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sci.space.news
Announcements of space-related news items. (Moderated)

  • MRO HiRISE Images - May 16, 2012
    MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER HIRISE IMAGES
    May 16, 2012

    o A Youthful Crater in the Cydonia Colles Region
    [link]

    Just what makes a Martian crater youthful, in a geologic sense?
    Very old craters tend to have eroded rims and can have plenty of
    material that's filled in the floor.

  • Solar Eclipse this Weekend
    [link]

    Solar Eclipse this Weekend
    NASA Science News

    May 15, 2012: Something strange is about to happen to the shadows
    beneath your feet.

    On Sunday, May 20th, the Moon will pass in front of the sun,
    transforming sunbeams across the Pacific side of Earth into fat

  • NASA's Deputy Administrator to Discuss Future of Commercial Spaceflight with Industry Representatives
    May 16, 2012

    Lauren Worley
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1288
    lauren.b.wor...@nasa.gov

    MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-085

    NASA'S DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT
    WITH INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES

    WASHINGTON -- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver will participate

  • NASA Survey Counts Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (WISE)
    [link]

    NASA Survey Counts Potentially Hazardous Asteroids
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 16, 2012

    PASADENA, Calif. -- Observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey
    Explorer (WISE) have led to the best assessment yet of our solar
    system's population of potentially hazardous asteroids. The results

  • NASA Lends GALEX to Caltech
    May 16, 2012

    J.D. Harrington
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-5241
    j.d.harring...@nasa.gov

    Lawren Markle
    California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.
    626-395-3226
    lmar...@caltech.edu

    RELEASE: 12-155

    NASA LENDS GALAXY EVOLUTION EXPLORER TO CALTECH

  • JPL Invites all Earthlings to Annual Open House
    [link]

    JPL Invites all Earthlings to Annual Open House
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 15, 2012

    PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.,
    invites the public to its annual Open House on Saturday, June 9, and
    Sunday, June 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event, themed "Great

  • Lightning Signature Could Help Reveal the Solar System's Origins
    [link]

    Lightning Signature Could Help Reveal the Solar System's Origins
    Karen C. Fox
    NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
    May 3, 2012

    Every second, lightning flashes some 50
    times on Earth. Together these discharges coalesce and get stronger,

  • Expedition 31 Trio Blasts Off for International Space Station
    May 14, 2012

    Joshua Buck
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1100
    jb...@nasa.gov

    Kelly Humphries
    Johnson Space Center, Houston
    281-483-5111
    kelly.o.humphr...@nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-156

    EXPEDITION 31 TRIO BLASTS OFF FOR INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

    HOUSTON -- NASA Flight Engineer Joseph Acaba, Russian Soyuz Commander

  • NASA Modifies Launch Service Contract To Add Falcon 9 Rocket
    May 14, 2012

    Joshua Buck
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1100
    jb...@nasa.gov

    George H. Diller
    Kennedy Space Center
    321-867-2468
    george.h.dil...@nasa.gov

    CONTRACT RELEASE: C12-019

    NASA MODIFIES LAUNCH SERVICE CONTRACT TO ADD FALCON 9 ROCKET

  • Mojave Desert Tests Prepare for NASA Mars Roving (MSL)
    [link]

    Mojave Desert Tests Prepare for NASA Mars Roving
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 11, 2012

    Team members of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission took
    a test rover to Dumont Dunes in California's Mojave Desert this week to
    improve knowledge of the best way to operate a similar rover, Curiosity,

  • NASA $1.5 Million Robot Competition Rolls Onto WPI Campus June 14-17
    May 11, 2012

    David E. Steitz
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1730
    david.ste...@nasa.gov

    Janet L. Anderson
    Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
    256-544-0034
    janet.l.ander...@nasa.gov

    Tom Bradley
    Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass.

  • Cassini Update - May 11, 2012
    Cassini Significant Events
    for 05/02/2012 - 05/08/2012

    The most recent spacecraft tracking and telemetry data were collected on May
    9 using the Deep Space Network's 70 meter Station 43 at Canberra, Australia.
    Aside from the issues in work with the Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) and the
    Ultrastable Oscillator (see the January 5, 2012 Significant Events), the

  • Updated Coverage for Nasa/SpaceX Launch and Mission to Station
    May 11, 2012

    Joshua Buck
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1100
    jb...@nasa.gov

    George H. Diller
    Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
    321-867-2468
    george.h.dil...@nasa.gov

    Josh Byerly
    Johnson Space Center, Houston
    281-483-5111
    josh.bye...@nasa.gov

    MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-084

    UPDATED COVERAGE FOR NASA/SPACEX LAUNCH AND MISSION TO STATION

  • Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: May 7-11, 2012
    MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES
    May 7-11, 2012

    o Olympus Mons (07 May 2012)
    [link]

    o Channels (08 May 2012)
    [link]

    o Cerberus Fossae Fractures (09 May 2012)
    [link]

    o Northern Plains (10 May 2012)
    [link]

  • NASA's New Carbon-Counting Instrument Leaves the Nest (OCO-2)
    [link]

    NASA's New Carbon-Counting Instrument Leaves the Nest
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 10, 2012

    PASADENA, Calif. - Its construction now complete, the science
    instrument that is the heart of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2)

  • Mars Rover Opportunity Update: May 01-08, 2012
    [link]

    OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity on the Road Again! - sols 2941-2947,
    May 01-08, 2012:

    After being stationary for 130 sols during the winter, Opportunity has
    resumed driving again.

    On Sol 2947 (May 8, 2012), the rover performed a 12-foot (3.7-meter)

  • NASA's Juno Spacecraft Images Big Dipper
    [link]

    NASA's Juno Spacecraft Images Big Dipper
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 10, 2012

    In England it is known as the "Plough," in Germany the "Great Cart," and
    in Malaysia the "Seven Ploughs." Since humanity first turned its eyes
    skyward, the seven northern hemisphere stars that compose the "Big

  • NASA Dawn Mission Reveals Secrets of Large Asteroid
    [link]

    NASA Dawn Mission Reveals Secrets of Large Asteroid
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 09, 2012

    PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's Dawn spacecraft has provided researchers with
    the first orbital analysis of the giant asteroid Vesta, yielding new

  • Opportunity Rolling Again After Fifth Mars Winter
    [link]

    Opportunity Rolling Again After Fifth Mars Winter
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 09, 2012

    PASADENA, Calif. -- With its daily supply of solar energy increasing,
    NASA's durable Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has driven off the
    sunward-tilted outcrop, called Greeley Haven, where it worked during its

  • MRO Detects Large Changes in Martian Sand Dunes
    May 9, 2012

    Dwayne Brown
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1726
    dwayne.c.br...@nasa.gov

    Geoff Brown
    Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
    240-228-5618
    geoffrey.br...@jhuapl.edu

    Guy Webster
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
    818-354-6278

  • New Horizons: Extending Our Horizons
    [link]

    The PI's Perspective
    Extending Our Horizons
    Alan Stern
    May 9, 2012

    New Horizons remains healthy and on course, now more than 23 times as
    far from the Sun as the Earth is. We will be 32.9 times as far from the
    Sun as the Earth is when we reach Pluto in three years, in the summer of

  • MESSENGER Gains Deputy Principal Investigator
    [link]

    MESSENGER Mission News
    May 8, 2012

    MESSENGER Gains Deputy Principal Investigator

    Vancouver, B.C. -- Larry Nittler, a staff scientist in the Department of
    Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, has
    been named deputy principal investigator of the MESSENGER mission.

  • Overfed Black Holes Shut Down Galactic Star-Making (Herschel)
    May 9, 2012

    J.D. Harrington
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-5241
    j.d.harring...@nasa.gov

    Whitney Clavin
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
    818-354-4673
    whitney.cla...@jpl.nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-151

    OVERFED BLACK HOLES SHUT DOWN GALACTIC STAR-MAKING

    WASHINGTON -- The Herschel Space Observatory has shown galaxies with

  • MRO HiRISE Images - May 9, 2012
    MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER HIRISE IMAGES
    May 9, 2012

    o Naar Crater
    [link]

    This impressive crater, that stretches well across the width
    of the HiRISE camera's footprint, is notable for its sharp rim
    and steep walls.

    o A Youthful Crater and Its Ejecta

  • ESA declares end of mission for Envisat (Forwarded)
    European Space Agency
    Paris, France

    Press Release No. 15-2012 9 May 2012

    ESA declares end of mission for Envisat

    Just weeks after celebrating its tenth year in orbit, communication with the
    Envisat satellite was suddenly lost on 8 April. Following rigorous attempts
    to re-establish contact and the investigation of failure scenarios, the end

  • NASA's Spitzer Sees the Light of Alien 'Super Earth'
    May 8, 2012

    J.D. Harrington
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-5241
    j.d.harring...@nasa.gov

    Whitney Clavin
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
    818-354-4673
    whitney.cla...@jpl.nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-138

    NASA'S SPITZER SEES THE LIGHT OF ALIEN "SUPER EARTH"

    WASHINGTON -- NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected light

  • Signs of Ancient Flowing Water on Mars (Mars Express)
    [link]

    Signs of ancient flowing water on Mars
    European Space Agency
    4 May 2012

    ESA's Mars Express has returned images of a region on the Red Planet
    that appears to have been sculpted in part by flowing liquid. This again
    adds to the growing evidence that Mars had large volumes of water on its

  • NASA Commercial Partner Spacex Completes Crew Accommodations Milestone
    May 8, 2012

    Michael Braukus
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1979
    michael.j.brau...@nasa.gov

    Candrea Thomas
    Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
    321-867-2468
    candrea.k.tho...@nasa.gov

    Kirstin Brost Grantham
    SpaceX
    202-649-2716
    me...@spacex.com

    RELEASE: 12-150

    NASA COMMERCIAL PARTNER SPACEX COMPLETES CREW ACCOMMODATIONS MILESTONE

  • Next Soyuz Space Station Crew Prepares For Launch
    May 8, 2012

    Joshua Buck
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1100
    jb...@nasa.gov

    Kelly Humphries
    Johnson Space Center, Houston
    281-483-5111
    kelly.o.humphr...@nasa.gov

    MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-083

    NEXT SOYUZ SPACE STATION CREW PREPARES FOR LAUNCH

    HOUSTON -- The next residents of the International Space Station are

  • NASA to Hold News Conference on Asteroid Mission Results (Dawn)
    May 7, 2012

    Dwayne Brown
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1726
    dwayne.c.br...@nasa.gov

    Jia-Rui Cook
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
    818-354-0850
    jcc...@jpl.nasa.gov

    MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-082

    NASA TO HOLD NEWS CONFERENCE ON ASTEROID MISSION RESULTS

    WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a news conference on Thursday, May 10, at

  • NASA Issues Statement on New SpaceX Launch Date
    May 4, 2012

    Michael Braukus
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1979
    michael.j.brau...@nasa.gov

    Josh Byerly
    Johnson Space Center, Houston
    281-483-5111
    josh.bye...@nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-149

    NASA ISSUES STATEMENT ON NEW SPACEX LAUNCH DATE

    WASHINGTON -- In response to today's SpaceX announcement finalizing a

  • Dancing Droplets Rock Out On Space Station
    May 04, 2012

    Joshua Buck
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1100
    jb...@nasa.gov

    Rachel Kraft
    Johnson Space Center, Houston
    281-483-5111
    rachel.h.kr...@nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-148

    DANCING DROPLETS ROCK OUT ON SPACE STATION

    HOUSTON -- Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Don Pettit of NASA has taught

  • NASA Announces 2012 Summer Of Innovation Project
    May 04, 2012

    Ann Marie Trotta
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1601
    ann.marie.tro...@nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-146

    NASA ANNOUNCES 2012 SUMMER OF INNOVATION PROJECT

    WASHINGTON -- NASA's third annual Summer of Innovation (SOI) project
    is underway. The project is providing hands-on learning opportunities

  • Mars Rover Opportunity Update: April 26, 2012 - May 01, 2012
    [link]

    OPPORTUNITY UPDATE: Opportunity Getting Ready to Leave Her Winter Perch -
    sols 2927-2934, April 26, 2012 - May 01, 2012:

    Opportunity is still positioned on the north end of Cape York on the rim of
    Endeavour Crater with an approximate 15-degree northerly tilt, but not for

  • Mars Odyssey THEMIS Images: April 30 - May 4, 2012
    MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES
    April 30 - May 4, 2012

    o Channels (30 April 2012)
    [link]

    o Arsia Mons Flows (01 May 2012)
    [link]

    o Puzzle Pieces (02 May 2012)
    [link]

    o Aeolis Planum (03 May 2012)
    [link]

  • Paydirt at 8-Year-Old Mars Rover's 'New Landing Site'
    [link]

    Paydirt at 8-Year-Old Mars Rover's 'New Landing Site'
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 03, 2012

    A report in the May 4 edition of the journal Science details
    discoveries Opportunity made in its first four months at the rim of Endeavour

  • NASA's Commercial Crew Partner Boeing Completes Parachute Test
    May 3, 2012

    Michael Braukus
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1979
    michael.j.brau...@nasa.gov

    Candrea Thomas
    Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
    321-867-2468
    candrea.k.tho...@nasa.gov

    Susan Wells
    The Boeing Company
    321-264-8580
    susan.h.we...@boeing.com

    RELEASE: 12-147

  • Dawn Journal - April 30, 2012
    [link]

    Dawn Journal
    Dr. Marc Rayman
    April 30, 2012

    Dear Dawnright Spectacular Readers,

    Dawn is wrapping up a spectacularly rewarding phase of its mission of
    exploration. Since descending to its low-altitude mapping orbit (LAMO)
    in December, the stalwart probe has circled Vesta

  • Cassini Update - May 3, 2012
    Cassini Significant Events
    for 04/25/2012 - 05/01/2012

    The most recent spacecraft tracking and telemetry data were collected on May
    2 using the Deep Space Network's 34 meter high-efficiency Station 34 at
    Canberra, Australia. Aside from the issue in work with the Ultrastable
    Oscillator (see the January 5, 2012 Significant Events), the Cassini

  • MESSENGER's Cameras Capture 100,000th Image from Mercury Orbit
    [link]

    MESSENGER Mission News
    May 3, 2012
    [link]

    MESSENGER's Cameras Capture 100,000th Image from Mercury Orbit

    This week, MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System delivered the
    100,000th image of Mercury since the spacecraft entered into orbit

  • MRO HiRISE Images - May 2, 2012
    MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER HIRISE IMAGES
    May 2, 2012

    o Three Dust Devils
    [link]

    There are also bright lines present, representing the tracks of
    dust devils that have already passed through this region.

    o Colorful Uplifted Rocks
    [link]

  • Cassini, Saturn Moon Photographer
    [link]

    Cassini, Saturn Moon Photographer
    Jet Propulsion Laboratory
    May 02, 2012

    NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully flew by Saturn's moons Enceladus
    and Dione during close flybys on May 2, 2012, capturing these raw
    images. The flybys were the last close encounters of these icy moons

  • Black Hole Caught Red-Handed in a Stellar Homicide
    May 2, 2012

    J.D. Harrington
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-0321
    j.d.harring...@nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-144

    BLACK HOLE CAUGHT RED-HANDED IN A STELLAR HOMICIDE

    WASHINGTON -- Astronomers have gathered the most direct evidence yet
    of a supermassive black hole shredding a star that wandered too

  • Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is Europe's Next Large Science Mission
    [link]

    JUICE is Europe's next large science mission
    European Space Agency
    2 May 2012

    PR 13 2012 - Jupiter's icy moons are the focus of Europe's next large
    science mission, ESA announced today.

    The Jupiter Icy moons Explorer - JUICE - was selected over two other

  • NASA.gov Wins Two 2012 Webby Awards
    May 1, 2012

    Brian Dunbar
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-0873
    brian.dun...@nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-145

    NASA.GOV WINS TWO 2012 WEBBY AWARDS

    WASHINGTON -- NASA's website, [link], has won awards in two
    categories as the best government site in the 16th Annual Webby
    Awards, the leading international honor for the world's best

  • Lecture: Exploring Protoplanets Through the Dawn Mission
    [link]

    FREE PUBLIC LECTURE co-sponsored by The Planetary Society

    Exploring Protoplanets Through the Dawn Mission
    Dr. Carol Raymond, JPL/Caltech

    8:00 pm - Wednesday, May 2, 2012
    Hameetman Auditorium, Cahill Building
    California Institute of Technology

  • NASA Explorer Schools Symposium Showcases Student Research
    May 1, 2012

    Ann Marie Trotta
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1601
    ann.marie.tro...@nasa.gov

    Rachel Kraft
    Johnson Space Center, Houston
    281-792-7690
    rachel.h.kr...@nasa.gov

    RELEASE: 12-143

    NASA EXPLORER SCHOOLS SYMPOSIUM SHOWCASES STUDENT RESEARCH

    WASHINGTON -- Students from across the nation will gather at NASA's

  • NASA'S Chandra Sees Remarkable Outburst from Old Black Hole
    April 30, 2012

    J.D. Harrington
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-0321
    j.d.harring...@nasa.gov

    Megan Watzke
    Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass.
    617-496-7998
    mwat...@cfa.harvard.edu

    RELEASE: 12-139

    NASA'S CHANDRA SEES REMARKABLE OUTBURST FROM OLD BLACK HOLE

    WASHINGTON -- An extraordinary outburst produced by a black hole in a

  • NASA TV to Air 2012 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction May 5
    April 30, 2012

    Joshua Buck
    Headquarters, Washington
    202-358-1100
    jb...@nasa.gov

    Allard Beutel
    Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
    321-867-2468
    allard.beu...@nasa.gov

    Andrea Farmer
    Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Fla.
    321-449-4318
    afar...@dncinc.com

    MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-079

  • Cassini: Enceladus Flyby on May 2, 2012
    [link]

    Cassini
    Enceladus Flyby - May 2, 2012
    May. 02, 2012

    Enceladus 'E-19' Flyby: Completing the Trilogy

    E-19 is the third of three fly-bys (along with E-9 and E-12 designed
    to understand the internal structure of Enceladus, particularly the