Press Releases
Showing 1 to 24 of 10020.
Hubble Goes Hunting for Small Main Belt Asteroids
2024.04.18
Like boulders, rocks, and pebbles scattered across a landscape, asteroids come in a wide range of sizes. Cataloging asteroids in space is tricky because they are faint and they don’t stop to be photographed as they zip along their orbits around the Sun. Astronomers recently used a trove of archived images taken by NASA’s Hubble […]
NASA’s Near Space Network Enables PACE Climate Mission to ‘Phone Home’
2024.04.17
The PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission has delivered its first operational data back to researchers, a feat made possible in part by innovative, data-storing technology from NASA’s Near Space Network, which introduced two key enhancements for PACE and other upcoming science missions. As a satellite orbits in space, its systems generate critical data […]
Tech Today: Taking Earth’s Pulse with NASA Satellites
2024.04.17
Natural disasters like volcanic eruptions, floods, and tornados can dramatically change the surface of Earth to the point where alterations are visible in space. Changes driven by human actions and interventions, such as mining and deforestation, are also visible in satellite imagery. For over 50 years, NASA’s Landsat satellites have recorded our planet’s changing surface. […]
Spring Floods Sweep Across Central Asia
2024.04.17
Rivers overtopped their banks and submerged thousands of homes in Russia and Kazakhstan.
NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Operations
2024.04.17
NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) has returned to work after science observations were suspended on April 8, when the spacecraft entered into safe mode. All instruments are powered on and, following the successful download of previously collected science data stored in the mission’s recorder, are now making new science observation
NASA Invites Media for Climate Update, New Earth Missions
2024.04.17
n anticipation of Earth Day, NASA invites media to a briefing at the agency’s headquarters on Friday, April 19, at 11 a.m. EDT. The event will share updates on NASA’s climate science and early data from the agency’s ocean-watching PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission, as well as reveal upcoming Earth airborne missions.
Astronauts To Patch Up NASA’s NICER Telescope
2024.04.17
NASA is planning to repair NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, during a spacewalk later this year. It will be the fourth science observatory in orbit serviced by astronauts.
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope’s ‘Eyes’ Pass First Vision Test
2024.04.17
Engineers at L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, have combined all 10 mirrors for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Preliminary tests show the newly aligned optics, collectively called the IOA (Imaging Optics Assembly), will direct light into Roman’s science instruments extremely precisely. This will yield crisp images of space once the observatory launches. “This […]
NASA’s Fermi Mission Sees No Gamma Rays from Nearby Supernova
2024.04.16
A nearby supernova in 2023 offered astrophysicists an excellent opportunity to test ideas about how these types of explosions boost particles, called cosmic rays, to near light-speed. But surprisingly, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected none of the high-energy gamma-ray light those particles should produce. On May 18, 2023, a supernova erupted in the nearby […]
Kate A. McGinnis: Ready to “Go” with PACE Testing
2024.04.16
PACE Systems Engineer Kate A. McGinnis spent years planning the vibration, acoustic, and shock tests for the PACE spacecraft before saying “Systems is ‘go’” to start each test.
NASA’s Dragonfly Rotorcraft Mission to Saturn’s Moon Titan Confirmed
2024.04.16
NASA has confirmed its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn’s organic-rich moon Titan. The decision allows the mission to progress to completion of final design, followed by the construction and testing of the entire spacecraft and science instruments. “Dragonfly is a spectacular science mission with broad community interest, and we are excited to take the next […]
A “Surprisingly Average” Year for Sierra Snowpack
2024.04.12
The amount of snow in the California-Nevada mountain range was about average in April 2024—a rare occurrence.
Hubble Spots a Galaxy Hidden in a Dark Cloud
2024.04.12
The subject of this image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope is the spiral galaxy IC 4633, located 100 million light-years away from us in the constellation Apus. IC 4633 is a galaxy rich in star-forming activity and also hosts an active galactic nucleus at its core. From our point of view, the galaxy […]
The April 8 Total Solar Eclipse: Through the Eyes of NASA
2024.04.12
On April 8, 2024, the Moon’s shadow swept across North America, treating millions to a breathtaking view of a total solar eclipse. As the Moon passed in front of the Sun, it revealed the Sun’s wispy white outer atmosphere — the corona. Pictures of total solar eclipses are beautiful — they capture a moment happening […]
The Ocean Touches Everything: Celebrate Earth Day with NASA
2024.04.12
On Earth Day, Learn How NASA Investigates the Blue in Our Blue Planet This Earth Day, join us in person and online to learn how NASA studies the ocean from space. Explore the complex connections between sea, air, land, and climate through a mix of in-person and virtual activities, talks, and trivia. For nearly five […]
NASA’s TESS Temporarily Pauses Science Observations
2024.04.11
NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) entered into safe mode April 8, temporarily interrupting science observations. The team is investigating the root cause of the safe mode, which occurred during scheduled engineering activities. The satellite itself remains in good health.
NASA’s PACE Data on Ocean, Atmosphere, Climate Now Available
2024.04.11
NASA is now publicly distributing science-quality data from its newest Earth-observing satellite, providing first-of-their-kind measurements of ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate. The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite was launched on Feb. 8, and has been put through several weeks of in-orbit testing of the spacecraft and instruments to ensure […]
Total Solar Eclipse Darkens North America
2024.04.10
Satellites gathered striking views of the Moon’s shadow from above as observers on the ground were awed by the Sun’s corona.
Sometimes Getting the Perfect Picture Really Is Rocket Science
2024.04.10
NASA Engineer Cindy Fuentes Rosal waves goodbye to a Black Brant IX sounding rocket launching from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
NASA’s Lola Fatoyinbo Receives Royal Geographical Society Prize
2024.04.09
Dr. Lola Fatoyinbo, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, received the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Prize on April 8 in London. The prize, according to the RGS, recognizes “outstanding achievement by an individual in the pursuit and/or application of geographical research, with a particular emphasis on […]
NASA Wallops Launches 3 Rockets During Eclipse in Virginia
2024.04.09
Three Black Brant IX sounding rockets launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia April 8, 2024, during the solar eclipse.
Making Ultra-fast Electron Measurements in Multiple Directions to Reveal the Secrets of the Aurora
2024.04.09
To study the energetic electrons that drive the aurora borealis, NASA is using an innovative approach to develop instrumentation that will enhance our measurement capabilities by more than an order of magnitude—revealing a wealth of new information about the amazing physics happening within the aurora.
Hazy Skies in a Growing City
2024.04.08
Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand popular with tourists, faces seasonal spikes in air pollution.
Is the Wilkins Ice Shelf Weakening?
2024.04.06
Signs of structural weaknesses may signal a shift in this Antarctic ice shelf’s stability.
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