Tags: Space

NASA Says Tropical Rainforests May Hold a Key To the Climate Change Issue

SPACE While tropical rainforests may be vanishing, a new study led by NASA researchers reveals yet another reason why trees in the tropical rainforest may in fact be man’s best friend. With greenhouse gas emissions on a constant rise since the dawning of the industrial revolution and the subsequent population growth that followed, researchers in recent years have tried to estimate exactly how much carbon dioxide is actually absorbed by plants to better assess a serious global issue. And in a new NASA-led study, researchers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory were able to combine three different divisions of science to reveal that tropical rainforests may be absorbing far more CO2 than many researchers previously thought, in response to rising atmospheric levels of the greenhouse gas.

SpaceX’s Tuesday Mission May Change Space Exploration, And Our Taxes Forever

Knowing the waste associated with space exploration, the millions of dollars invested in early flight stages merely shelled off into space, private-sector rocket company SpaceX has decided to rework how the space exploration game is played. Developing reusable pieces, that if brought back with a spacecraft could be used on yet another mission, the company not only intends to change their role in the rocket industry, but the way our tax dollars are spent as well.

Quadrantid Meteor Shower Set to Put on a Show This Weekend

Turn your gazes to the sky overnight to catch a glimpse of the Quandrantid meteor shower. The annual meteor shower radiating from the constellation Boötes, may be difficult for some to see due to a very bright moon or cloud cover this year.

NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft Makes Approach to Ceres

NASA's Dawn Spacecraft, launched in 2007, is beginning to make its approach to Ceres, a dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt. Dawn's mission will make it the first craft to orbit two bodies in the solar system after spending 14 months studying the protoplanet Vesta.

How Many Times Did the International Space Station Crew Ring in the New Year? Can You Guess?

While their families and colleagues must undoubtedly think about them 24 hours a day, it seems that most residents of Earth never find themselves pondering what life must be like for the elite six astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) just outside our atmosphere. Orbiting the Earth in a giant space-bound laboratory, life can get pretty interesting. And something even as innocuous as the ball drop of a new year can turn into something entirely note-worthy.

SpaceX’s Reusable Rocket Could Turn the Tide of Space Missions in 2015

Ever wonder why they call space the “final frontier”? Well it isn’t because it’s the last place for us to explore or expand. As it so happens, space is often thought of as the final frontier because most of what leaves our Earth in search of exploration never comes back. In fact, it’s the reason why Mars One’s newest plans for colonization on Mars is only planning one-way trips. But what if we could reuse rockets and reclaim the several-million-dollar investments that our space agencies, and our tax dollars, invest each and every year? Perhaps we’d be able to go in search of far more things. And that’s what private-sector rocket company SpaceX hopes to achieve.

Looking Back on 2014: NASA Marks the Top Discoveries of the Year

In terms of discoveries and technological advancements, 2014 marked an important year for NASA. In fact the US space agency made huge strides towards its goal of sending astronauts to Mars. And these achievements were reached through a combination of front-line testing and scientific findings, while at the same time examining our own planet and the vast universe around it.

Coffin Discovery on Mars? Why Mars Rovers' Diminishing Memory May Be A Problem for NASA

It seems Mars enthusiasts have had some extra time over the holidays to painstakingly exam every image taken by NASA's Curiosity Rover. And what they found is causing quite a stir, and a bit of concern over the Rover's spotty memory as of late. The latest discovery by these enthusiasts looks suspiciously like a coffin resting on Mars surface.

What Lay in Seas of Venus? Researchers Say They May Have Found the Cloudlike Answer

As NASA contemplates sending man to Venus, to live in a floating civilization above the hostile burning surface, new research reveals that while current surface temperatures soar above a bone-ashing 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures may have once supported some sort of liquid on the surface—but you won’t be able to guess what it is.

Must See: 5 Months in Space Compressed into 6 Minutes

The European Space Agency compiled the five months' worth of pictures down to a 6 minute video that, while depicting space in the most accurate way, feels like science fiction to watch. The video shows natural phenomena such as auroras, lightening and other intense weather patterns like us earth-dwellers have never seen before. It even shows the most breathtaking views of lit-up cities, deep blue oceans, stars and clouds.

Orion’s Return: What Re-entry Means for the Industry of Spaceflight

On December 5, 2014 after a one-day weather delay, NASA launched Orion from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. While this test flight was unmanned, Orion is built to hold a crew of 2- 6 individuals. It’s no secret that NASA plans to send humans to an asteroid and to Mars using Orion.

NuSTAR Telescope Helps NASA Find Nanoflares on the Sun

With a new day in science comes a new study of the sun. No, we’re not talking about a new telescope or a new division under the international space agencies, but rather a reallocation of a science used in other parts of space. Turning their sights from far off black holes, with a closer subject in mind, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is repositioning their NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) towards our very own local star to produce the most sensitive measurements of high-energy solar x-rays to date.

Discovery Sparks Interest—NASA’s Mission to Mars Gets Its Own New Show

Often in the media, it’s what’s new and fresh that brings in the ratings. But what about looking for something potentially millions of years old? What if it wasn’t on this planet even? Peak your interest yet? Well, if so, you may just be in luck, because after decades of researching and scoping out the fourth planet from our sun, Mars, NASA has announced today that it has collaborated with the Discovery Channel to show a never-before-seen view of the Red Planet. And it airs tonight, Dec. 18!

Curiosity Rover Gets Its Own Special—Discovery Channel Tonight

Earlier this week, NASA announced that its Mars Curiosity Rover may have found some essential building blocks of life, and now they’re saying that viewers on Earth will have a chance to watch the discovery process for themselves. Premiering tonight, Dec. 18, the Discovery Channel will chronicle the Curiosity Rover’s long trek across the Red Planet fourth from our sun, giving viewers here on Earth a never-before-seen perspective from the surface of Mars.

Organics on Mars—Could Life Be Sustained on Red Planet?

While there are many requisite features for a planet to be host to forms of life, even as simple as archaea species, the most important known feature is the existence of organic molecules from which they can be created. And though there are still many questions left unanswered about our red neighbor on the galactic block, Mars, researchers from NASA say that the Curiosity Rover Mission has successfully identified methane and other organics which may give their teams a better insight into the possible watery past of our solar system’s famed “Red Planet”.

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