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Blog Archive
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/05/16 09:55 CDT | 2 comments
How to enjoy a solar eclipse with your kids, making shadow magic with a pinhole viewer.
Cool video: Jupiter, its moons, a comet, and...the Sun?
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/05/16 11:45 CDT | 1 comments
Here's a neat video posted by SungrazerComets (the Twitter identity of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Sungrazing Comets website) this morning. It's an animation of images taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) on May 13 and 14, when Jupiter was passing through solar conjunction
Third Martian Anniversary for Mars Climate Sounder
Posted by David Kass on 2012/05/16 11:35 CDT | 2 comments
May 16, 2012 is the third martian anniversary of the start of Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) observations from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. MCS started measuring the atmosphere of Mars three Mars years ago, on September 24, 2006. We can now compare the weather and behavior of the atmosphere in three different years, and find the temperature differences to be surprisingly large.
Earth’s toughest life could survive on Mars
Posted by Mike Malaska on 2012/05/15 06:22 CDT | 6 comments
The surface of Mars is a tough place to survive, but researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) found some lichens and cyanobacteria tough enough to handle those conditions.
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/05/14 03:02 CDT | 5 comments
I took a field trip to watch scientists and engineers play in the sand with Mars rover models, and got a bonus tour of some evidence for the "Snowball Earth" hypothesis.
Posted by Stuart Atkinson on 2012/05/14 12:42 CDT | 2 comments
After driving off Greeley Haven – where she stood patiently for 19 long weeks – Opportunity is now driving again. Not just turning, not just bumping, but driving.
Virtual Exploration, Virtually Everywhere
Posted by Jim Bell on 2012/05/14 10:45 CDT
I had the pleasure of participating in a symposium at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center called "Space Exploration via Telepresence: A New Paradigm for Human-Robotic Cooperation."
Night Sky Guide for Summer 2012
Posted by Ray Sanders on 2012/05/11 11:14 CDT
This summer should provide great opportunities for stargazers to view planets, meteor showers, the transit of Venus, and for some, the annular solar eclipse. Check out these highlights of what you can look forward to this summer.
Bringing a little star power to Capitol Hill
Posted by Jennifer Vaughn on 2012/05/09 08:11 CDT | 5 comments
On May 8, 2012, Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson brought their unique brand of motivational speaking to Capitol Hill. In a standing-room-only lunch discussion in one of the meeting rooms for the Committee on Space, Science, Technology, these two space superstars, along with planetary scientist Louise Prockter, explained to members of Congress, staffers, and media why we must continue to invest in planetary exploration.
Space Hangout with Britney Schmidt
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/05/09 02:06 CDT | 3 comments
Watch a conversation I had with planetary astronomer Britney Schmidt about Europa and the current state of outer planets exploration! Also, bonus video of an earlier hangout with Robbie Herrick.
In which I sit in a Soyuz capsule with a Real Live Astronaut
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/05/09 01:46 CDT | 2 comments
Emily Lakdawalla is ready to launch to space with Shuttle astronaut Mike Massimino, who guest-starred (as an astronaut, of course) on the fifth season finale of the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory.
More Evidence for Impact Origin for Colombia’s Vichada Structure
Posted by Bruce Betts on 2012/05/08 03:43 CDT
Evidence continues to pile up that the Rio Vichada structure in Colombia is indeed the largest impact structure in South America.
In Honor of JUICE, a New View of Europa
Posted by Ted Stryk on 2012/05/07 05:30 CDT | 2 comments
To celebrate ESA's selection of the JUICE mission to Jupiter, Ted Stryk produced a new global view of Europa from Galileo data.
Pretty pictures from Cassini's recent Dione flyby
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/05/04 05:44 CDT
Cassini performed its last of three close encounters with Enceladus for 2012 two days ago, and followed the flyby with some spectacular images of Dione.
Posted by Andrew Chaikin on 2012/05/04 11:36 CDT | 2 comments
Planetary exploration is in trouble. Massive budget cuts threaten to starve NASA’s planetary program for years to come. If you are as angered and frightened by this situation as I am, I ask you to make your voice heard. Please share this video. And tell Washington, “We Must Explore.”
Posted by A.J.S. Rayl on 2012/05/03 10:06 CDT
As winter began to retreat in the southern hemisphere of the Red Planet, Opportunity was commanded to finish up her science assignments in April in preparation for leaving its refuge, and the Mars Exploration Rover mission rolled through its 100th month of exploration.
Dawn Journal: Rising from a happily long LAMO
Posted by Marc Rayman on 2012/05/03 03:39 CDT | 3 comments
Marc Rayman's monthly check-in with the Dawn mission describes the achievements of the spacecraft in its Low-Altitude Mapping Orbit (including near-global high-resolution imaging!) and explains what's next.
3D view of an unnamed lunar crater
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/05/03 03:18 CDT
Grab your red-blue 3D glasses and dive in to this small but spectacular unnamed lunar crater as seen in a Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photo.
Examining India's new RISAT 1 Earth observation satellite
Posted by Jason Davis on 2012/05/02 12:03 CDT | 1 comments
Last week, India launched RISAT 1, a new Earth-observing satellite. How does its synthetic aperture radar compare to that of Envisat, which has fallen silent?
Titan, Dead or Alive? A Debate
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla on 2012/05/02 10:32 CDT
A lively discussion and debate between planetary polymaths Ralph Lorenz and Jeffrey Moore about Titan, hosted by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, moderated by David Grinspoon.
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