NASA

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Mona Lisa Sent to Outer Space via Laser

Feat represents a major advancement in laser communication

(Newser) - Outer space just got a little more cultured. NASA scientists have successfully beamed an image of the Mona Lisa to its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter using a special laser signal, a feat that represents a major leap in laser communication technology, Space.com reports. "This is the first time anyone...

Latest Task for Drones: Study Earth's Ozone Layer

Global Hawk will survey the tropopause

(Newser) - Today's science vocab lesson: tropopause. It's the atmospheric boundary between the troposphere, where ozone exists as a harmful greenhouse gas, and the higher-up stratosphere, where the same gas plays an important role in protecting the Earth from the sun's UV rays. And that boundary region is about...

For Sale: Space Shuttle Launch Pad, Slightly Used

NASA selling off pieces of Kennedy Space Center

(Newser) - If you've been looking for a place to park your spaceship, then NASA has got a deal for you. With the space shuttle program on ice, Uncle Sam is hoping to sell or lease its Kennedy Space Center facilities, including its 15,000-foot landing strip, its launchpad, its rocket...

1K Arrested in China as &#39;Doomsday&#39; Approaches
1K Arrested in China as 
'Doomsday' Approaches
12/21 roundup
Dec 20, 2012 6:30 AM CST

1K Arrested in China as 'Doomsday' Approaches

NASA gets hundreds of worried calls daily

(Newser) - With just hours left before the apparent end of the world, people are making final preparations—while others are squashing rumors of our imminent demise like there's no tomorrow. In China, that means arresting hundreds more members of a cult that claims the so-called Mayan doomsday is the real...

NASA to Send 2 Probes Crashing Into Moon

Probes are out of fuel, and not expected to explode

(Newser) - NASA is set to crash a pair of washing machine-sized probes into the moon on Monday, after months spent examining and gathering data about the moon's surface, reports AFP . Though Ebb and Flow will hit the surface at a speedy 3,760mph, they'll be out of fuel when...

Earth at Night: Satellite Sends Awesome Images

NASA's Suomi craft captures composite images

(Newser) - NASA has released new composite images of the Earth at night, courtesy of a satellite launched last year, reports the BBC . The Suomi satellite's main goal is to gather meteorological data, and it's specially equipped to view the planet, complete with city lights, at night, notes AP .

NASA: We're Sending a New Rover to Mars

Modeled after Curiosity, it should launch in 2020

(Newser) - NASA is headed to Mars—again. The space agency said today it plans to launch another mega-rover to Mars in 2020 that will be modeled after the wildly popular Curiosity. To keep costs down, engineers will borrow Curiosity's blueprints, build from spare parts where possible, and use proven technology...

Rover's Mars Find: Carbon or Contamination?

Nothing definitive yet, scientists say

(Newser) - Don't get too excited about life on Mars just yet: Though NASA's Curiosity rover did find a simple carbon compound on the planet, the team has yet to determine whether the compound actually came from Mars or was transported there on Curiosity itself. And the scoop of soil...

NASA Taps Astronaut for Longest US Space Mission

Scott Kelly to spend a year in space

(Newser) - His twin brother may be the bigger household name , but that could change come 2015. Capt. Scott Kelly, who claims Mark Kelly and wife Gabby Giffords among his family members, is scheduled to blast off on a one-year mission to the International Space Station in the spring of that year....

Mars Scoop May Not Be So 'Earth-Shaking' After All

But it will be 'interesting,' spokesman promises

(Newser) - An NPR story about NASA's Mars mission generated lots of attention today because of a big tease from a lead scientist looking at soil samples taken by the Curiosity rover:
  • "This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good."
But NASA'...

Now We Know the Distance Between Stars

Measurement of cosmic 'fog' reveals it to be 4,150 light-years

(Newser) - Here's an astronomer's quote to try to wrap your head around, courtesy of PhysOrg : "The optical and ultraviolet light from stars continues to travel throughout the universe even after the stars cease to shine, and this creates a fossil radiation field we can explore using gamma rays...

Martian Soil Is a Lot Like ... Hawaii's?

Curiosity scans soil sample

(Newser) - Aloha, Mars! The Curiosity rover has scanned a sample of Martian soil, and the ground composition on the Red Planet isn't all that unlike Hawaii's, reports the BBC . It's not a huge surprise to NASA scientists, who theorized that the soil would be comprised of "materials...

Our Aging Weather Satellites Put Us at Risk

We almost went 'partly blind' just before Sandy hit: Jeffrey Kluger

(Newser) - With Hurricane Sandy upon us, it's time to take a hard look at our weather-predicting capabilities and the aging satellites that we depend on, writes Jeffrey Kluger in Time . Just last month—shortly before Sandy developed—one such satellite, dubbed GOES-East, began sending out a weak signal. NASA and...

Bezos Firm Tests Escape Pod for Rocket

Launch is another success for Blue Origin's space plans

(Newser) - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has hit another milestone in helping NASA develop safe and affordable private space travel . His Blue Origin company successfully tested the launch of a new crew-escape system, and Space.com has a video of the unmanned pod's gentle return to solid ground. It uses a...

NASA Want to Cure Your Car Sickness
NASA Want to Cure
Your Car Sickness
Oct 13, 2012 9:54 AM CDT

NASA Want to Cure Your Car Sickness

It's working on a nasal spray for motion sickness

(Newser) - Soon you'll be able to fight motion sickness just like an astronaut. NASA is teaming up with pharmaceutical company Epiomed Therapeutics to develop and market a nasal spray for queasy travelers, reports Scientific American . The spacy agency is something of an expert on the subject, and it's found...

Rover's Latest Find: Rock Type Not Seen Before on Mars

Although it's not that unusual on Earth

(Newser) - Curiosity has identified a type of rock that no rover had previously spotted on Mars. It has the same chemical composition as rocks relatively common on Earth, found in rift zones like Hawaii's volcanoes, Wired reports. They develop in high-pressure conditions, often near water, though it's unclear if...

Mars Rover Checks In on Foursquare

'Curiosity' hopes to be the planet's mayor soon

(Newser) - Well, now NASA's rover on Mars is just showing off. Curiosity checked in on Foursquare today from the red planet, reports TechCrunch . "One check-in closer to being Mayor of Mars," reads the post from Gale Crater . The rover already is offering tips (bring moisturizer and oxygen), and...

This Eclipse Is From Mars
 This Eclipse Is From Mars 
Sep 19, 2012 5:40 PM CDT

This Eclipse Is From Mars

Curiosity Rover keeps clicking away

(Newser) - NASA's Mars Rover has been busy snapping photos of partial eclipses of the sun. The phenomenon isn't all that unusual on the planet, explains AP , but because Curiosity just happened to be in the neighborhood, it couldn't resist. The images should help scientists get a better sense...

Curiosity Snaps Mars Solar Eclipse

Partial eclipse was brief, tiny

(Newser) - The latest celestial images from Curiosity, NASA's Mars rover, show a partial solar eclipse as Martian moon Phobos crosses the sun. The eclipse isn't quite as impressive as one on Earth would be, Space.com explains, because Phobos is just 14 miles across, so it only covers a...

American, Russians Land Safely in Soyuz

Trio back to earth after 123 days at space station

(Newser) - One American and two Russian astronauts landed safely back on terra firma early today when their Soyuz capsule hit the ground in Kazakhstan. The three, who spent 123 days at the International Space Station, "are safe and adjusting to gravity," tweeted NASA. "I feel great," said...

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