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NASA Revived Decades-Dormant Thrusters to Keep Voyager 1 Going

NASA Revived Decades-Dormant Thrusters to Keep Voyager 1 Going

Launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, Voyager 1 stands as a monumental achievement in space exploration, designed to study the outer reaches of ou...

NASA's Voyager 1 Continues Epic Journey, Reaching Interstellar Space

NASA's Voyager 1 Continues Epic Journey, Reaching Interstellar Space

On September 5, 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 1 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, initiating an extensive mission to explore the outer solar system. Initially, Voyager 1 focused on flybys of Jupiter in March 1979 and Saturn in November 1980. Following its encounter with Saturn, the spacecraft altered its trajectory, heading out of the solar system. In 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human-made object to reach interstellar space, a significant milestone in space exploration. It continues to operate and collect data, though its power output has diminished over the decades, leading NASA teams to gradually shut down non-essential instruments to conserve energy. As of now, Voyager 1 is approximately 15.9 billion miles (171.6 astronomical units) from Earth and remains NASA's farthest-flung active mission. The spacecraft carries a golden record containing sights, sounds, and greetings from Earth, intended for any intelligent life it might encounter in approximately 40,000 years when it is projected to f...

NASA Funds 'Slingshot' Concept to Map Minerals on Celestial Bodies Across Solar System

NASA Funds 'Slingshot' Concept to Map Minerals on Celestial Bodies Across Solar System

NASA has provided funding for an early-stage project named 'Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys,' or 'Slingshot,' which aims to extend 'Landsat-style mineral intelligence' to other celestial bodies, including the Moon. This concept is a Phase 1 study for a future large-scale Discovery-class mission. The proposed spacecraft would travel between various worlds, such as the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and Mars' moon Phobos, to scan for minerals. The primary goal is to determine if Raman spectroscopy, a technique currently used for close-up mineral and water detection by missions like NASA's Perseverance on Mars, can be effectively employed from orbit or during a flyby. This method involves using reflected light from a laser to analyze the molecular structure and composition of minerals. The project seeks to overcome the significant challenge of distance, as Raman scattering is very faint and difficult to detect from far away. Current tests have achieved detection at approximately 120 meters, but this study ...

Signals From Voyager 1 Take More Than 23 Hours to Reach Earth

Signals From Voyager 1 Take More Than 23 Hours to Reach Earth

Voyager 1, launched in 1977, represents an extraordinary feat of human engineering and perseverance. As the farthest human-made object from Earth, ...

NASA Perseverance Rover Discovers Extensive Organic Carbon in Martian River Rocks, Strengthening Case for Past Life

NASA Perseverance Rover Discovers Extensive Organic Carbon in Martian River Rocks, Strengthening Case for Past Life

NASA's Perseverance rover has made one of the most extensive detections of complex organic carbon on Mars. These findings, published in Science Advances, reveal macromolecular carbon—large, tangled networks of carbon atoms—within mudstones in an ancient dried-up river channel in Jezero Crater. The carbon was found in two rocks from the Bright Angel formation in Neretva Vallis, a channel that once fed a lake. This marks the only known detection of macromolecular carbon on a natural rock surface on Mars. The SHERLOC instrument, utilizing an ultraviolet laser and fluorescence spectroscopy, identified complex carbon in both sedimentary minerals and later-forming carbonate and sulfate minerals. This suggests the carbon was incorporated into the rock at multiple stages: during initial sediment deposition and later through groundwater alteration. While the discovery is significant, it does not definitively confirm whether the molecules originated from biological or non-biological processes. This finding builds up...

NASA Funds SETI Institute Concept for Remote Mineral Mapping on Celestial Bodies

NASA Funds SETI Institute Concept for Remote Mineral Mapping on Celestial Bodies

NASA has provided initial funding for the Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys concept, a project led by SETI Institute research scientist Pablo Sobron. This Phase I study, part of NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, aims to assess the feasibility of remotely mapping minerals on celestial bodies such as the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and Mars’ moon Phobos. The concept proposes using a single remote-sensing instrument on a small spacecraft to visit multiple locations and scan their surfaces. The primary technology under investigation is Raman spectroscopy, a method already employed by NASA’s Perseverance mission for close-range mineral and water detection on Mars. The challenge for this new concept is to determine if Raman spectroscopy can be effectively used from orbital distances of 30-50 kilometers, significantly greater than previous remote tests which reached about 120 meters. The project has received up to $175,000 for nine months to study critical parameters, including photon detect...

Scientists Discover Enormous 10-Sided Wave Pattern Over Saturn's South Pole

Scientists Discover Enormous 10-Sided Wave Pattern Over Saturn's South Pole

Scientists have identified a massive 10-sided wave pattern, described as a decagon, swirling within the icy ammonia clouds above Saturn’s south pole. This discovery was made using the Hubble Space Telescope in 2023. The Spanish-led research team reported that this spinning, meandering decagon appears to be larger and more unstable than the well-known hexagonal cloud formation observed around Saturn’s north pole by NASA’s Voyager probes in the 1980s. Researchers suspect this atmospheric phenomenon developed between 2017 and 2023, a period when Saturn’s south pole was not visible from Earth. The decagon is still evolving, with one side already measuring over 10,000 miles (16,700 kilometers). The findings were published in the journal Science Advances, highlighting that while all planets with atmospheres exhibit wave-spawning disturbances, only Saturn produces them in polygonal shapes. Unlike the stationary hexagon, the decagon migrates eastward at approximately 6 mph (10 kph).

Rocket Lab's Private Venus Mission Delayed Due to Booster Qualification Issues

Rocket Lab's Private Venus Mission Delayed Due to Booster Qualification Issues

A privately-backed robotic mission to Venus, spearheaded by Rocket Lab in collaboration with a scientific group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has been delayed. The mission's primary objective is to deploy a small probe equipped with an autofluorescence nephelometer (AFN) to sample the Venusian atmosphere, specifically searching for organic molecules within its clouds. The AFN is designed to measure the size, shape, and composition of individual particles. The delay stems from issues related to getting a necessary booster flight-qualified, specifically Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket. This mission represents the first step in a broader program to explore Venus with private funding.

NASA Introduces New Opportunity for Habitable Worlds Observatory Precursor Science Investigations

NASA Introduces New Opportunity for Habitable Worlds Observatory Precursor Science Investigations

NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has released Amendment 68 to ROSES-2025, introducing a new opportunity for Habitable Worlds Observatory Precursor Science Investigations (HWO-PSI) under program element D.8. This initiative aims to advance the scientific foundation necessary to reduce risks for a potential future Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) mission. The HWO mission concept, recommended by the Astro2020 decadal survey, is envisioned as the first space mission specifically designed to search for life beyond our solar system, capable of transformative science across astrophysics and planetary science. Mandatory Notices of Intent for this program are due by September 10, 2026, with full proposals due by October 26, 2026. Proposals will undergo dual anonymous peer review. Additionally, Amendment 73 to ROSES-2025 includes a correction to Section 3.3.2 of D.9 Habitable Worlds Observatory Instrument Concept Assessments (HWO-ICA) concerning collaborators on category 2 proposals, with proposals for D.9...

Private Venus Mission Faces Delay Due to Rocket Readiness Issues

Private Venus Mission Faces Delay Due to Rocket Readiness Issues

A privately funded robotic mission to Venus, a collaborative effort between Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists and Rocket Lab, has been delayed. The mission, which aims to search for signs of life on Venus by deploying a probe to sample its atmosphere, is awaiting the readiness of Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket. The probe is designed to use an autofluorescence nephelometer (AFN) to measure particles in Venusian clouds, analyzing their size, shape, and composition for organic molecules. Rocket Lab has moved the project to the Neutron rocket, which was originally expected to debut in 2024 but has yet to make its maiden flight. The first flight of the Neutron rocket, planned from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 3 on Wallops Island, Virginia, is contingent on the successful completion of its qualification testing and acceptance program. Despite the launch delay, significant progress has been made on the mission's components, including the heat shield developed by NASA's Ames Research Center and th...

NASA's Mariner 2 Spacecraft Achieves First Deep Space Maneuver En Route to Venus

NASA's Mariner 2 Spacecraft Achieves First Deep Space Maneuver En Route to Venus

On September 4, 1962, NASA's Mariner 2 spacecraft successfully executed the first-ever rocket maneuver in deep space. This mid-course correction was crucial for adjusting its trajectory towards Venus, just eight days after its launch. The maneuver involved five distinct commands from mission control, instructing the spacecraft to roll, pitch, turn, and fire its engine. This precise adjustment was necessary because the Atlas-Agena rocket that launched Mariner 2 did not achieve the required accuracy for a direct course to Venus. Without this correction, Mariner 2 would have missed Venus by a significant margin, passing within 238,600 miles (384,000 kilometers) of the planet's center. The successful burn, which lasted approximately 36 minutes, set Mariner 2 on a path for a much closer flyby of 21,607 miles (34,773 km). One hundred days later, Mariner 2 became the first spacecraft to successfully fly by another planet.

49 Years Ago Today, Voyager 1 Began Its Historic Journey Into Deep Space

49 Years Ago Today, Voyager 1 Began Its Historic Journey Into Deep Space

Voyager 1, launched by NASA in 1977, is not just a space probe; it is a testament to enduring engineering and design. Built by the Jet Propulsion L...