http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/space_station/ International Space Station. Read current science articles on the space station, MIR, Skylab, space shuttles and more. en-us Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:05:02 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/space_station/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215095945.htm More than 70 teachers had an opportunity to experience what it feels like to float in space as they participated in the Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston last week. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215095945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213145618.htm New and improved ways for future space travelers to communicate will be tested on the International Space Station after a launch later this year from Japan. The SCaN Testbed, or Space Communications and Navigation Testbed, was designed and built at NASA's Glenn Research Center over the last three years. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213145618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209101541.htm The 355-foot-tall mobile launcher, or ML, behaved as expected during its move to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in November 2011, an analysis of multiple sensors showed. The top of the tower swayed less than an inch each way. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209101541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201142402.htm A potent follow-up solar flare, which occurred Jan. 17, 2012, just days after the Sun launched the biggest coronal mass ejection seen in nearly a decade, delivered a powerful radiation punch to Earth's magnetic field despite the fact that it was aimed away from our planet. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201142402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130100202.htm The sun unleashed an X1.8 class flare that began at 1:12 PM ET on January 27, 2012 and peaked at 1:37. The flare immediately caused a strong radio blackout at low-latitudes, which was rated an R3 on NOAA's scale from R1-5. The blackout soon subsided to a minor R1 storm. Models from NASA's Goddard Space Weather Center predict that the CME is traveling at over 1500 miles per second. It does not initially appear to be Earth-directed, but Earth may get a glancing blow. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130100202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127172327.htm NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, mission arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Jan. 27 after a cross-country trip by truck from the Orbital Sciences Corporation's manufacturing plant in Dulles, Va. The mission is scheduled to launch from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean on March 14. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127172327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118201225.htm The High Frequency Instrument aboard the Planck space telescope has completed its survey of the remnant light from the Big Bang explosion that created our universe. The sensor ran out of coolant on Jan. 14, as expected, ending its ability to detect this faint energy. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118201225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118200606.htm In 1995, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took an iconic image of the Eagle nebula, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," highlighting its finger-like pillars where new stars are thought to be forming. Now, the Herschel Space Observatory has a new, expansive view of the region captured in longer-wavelength infrared light. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118200606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192644.htm The James Webb Space Telescope marked a year of significant progress in 2011 as it continues to come together as NASA's next generation space telescope. The year brought forth a pathfinder backplane to support the large primary mirror structure, mirror cryotesting, creation of mirror support structures, several successful sunshield layer tests and the creation of an assembly station within NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's cleanroom. Achievements were also made in the areas of flight and communications software and the propulsion system. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109192644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104133201.htm Using powerful magnets to levitate fruit flies can provide vital clues to how biological organisms are affected by weightless conditions in space, researchers say. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104133201.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111908.htm "Humanity's adventurous, stubborn, mad and glorious aspiration to reach the stars," is the subject of a new article. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111908.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228085603.htm NASA successfully conducted a drop test of the Orion crew vehicle's parachutes high above the Arizona desert Tuesday, Dec. 20, in preparation for its orbital flight test in 2014. Orion will carry astronauts deeper into space than ever before, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and ensure a safe re-entry and landing. Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111228085603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111223105435.htm No team of reindeer, but radio signals flying clear across the solar system from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have delivered a holiday package of glorious images. The pictures, from Cassini's imaging team, show Saturn's largest, most colorful ornament, Titan, and other icy baubles in orbit around this splendid planet. Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111223105435.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164612.htm NASA's car-sized Curiosity rover has begun monitoring space radiation during its 8-month trip from Earth to Mars. The research will aid in planning for future human missions to the Red Planet. Curiosity launched on Nov. 26 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., aboard the Mars Science Laboratory. The rover carries an instrument called the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) that monitors high-energy atomic and subatomic particles from the sun, distant supernovas and other sources. These particles constitute radiation that could be harmful to any microbes or astronauts in space or on Mars. The rover also will monitor radiation on the surface of Mars after its August 2012 landing. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164612.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164414.htm NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its closest-ever pass over Saturn's moon Dione on Dec. 12, slaloming its way through the Saturn system on its way to a close flyby of Titan. Cassini is expected to glide about 2,200 miles (3,600 kilometers) over the Titan surface on Dec. 13. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213164414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205101520.htm The expression goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." And right now there is a need for NASA and the United States to have reliable access to low Earth orbit from homegrown sources. So, NASA's Commercial Crew Program and a number of American-led private companies are working together on new and innovative plans to do just that. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205101520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205101355.htm Testing continues at NASA Langley Research Center as the 18,000-pound (8,164.6 kg) Orion test article took its seventh splash into the Hydro Impact Basin Dec. 1. Orion, NASA's next deep space exploration vehicle, will carry astronauts into space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel, and ensure safe re-entry and landing. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:13:13 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205101355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129193104.htm The astrophysicist Stephen Hawking believes that if humanity is to survive we will have up sticks and colonize space. But is the human body up to the challenge? Scientists believe that Caenorhabditis elegans, a microscopic worm which has biologically similarities to human beings, could help us understand how humans might cope with long-duration space exploration. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129193104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129183126.htm After spending more than 240 days "sailing" around Earth, NASA's NanoSail-D -- a nanosatellite that deployed NASA's first-ever solar sail in low-Earth orbit -- has successfully completed its Earth orbiting mission. Launched to space Nov. 19, 2010 as a payload on NASA's FASTSAT, a small satellite, NanoSail-D's sail deployed on Jan. 20. The flight phase of the mission successfully demonstrated a deorbit capability that could potentially be used to bring down decommissioned satellites and space debris by re-entering and totally burning up in Earth's atmosphere. The team continues to analyze the orbital data to determine how future satellites can use this new technology. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129183126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129183013.htm Plants are critical in supporting life on Earth, and with help from an experiment that flew onboard space shuttle Discovery's STS-131 mission, they also could transform living in space. NASA's Kennedy Space Center partnered with the University of Florida, Miami University in Ohio and Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation to perform three different experiments in microgravity. The studies concentrated on the effects microgravity has on plant cell walls, root growth patterns and gene regulation within the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Each of the studies has future applications on Earth and in space exploration. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129183013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129182908.htm Whether free-burning or smoldering, uncontrolled fire can threaten life and destroy property. On Earth, a little water, maybe some chemicals, and the fire is smothered. In space, where there is no up or down, flames behave in unconventional ways. And when your entire world is the size of a five-bedroom home like the International Space Station, putting out even a small fire quickly is a life-and-death matter. Since March 2009, NASA's Flame Extinguishment Experiment, or FLEX, has conducted more than 200 tests to better understand the fundamentals of flames and how best to suppress fire in space. The investigation is currently ongoing aboard the space station. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129182908.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111126155300.htm NASA began a historic voyage to Mars with the Nov. 26 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, which carries a car-sized rover named Curiosity. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket occurred at 10:02 a.m. EST (7:02 a.m. PST). Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:53:53 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111126155300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121142505.htm Future astronauts spending Thanksgiving in space may not have to forgo one of the most traditional parts of the day's feast: fresh sweet potatoes. Agricultural researchers have now developed methods for growing sweet potatoes that reduce the required growing space while not decreasing the amount of food that each plant produces. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121142505.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121142455.htm NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission has the potential to be the most productive Mars surface mission in history. That's due in part to its nuclear heat and power source. The rover Curiosity's scientific instruments will get their lifeblood from a new radioisotope power system. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121142455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121114903.htm Lightning storms on planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars may also produce "sprites," bursts of electric energy. Scientists have re-created the atmospheres of these planets to produce artificial "sprites," and the research could lead to a new understanding of electrical and chemical processes on these planets. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121114903.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095550.htm Given a legitimate need to protect Earth from the most intense forms of space weather – great bursts of electromagnetic energy and particles that can sometimes stream from the sun – some people worry that a gigantic "killer solar flare" could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth. Citing the accurate fact that solar activity is currently ramping up in its standard 11-year cycle, there are those who believe that 2012 could be coincident with such a flare. But this same solar cycle has occurred over millennia. Anyone over the age of 11 has already lived through such a solar maximum with no harm. In addition, the next solar maximum is predicted to occur in late 2013 or early 2014, not 2012. Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111111095550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111108213256.htm NASA plans to add an unmanned flight test of the Orion spacecraft in early 2014 to its contract with Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the multi-purpose crew vehicle's design, development, test and evaluation. This test supports the new Space Launch System that will take astronauts farther into space than ever before. Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111108213256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106142036.htm The record-breaking simulated mission to Mars has ended with smiling faces after 17 months. Mars500's six brave volunteers stepped out of their 'spacecraft' Nov. 4, 2011 to be welcomed by the waiting scientists -- happy that the venture had worked even better than expected. Mars500, the first full-length, high-fidelity simulation of a human mission to our neighbouring planet, started 520 days earlier, on 3 June 2010, at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106142036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103155356.htm Part of human fascination with space is the chance to look back at our own planet from afar. The unique vantage from the International Space Station affords a vista both breathtaking and scientifically illuminating. Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103155356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101132257.htm The Boeing Co. will set up Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to manufacture and assemble its CST-100 spacecraft for launches to the International Space Station under a newly signed agreement with NASA and Space Florida. And that deal could provide a glimpse of how Kennedy's unique facilities will be used in the future. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111101132257.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028082103.htm NASA scientists will be tracking asteroid 2005 YU55 with antennas of the agency's Deep Space Network at Goldstone, Calif., as the space rock safely flies past Earth slightly closer than the moon's orbit on Nov. 8. Scientists are treating the flyby of the 1,300-foot-wide (400-meter) asteroid as a science target of opportunity -- allowing instruments on "spacecraft Earth" to scan it during the close pass. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028082103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019162107.htm NASA's Cassini mission will take advantage of the position of two of the three stars in Orion's belt when the spacecraft flies by Saturn's moon Enceladus on Oct. 19. As the hot, bright stars pass behind the moon's icy jets, Cassini's ultraviolet imaging spectrograph will acquire a two-dimensional view of these dramatic plumes of water vapor and icy material erupting from the moon's southern polar region. This flyby is the mission's first-ever opportunity to probe the jets with two stars simultaneously, a dual stellar occultation. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019162107.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012083630.htm For the first time, observations coordinated by the European Space Agency's space hazards team have found an asteroid that comes close enough to Earth to pose an impact threat. The space rock was found by amateur astronomers, highlighting the value of 'crowd-sourcing' to science and planetary defense. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012083630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003191040.htm NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its Oct. 1 flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus and its jets of water vapor and ice. At its closest approach, the spacecraft flew approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the moon's surface. The close approach was designed to give some of Cassini's instruments, including the ion and neutral mass spectrometer, the chance to "taste" the jets themselves. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:10:10 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003191040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003190642.htm NASA has selected 11 science proposals for evaluation as potential future science missions. The proposals outline prospective missions to study Earth's atmosphere, the sun, the Milky Way galaxy, and Earth-like planets around nearby stars. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:06:06 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003190642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927072621.htm The European Space Agency closely monitored the Sept. 24, 2011 reentry of the UARS observation satellite. The Agency’s Space Debris Office worked with NASA and international partners in a coordinated prediction and risk-assessment exercise. Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927072621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110923102534.htm It currently takes 90 minutes to transmit high-resolution images from Mars, but NASA would like to dramatically reduce that time to just minutes. A new optical communications system that NASA plans to demonstrate in 2016 will lead the way and even allow the streaming of high-definition video from distances beyond the moon. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110923102534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110920133215.htm Encapsulated into the nose cone of an Orbital Sciences Corporation Minotaur-IV+ launch vehicle, TacSat-4 is scheduled to launch from the Alaska Aerospace Corporation's Kodiak Launch Complex into a highly elliptical orbit, providing multiple combatant commanders around the globe an additional outlet for data transmission and communications on the move. Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:32:32 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110920133215.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123930.htm NASA is testing an element of the sunshield that will protect the James Webb Space Telescope's mirrors and instruments during its mission to observe the most distant objects in the universe. The sunshield will consist of five tennis court-sized layers to allow the Webb telescope to cool to its cryogenic operating temperature of minus 387.7 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Kelvin). Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123930.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123806.htm NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major milestone in its development. The mirrors that will fly aboard the telescope have completed the coating process at Quantum Coating Inc. in Moorestown, N.J. The telescope's mirrors have been coated with a microscopically thin layer of gold, selected for its ability to properly reflect infrared light from the mirrors into the observatory's science instruments. The coating allows the Webb telescope's "infrared eyes" to observe extremely faint objects in infrared light. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123301.htm With the artistry of a magazine cover shoot, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured a new portrait of five of Saturn's moons poised along the planet's rings. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:33:33 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123151.htm NASA has selected two game-changing space technology projects for development. The selections are part of the agency's efforts to pursue revolutionary technology required for future missions, while proving the capabilities and lowering the cost of government and commercial space activities. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110919123151.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914171753.htm Researchers have developed chemistry and procedures that astronauts can use to test the quality of their drinking water at the International Space Station. The testing technology is now considered operational hardware at the space station. Astronauts will begin using refinements to the tests in late September. Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914171753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914101922.htm NASA has selected the design of a new Space Launch System that will take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before, create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts. This new heavy-lift rocket-in combination with a crew capsule already under development, increased support for the commercialization of astronaut travel to low Earth orbit, an extension of activities on the International Space Station until at least 2020. Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914101922.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110910172803.htm NASA's twin lunar Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:08 a.m. EDT (6:08 a.m. PDT) Saturday, Sept. 10, to study the moon in unprecedented detail. GRAIL-A is scheduled to reach the moon on New Year's Eve 2011, while GRAIL-B will arrive New Year's Day 2012. The two solar-powered spacecraft will fly in tandem orbits around the moon to measure its gravity field. GRAIL will answer longstanding questions about the moon and give scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed. Sat, 10 Sep 2011 17:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110910172803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907131112.htm Engineers have successfully completed the first of a series of acoustic tests on the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) ground test vehicle, which consists of two major components of the Orion spacecraft: the crew module and the launch abort system. Built to spaceflight specifications, the Orion MPCV ground test vehicle is the first full-scale spacecraft built to support the development of the final human space flight vehicle, which is slated for its first orbital flight test in about two years. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:11:11 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907131112.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906135841.htm Researchers overseeing the imaging system on board NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have released the sharpest images ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 sites, more clearly showing the paths made when the astronauts explored these areas. Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:58:58 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906135841.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110902110301.htm Researchers will be floating high above the Gulf of Mexico this month to conduct zero-gravity testing of an experimental DNA analysis instrument that could benefit future NASA astronauts. Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:03:03 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110902110301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110830215633.htm On its way to the biggest planet in the solar system -- Jupiter, NASA's Juno spacecraft took time to capture its home planet and its natural satellite -- the moon. Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110830215633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110828192644.htm A green thumb and a little flair as a gourmet chef may be among the key skills for the first men and women who travel to the Red Planet later this century, according to one scientist. Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110828192644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110827191804.htm NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured new views of Saturn's oddly shaped moon Hyperion during its encounter with a cratered body on Aug. 25. Raw images were acquired as the spacecraft flew past the moon at a distance of about 15,500 miles (25,000 kilometers), making this the second closest encounter. Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110827191804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110827191646.htm NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to study the moon is in final launch preparations for a scheduled Sept. 8 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GRAIL's twin spacecraft are tasked for a nine-month mission to explore Earth's nearest neighbor in unprecedented detail. They will determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and advance our understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110827191646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110826085147.htm Astrophysicists have resolved a 40-year-old problem with observations of turbulence in the solar wind first made by the probe Mariner 5. The research resolves an issue with what is by far the largest and most interesting natural turbulence lab accessible to researchers today. Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:51:51 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110826085147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824133925.htm NASA's lunar-bound GRAIL twins were mated to their Delta II launch vehicle at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 17 on Aug. 18, 2011. The 15-mile (25-kilometer) trip from Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., is the last move for GRAIL before it begins its journey to the moon. NASA's dynamic duo will orbit the moon to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824133925.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824133711.htm A pioneering camera and spectrometer that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has completed cryogenic testing designed to mimic the harsh conditions it will experience in space. Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:37:37 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824133711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824133156.htm NASA has selected three proposals, including one from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., as Technology Demonstration Missions to transform space communications, deep space navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities. The projects will develop and fly a space solar sail, deep space atomic clock, and space-based optical communications system. Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824133156.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817122124.htm NASA's groundbreaking Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) will reach a key milestone in September when the International Space Station (ISS) robots transfer the module to its permanent home on space station's ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-4. Robotic operations for the technology demonstration are currently slated to begin soon afterwards. Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817122124.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812094921.htm A giant cosmic necklace glows brightly in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. The object, aptly named the Necklace Nebula, is a recently discovered planetary nebula, the glowing remains of an ordinary, Sun-like star. The nebula consists of a bright ring, measuring 12 trillion miles wide, dotted with dense, bright knots of gas that resemble diamonds in a necklace. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812094921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812094339.htm NASA's twin lunar probes -- GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B -- completed their final inspections and were weighed one final time at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., on Tuesday. The two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft will orbit the moon in formation to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. GRAIL's launch period opens Sept. 8, 2011, and extends through Oct. 19. For a Sept. 8 liftoff, the launch window opens at 5:37 a.m. PDT (8:37 a.m. EDT) and remains open through 6:16 a.m. PDT (9:16 a.m. EDT). Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:43:43 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812094339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812094035.htm If this were an inkblot test, you might see a bow tie or a butterfly depending on your personality. An astronomer would likely see the remains of a dying star scattered about space -- precisely what this is. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope captured this infrared view of what's called a planetary nebula, which is a cloud of material expelled by a burnt out star, called a white dwarf. This object is named the Dumbbell Nebula after its resemblance to the exercise equipment in visible-light views. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812094035.htm