Blog Archive

Rovers in the desert

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.

Mars Exploration Rover artist's concept Opportunity within Endurance Crater

Opportunity is a ROVER again!

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."

From Glacier Point at the right, across Half Dome at center and ending at Royal Arches at the left, the path of the Milky Way over Yosemite Valley is stunning even under lighting conditions that illuminate the valley walls.

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.