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NASA Shut Down a Voyager 2 Instrument to Preserve Its Remaining Power

NASA Shut Down a Voyager 2 Instrument to Preserve Its Remaining Power

After successfully visiting Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, the spacecraft entered its extended mission, focusing on the vast, uncharted terr...

On This Day: Voyager 2 Launched on Its Historic Journey in 1977

On This Day: Voyager 2 Launched on Its Historic Journey in 1977

Launched by NASA on August 20, 1977, Voyager 2 embarked on an ambitious journey that would redefine our understanding of the outer solar system. As...

High Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) System Poised to Revolutionize Space Exploration

High Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) System Poised to Revolutionize Space Exploration

NASA is advancing its High Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) project, a 64-bit multi-core system-on-chip (SoC) architecture designed to significantly enhance computing capabilities for future space missions. Developed in partnership with Microchip Technology, HPSC aims to deliver over a hundredfold improvement in performance per watt compared to current space-qualified systems. This new processor integrates cache-coherent multi-core processing, radiation-hardened engineering, fault-tolerant operations, and high-speed networking. It supports standard terrestrial computing technologies like virtualization, AI, and machine learning, enabling spacecraft to perform advanced onboard analysis and decision-making, crucial for deep-space missions where communication delays are substantial.

NASA's Pioneer Network Gave Scientists Multiple Views of Solar Activity

NASA's Pioneer Network Gave Scientists Multiple Views of Solar Activity

The Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9 space probes, part of NASA's broader Pioneer program, represented a significant leap in humanity's ability to understand...

What beats seeing eclipses from space? Try the northern and southern lights

What beats seeing eclipses from space? Try the northern and southern lights

Eclipses may be wondrous, but nothing beats seeing the northern and southern lights from space

ESCAPADE Mission to Search for Visible Martian Auroras with Advanced Cameras

ESCAPADE Mission to Search for Visible Martian Auroras with Advanced Cameras

The ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission, led by the University of California, Berkeley, is equipped with Visible and Infrared Observation System cameras to detect visible Martian auroras and analyze the thermal properties of Mars' surface and atmosphere. These cameras, provided by Northern Arizona University, recently captured images of Earth and the Moon from a distance of 363,250 miles and 115,600 miles, respectively. These images, taken on July 3, serve as a calibration check for the mission's instruments. The spacecraft are currently in a 'loiter' orbit around Lagrange point 2 and are scheduled to use Earth's gravity in November 2026 to slingshot towards Mars, arriving in September 2027. The mission aims to study the interaction between solar wind and the Martian environment, specifically how it contributes to atmospheric loss on the Red Planet. The ESCAPADE mission is funded by NASA’s Heliophysics Division and is part of the NASA Small Innovative Missions for Plane...

Before-and-after NASA images show crater carved by a SpaceX rocket that slammed into the moon

Before-and-after NASA images show crater carved by a SpaceX rocket that slammed into the moon

A NASA spacecraft circling the moon is providing the sharpest views yet of the crater carved by a crashing SpaceX rocket

Hubble and James Webb Telescopes Collaborate to Capture 'Black Eye Galaxy' in Composite Image

Hubble and James Webb Telescopes Collaborate to Capture 'Black Eye Galaxy' in Composite Image

The Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have combined their observations to create a new composite image of the 'Black Eye Galaxy,' also known as Messier 64. This spiral galaxy, located 17 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices, is notable for its distinctive appearance and unusual internal motion. Discovered in 1779, the Black Eye Galaxy is characterized by gas in its outer regions rotating in the opposite direction to the gas and stars closer to its center, creating a unique 'hypnotizing stare.' The composite image was created by integrating near and mid-infrared wavelength observations from JWST with ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared observations from Hubble, showcasing the complementary capabilities of these powerful space telescopes.

Four NASA Probes Gave Scientists a New View of the Sun's Magnetic Field

Four NASA Probes Gave Scientists a New View of the Sun's Magnetic Field

The Pioneer 6, 7, 8, and 9 space probes, launched by NASA as part of the broader Pioneer program, were specifically designed to unlock the mysterie...

Former NASA Interns and Fellows Ascend to Leadership Roles, Highlighting Impact of Early Career Programs

Former NASA Interns and Fellows Ascend to Leadership Roles, Highlighting Impact of Early Career Programs

Several individuals who participated in early career programs at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Caltech have advanced to significant leadership positions within NASA and the broader scientific community. Amit Kshatriya, who was a 1998 SURF intern at JPL, is now NASA’s associate administrator, chief engineer, and highest-ranking civil servant. Charles Elachi, a former student intern at JPL in 1970, directed the Laboratory from 2001 to 2016, overseeing major advancements in Mars exploration. Additionally, NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, a former postdoctoral fellow at Caltech, completed multiple JPL internships as a UCLA graduate student, contributing to asteroid research and Mars rover missions. These examples underscore the long-term impact of programs like Caltech's SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships) and JPL internships in shaping future leaders in space exploration and science.

NASA Extends Voyager 2 Mission Life Through Innovative Power Management

NASA Extends Voyager 2 Mission Life Through Innovative Power Management

NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have successfully implemented a power-saving strategy, nicknamed the 'Big Bang,' to extend the operational life of the Voyager 2 spacecraft. Launched nearly 50 years ago, Voyager 2 relies on radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which convert heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. As the plutonium decays, the available power steadily declines by about 4 watts annually. To counteract this, the team simultaneously shut down certain powered devices and replaced them with alternatives requiring less electricity, while ensuring the spacecraft remained warm enough to function. This intervention is expected to allow Voyager 2's three remaining science instruments to continue operating for at least one additional year, preventing the need to shut down another instrument before the end of 2026.

NASA JPL Scientists Observe Unusual Cryogenic Crystal Formation on Titan

NASA JPL Scientists Observe Unusual Cryogenic Crystal Formation on Titan

Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have recreated conditions found on Saturn's moon Titan, observing an unexpected phenomenon where polar hydrogen cyanide (HCN) forms stable crystals with nonpolar methane and ethane at extremely low temperatures, around minus 179°C. This discovery challenges the conventional chemistry rule that 'like dissolves like,' where polar and nonpolar substances typically do not mix. Researchers exposed HCN crystals to methane, ethane, and other small hydrocarbons. While no new compounds were formed, laser spectra indicated changes in the HCN crystal structure. Computational chemists at Chalmers University of Technology then identified stable arrangements where hydrocarbon molecules occupy the HCN lattice. This combined evidence, published in PNAS, supports a unique form of cryogenic mixing, demonstrating that strong polarity mismatches do not always prevent substances from sharing a solid structure under specific temperature and crystal packing conditions.