in for the coming Martian winter, and perhaps the rest of its mission.
Opportunity's thousand-year-old crater
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/29 10:59 CST
Since leaving Marquette Island on sol 2,122, Opportunity has been barreling southward on her journey toward Endeavour crater. On her horizon for the last several sols has been a very small but very fresh looking crater named Concepción.
NASA decides Spirit is henceforth to be a lander
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/26 03:22 CST
There was a press briefing today that announced the official end of efforts to extricate Spirit from her sand trap at Troy. Instead, the rover drivers will now focus on improving the chances that Spirit will survive the coming winter so that she can carry on doing science once the power situation improves in the spring.
Brief rover update: "We do not believe [Spirit] is extractable."
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/26 11:36 CST
Brief rover update: "We do not believe [Spirit] is extractable."
Ted Stryk: Report #2 from New Horizons science team meeting
Posted by Ted Stryk on 2010/01/20 06:33 CST
Second report by Ted Stryk from New Horizons science team meeting. Major topic was the search for Kuiper belt object (KBO) targets.
Ted Stryk: Report from New Horizons science team meeting
Posted by Ted Stryk on 2010/01/19 07:55 CST
The New Horizons science team is meeting this week. Ted Stryk was invited to attend the meeting, and he sent the following notes from the first day.
Just a Few More Approaches to Try for Extrication
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/13 10:09 CST
"The list of remaining maneuvers being considered for extricating Spirit is becoming shorter."
Odyssey's going to start listening for Phoenix
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/11 05:26 CST
Odyssey's going to start listening for Phoenix
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/08 01:08 CST
It's been two months, now, that extrication efforts have been going on. It's discouraging that the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit isn't out of the trap.
Dawn Journal: Patiently accelerating
Posted by Marc Rayman on 2010/01/05 02:51 CST
Dawn Journal: Patiently accelerating
What's up in the solar system in January 2010
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2010/01/04 01:29 CST
While we don't have Moon bases, we do have plenty of spacecraft. Before I get into my more detailed look at the activities of the 20-odd spacecraft wandering about the solar system, I thought I'd look ahead to 2010 more generally and see what the year has in store for us.
Bruce Betts: Kepler discovers its first five exoplanets
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2010/01/04 12:06 CST
Congratulations to NASA's Kepler mission team on their announcement of the discovery of its first five exoplanets (planets around other stars). All five are "hot Jupiters," meaning that they are the sizes of the gas giants in our solar system, but are extremely close to their parent stars.
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2009/12/31 11:00 CST
The Mars Exploration Rovers quietly wrapped up 2009 this month: Spirit continued to valiantly spin its wheels in an attempt to get out of its embedded location on the west side of Home Plate in Gusev Crater; and Opportunity continued its investigation of Marquette Island, perhaps the oldest Martian rock it's found to date at Meridiani Planum.
Dawn Journal: In the asteroid belt, but far from asteroids
Posted by Marc Rayman on 2009/12/01 11:22 CST
What's up in the solar system in December 2009
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2009/11/30 02:32 CST
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Spirit Turns Wheels, Opportunity Rests at Rare Martian Rock
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2009/11/30 11:00 CST
The Mars Exploration Rovers managed to make history and uncover history in November and that put both Spirit and Opportunity in the planetary exploration spotlight during the 71st month of an overland expedition that was supposed to be a three-month tour.
Hayabusa's still coming home: JAXA engineers come up with yet another creative solution
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2009/11/19 11:16 CST
Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Spirit Begins Extraction Process
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2009/11/12 11:00 CST
On Monday, November 16, 2009, Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will begin the much-anticipated, weeks-long process of extricating itself from a patch of powdery soil that stopped it in its tracks six months ago. It will begin by driving forward to the north, following its tracks out, even though its right front wheel is broken and immobilized.
Connect With Us
Facebook! Twitter! Google+ and more…
Continue the conversation with our online community!
