SPACE

From the Surface of Jupiter's Moon—Europa Reveals Icy Glass

SPACE The European Space Agency (ESA) has just published a striking picture of Europa, Jupiter's icy moon. In the image the surface looks like shattered glass; it reveals many interlocking cracks in the moon's icy crust which were formed by an ocean below the moon's surface. Now a team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) led by planetary scientist Kevin Hand has identified the cracks as sea salt.

Giant Asteroid to Pass Close to the Earth

An asteroid that is approximately one-mile wide will come very close to the Earth on May 14, according to NASA’s Near Earth Object watch. While an asteroid of this size would be cataclysmic if it hit the Earth, this one will pass safely by.

NASA Releases New Pictures of Ceres

NASA has released the most brilliant images of Ceres to date, truly showcasing the surface of the dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt. The new images could help scientists at NASA finally explain the unusually bright spots that have been puzzling researchers since the first images of the dwarf planet were sent back to Earth.

NASA Downplays EM Drive

Despite reports circling the Internet recently, NASA has not yet created a new fuel-free, faster than light propulsion system, the space agency said.

NASA Says Humans Will Land on Mars in 2030s

Assuming that NASA receives the funding necessary and makes the technological advances that are needed in space travel, the first humans could land on Phobos, one of the moon's of Mars, by 2033 and on the surface of the Red Planet by 2039, according NASA.

NASA Brings Traffic Control to Mars

Space may be vast and so large it is often beyond our true comprehension, but our neck of the woods is getting very crowded. Around Earth, there are thousands of satellites both active and inactive often requiring precise control to ensure there are no collisions. While Mars isn't exactly LAX, there are now five different active satellites orbiting it. To prevent any accidental and unfortunate collisions, NASA is now working on a new traffic management system for the Red Planet.

JPL Tech In Space And On Ground Helps Save Lives After Disaster

Technology from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) helped search-and-rescue teams find and save four men buried in rubble following the Nepal Earthquake. FINDER, a device no larger than a carry-on suitcase weighing less than 20 pounds, detected the heartbeats of the victims through 10 feet of wood, mud, and brick.

Andromeda's Halo and Its Gaseous Glow

Thanks to the latest from the NASA Hubble Space Telescope astronomers may now be poised to understand the origins of our galaxy more clearly. A team of scientists led by astrophysicist Nicolas Lehner of the University of Notre Dame used the Hubble to find a massive gas halo surrounding the Andromeda Galaxy, our closest neighbor.

For the Mom Who has Everything, How About a Martian Crater?

Forget the cards and flowers. If you want to be truly original this Mother's Day, the space-funding company Uwingu will let you purchase a name, in honor of dear old Mom, for one of the 600,000 craters on the Martian surface.

SpaceX Abort Test a Success

This week, SpaceX performed its pad abort test for its Dragon capsule at Cape Canaveral. While the test seemed to go off without a hitch, initially there was little word from the company about exactly how it went. Now, SpaceX has confirmed that while the test itself was a success, there is still plenty of room for improvement to prepare the capsule to fly astronauts too the International Space Station within two years.

NASA Wants Your Ideas for a Mars Colony

Mars is seen as the next frontier for humans. Ever since astronauts first walked on the Moon in 1969, scientists and space enthusiasts alike have dreamed of one day exploring the Red Planet. While we work on new rockets to get us to Mars, scientists are already hard at work thinking about how to build a sustainable colony on Mars. What do we need to survive? That’s the question NASA is asking the public in its latest competition.

Man's Next Endeavor In Space-Keeping Mankind Alive on Mars

As more news about Mars enters our scientific community each day, the importance of making survival on Mars a priority is thrown into sharp relief. No longer remote, science-fiction the goal of transforming Mars for ourselves with technology is at the core of our next endeavor in space.

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