Space

Why Life Is Left-Handed: Amino Acids From Space, Says Astrobiologist

NASA scientists analyzing the dust of meteorites say they have discovered new clues to a long-standing mystery about how life works on its most basic, molecular level. Over the last four years, the team carefully analyzed samples of meteorites with an abun ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 17 2009 - 9:15pm

NASA March Madness begins

Alert! Voting starts today with NASA's goofy but fun Launch Madness brackets, mimicking sports' March Madness. A bit ironic given I'd just written on how voting does not make science. That said, choose your favorite missions and see how your ...

Blog Post - Alex "Sandy" Antunes - Mar 24 2009 - 10:14am

One Potato, Two Potato Orbiting Mars

Phobos and Deimos are just two of many moons of the solar system. Meet Deimos in color as viewed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on 21 February 2009. And here is Phobos image taken by the same spacecraft on 23 March 2008. ...

Blog Post - Hatice Cullingford - Mar 19 2009 - 1:12pm

SN1993J- Supernovae Get A New Origin Hypothesis

Where do supernovae come from? It depends on who you ask.   Astronomers know they were exploding stars but there was always more to the story.  Researchers from the Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen and from Queens ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 19 2009 - 1:57pm

Finding Another Earth- Needle In A Universe-Sized Haystack

Does a twin Earth exist somewhere in our galaxy?   NASA's Kepler spacecraft just launched to find such worlds, though in a very specific area.   If that search succeeds, the next questions driving research will be: Is that planet habitable? Does it ha ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 22 2009 - 10:56am

Balloons Versus Rovers: SPB Vs MER In Launch Madness

A shock hit NASA's Mission Madness tournament when the fight between the SPB balloon mission and the MER rovers "Spirit" and "Opportunity" escalated to unexpected levels. And now you can find out just how this happened. 'Missi ...

Article - Alex "Sandy" Antunes - Mar 24 2009 - 8:12am

Sleuthing The Outer Crusts Of Neutron Stars

Research by Michigan State University scientists is helping shed light on neutron stars, city-sized globs of ultra-dense matter that occasionally collapse into black holes. A team led by Betty Tsang, a professor at MSU’s National Superconducting Cyclotron ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 25 2009 - 3:00am

Can space be smelly? (Or: Moms with sons rejoice)

It was bound to happen- stink-free underwear. And naturally, it was developed by women. Textile experts at Japan Women's University in Tokyo developed J-ware, a a line of odor-free underwear and casual clothing. The first Japanese astronaut to live on ...

Blog Post - Becky Jungbauer - Mar 25 2009 - 9:05am

Serendipitous Jupiter

I'm putting the finishing touches to a GUI when the red light starts flashing. The voice comes over the PA from ops, "Warning, Jupiter hoving to view". We quickly drop our work and run across the metal crosswalk that separates us from the ST ...

Article - Alex "Sandy" Antunes - Mar 27 2009 - 5:13am

Trash Talk for Mission Madness Quarterfinals

Mission Madness got personal. Perhaps it was the SPB ballooning of votes, perhaps it is simply inherent in any popularity contest like this. With only three rounds let to go (vote early, vote often!), the epithets are flying. Match the quote below with its ...

Blog Post - Alex "Sandy" Antunes - Mar 31 2009 - 8:57am