Press Releases & Feature Stories Archive - Planetary Geodynamics Lab

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Begins Asteroid Operations Campaign

08.24.2018

OSIRIS-REx, caught its first glimpse of asteroid Bennu last week and began the final approach toward its target.

NASA Goddard’s Science Jamboree Connects Disciplines and Interns

07.26.2018

The Goddard Science Jamboree provides an opportunity for interns and senior scientists alike to learn more about the science happening in other disciplines in one room.

Successful Second Deep Space Maneuver for OSIRIS-REx Confirmed

07.03.2018

New tracking data confirms that NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully completed its second Deep Space Maneuver (DSM-2) on June 28. DSM-2 was OSIRIS-REx’s last deep space maneuver of its outbound cruise to the asteroid Bennu, with arrival scheduled for Dec. 3.

OSIRIS-REx Executes Second Deep Space Maneuver

06.28.2018

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft executed its second Deep Space Maneuver today, which put the spacecraft on course for its scheduled arrival at the asteroid Bennu in December. The mission team will continue to examine telemetry and tracking data as they become available and will have more information on the results of the maneuver over the next week.

2020 Decadal Survey Missions: At a Glance

04.24.2018

Any telescope that reaches the launch pad in the 2030s likely will look much different than the concepts four teams are currently studying to inform the 2020 Decadal Survey for Astrophysics, but the studies do offer a roadmap.

NASA Teams Study the Agency’s Future in Astrophysics; Tackle Formidable Technology Challenges

04.24.2018

As in past decades, the agency won’t make that decision in a vacuum or without understanding the technical obstacles, which are formidable.

New Exoplanet Collaboration Hosts Meeting to Explore Molecular Seeds of Life

04.09.2018

The Sellers Exoplanet Environments Collaboration (SEEC) hosts its first annual symposium April 9-13. Researchers will discuss how our knowledge of the early solar system can help the hunt for life on other worlds.

Tour of the Moon 4K Redux

04.09.2018

An update to the LRO mission's Tour of the Moon animation. The tour visits a number of interesting sites chosen to illustrate a variety of lunar terrain features.

NASA Scientist Collects Bits of the Solar System from an Antarctic Glacier

04.05.2018

Although meteorites fall all over the world, special places in Antarctica concentrate them, making them easier to find. Of course, it’s a challenge to get yourself to an Antarctic glacier.

Jacob Bleacher, Research Geologist, Camps on Volcanoes to Train Astronauts

04.03.2018

Jacob Bleacher camps on volcanoes to train astronauts.

On Second Thought, the Moon's Water May Be Widespread and Immobile

02.23.2018

A new analysis of data from two lunar missions finds evidence that the Moon's water is widely distributed across the surface and is not confined to a particular region or type of terrain.

Celebrating 60 Years of Groundbreaking U.S. Space Science

01.31.2018

Sixty years ago, the U.S. launched Explorer 1, rocketing into the Space Age.

What Scientists Can Learn About the Moon During the Jan. 31 Eclipse

01.23.2018

The lunar eclipse on the night of Jan. 31 will give a team of scientists a special opportunity to study the Moon using the astronomer's equivalent of a heat-sensing, or thermal, camera.

Explorer 1: The Beginning of American Space Science

01.23.2018

Sixty years ago, the hopes of Cold War America soared into the night sky as a rocket lofted skyward above Cape Canaveral, a soon-to-be-famous barrier island off the Florida coast.

NASA Team Studies Middle-aged Sun by Tracking Motion of Mercury

01.18.2018

As the Sun ages and loses mass, the orbits of the planets are expanding. NASA and MIT scientists indirectly measured this mass loss and other solar parameters by looking at changes in Mercury’s orbit.

NASA Goddard-managed Mission Selected for Development Under New Frontiers

12.21.2017

Goddard would manage one of the two missions chosen as finalists for concept development under the New Frontiers program and contribute instrumentation to the other.

NASA Goddard Year in Review - 2017

12.20.2017

A look back at 2017 at NASA Goddard.

Exploring a Crater

12.11.2017

To gear up for future exploration, the Goddard Instrument Field Team tested hand-held instruments at Kilbourne Hole, simulating moonwalks and getting a visit from Apollo 17 astronaut Jack Schmitt.

NASA Selects Participating Scientists for Mission to Asteroid Bennu

12.07.2017

NASA has selected 13 participating scientists for the agency’s first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx.

An Orbital Dance May Help Preserve Oceans on Icy Worlds

11.30.2017

Heat generated by the gravitational pull of moons formed from massive collisions could extend the lifetimes of liquid water oceans beneath the surface of large icy worlds in our outer solar system, according to new NASA research.

NASA Team Studies CubeSat Mission to Measure Water on the Moon

11.09.2017

The six-unit MiLUV would detect water on the lunar surface using a laser spectrometer that traces its heritage to similar Goddard-developed lidar-type instruments built to map the topographies of Mars and the Moon.

NASA Goddard Scientists, Engineers Increase Efficiency in Human Spaceflight Mission Development

10.12.2017

To increase efficiency and make these missions more cost-effective, NASA tasks offices at the agency’s science and research centers across the country to identify and adapt existing technology for future long-duration deep space exploration, including to Mars.