NASA

Read the latest NASA news today on Newser.com

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NASA's Surprise Find: This Asteroid's 'Dinky Sidekick'

Lucy spacecraft discovers 'mini moon' during flyby of Dinkinesh space hunk

(Newser) - The little asteroid visited by NASA's Lucy spacecraft this week had a big surprise for scientists. It turns out that the asteroid Dinkinesh has a dinky sidekick—a mini moon. The discovery was made during Wednesday's flyby of Dinkinesh, 300 million miles away in the main asteroid belt...

Pulled From Apollo 13, He Turned Sadness Into Heroism

Ken Mattingly, who assisted in rescuing his fellow astronauts, died Tuesday at 87

(Newser) - Seventy-two hours before liftoff, astronaut Ken "TK" Mattingly was pulled from Apollo 13. "There has never been anything in Shakespeare or any other publication that could throw a fit or feel sorry for yourself like I did," the astronaut, who'd been exposed to German measles, later...

OSIRIS-REx Is Jammed
OSIRIS-REx Is Jammed
Oct 24, 2023 8:17 AM CDT

OSIRIS-REx Is Jammed

NASA struggles to open container holding large sample from asteroid Bennu

(Newser) - OSIRIS-REx delivered the largest-ever asteroid sample to Earth, with a major catch. The container holding the sample from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu can't be opened. Teams at NASA's Johnson Space Center have been trying to open the round head at the end of OSIRIS-REx's articulated arm, called...

In a First, NASA Craft Heads to Metal Asteroid

Until now, exploration has been limited to surfaces of rock, ice, and gas

(Newser) - NASA's Psyche spacecraft rocketed away Friday on a six-year journey to a rare metal-covered asteroid. Most asteroids tend to be rocky or icy, and this is the first exploration of a metal world. Scientists say it may be the battered remains of an early planet's core and could...

Next Astronauts on the Moon Will Wear Prada

Fashion house is using America's Cup expertise to help design Artemis III spacesuits

(Newser) - The first people to walk on the moon in more than 50 years will be wearing Prada. The Italian fashion house has partnered with Axiom Space, which won the contract for the first full redesign of US spacesuits in decades, to design and produce spacesuits for the Artemis III mission...

After Their Ride Got Hit by Space Junk, 3 Are Finally Home

Astronaut Frank Rubio, 2 cosmonauts return after more than a year in space

(Newser) - A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after being stuck in space for just over a year. As the AP reports, American Frank Rubio set a record for the longest US spaceflight—a result of the extended stay. The trio landed in a remote area...

NASA Capsule Delivers First Asteroid Samples

Rubble was collected from Bennu in deep space

(Newser) - NASA's first asteroid samples fetched from deep space parachuted into the Utah desert Sunday morning to cap a seven-year, $1 billion journey. In a flyby of Earth, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft released the sample capsule from 63,000 miles out. The small capsule landed four hours later on a remote...

Chunk of Asteroid That Could Take Chunk Out of Earth Nears

OSIRIS-REx's sample from near-Earth asteroid Bennu to arrive in Utah on Sunday

(Newser) - There's a 1 in 2,700 chance that an asteroid known for its close flybys of Earth could smack into the planet in the next 160 years or so, which isn't very reassuring. NASA hopes, however, that the upcoming conclusion of a seven-year mission to retrieve samples from...

Probe Survives Massive Solar Eruption, Proves a Theory

Parker Solar Probe observes a coronal mass ejection clear dust 'like a vacuum cleaner'

(Newser) - A solar probe has survived flying through a huge solar eruption, or what NASA is calling "one of the most powerful coronal mass ejections (CMEs) ever recorded." The Parker Solar Probe , which has flown closer to the sun's surface than any other spacecraft, encountered and filmed the...

App to Log UFO Sightings Could Be Coming
NASA Has a
New UFO Honcho
Sep 15, 2023 11:52 AM CDT

NASA Has a New UFO Honcho

Panel recommends NASA boost data collection, get public involved in investigation of UAPs

(Newser) - NASA has appointed a new director to lead its investigation of UFOs, one that will now take a more science-based approach, according to the space agency. The appointment comes in response to recommendations laid out by a 16-member independent panel tasked with exploring how NASA could better investigate UFOs, also...

NASA Spots Grape Disease Early, From the Sky
NASA Spots Grape Disease
Early, From the Sky
New Study
Aug 13, 2023 2:20 PM CDT

NASA Spots Grape Disease Early, From the Sky

Innovation could be a huge benefit to vineyards

(Newser) - Up to 30% of global grape harvests fall prey to pathogens including bacteria, mold, and viruses each year. Now, the Sacramento Bee reports that there's hope on the horizon: Researchers using tech from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab detected early signs of a grape disease before it could...

NASA Loses Touch With Voyager 2 After Foul-Up

Instruction from Earth shifted antenna out of line

(Newser) - On July 21, NASA sent a series of commands to Voyager 2, which is 12.4 billion miles from Earth. One of them had the unplanned effect of moving the spacecraft's antenna 2 degrees, enough of a change in orientation to break off communication with Mission Control. For now,...

NASA Releases Stunning Image of Star Birth

Agency is celebrating a year of images from the James Webb Space Telescope

(Newser) - The Webb Space Telescope is marking one year of cosmic photographs with one of its best yet: the dramatic close-up of dozens of stars at the moment of birth. NASA unveiled the latest snapshot Wednesday, revealing 50 baby stars in a cloud complex 390 light-years away. A light-year is nearly...

NASA Seals Volunteers Into Mars Habitat for 378 Days

Project will help agency plan Mars mission

(Newser) - Four volunteers have entered a simulated Mars habitat at the Johnson Space Center in Houston—and barring unforeseen problems, they will remain there for 378 days. The volunteers are not trained astronauts, but their time in the 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot habitat is intended to simulate a real mission to Mars,...

NASA Holds Public Meeting on UFO Investigation

Scientists are becoming online targets as well, official says

(Newser) - In its first public meeting to gather information about UFOs, a NASA panel of experts said the search for answers is hampered by the stigma connected with reporting a sighting, which contributes to the lack of high-quality data available. The sightings are underreported, the experts suggested, despite high public interest...

NASA Finds Japan's Moon Lander—and Its Dent

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter snaps photos of impact site in Atlas crater

(Newser) - The Japanese spacecraft that crashed on the moon earlier this year left a scar that's reportedly at least 200 feet across. Scientists used NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to zoom in on the site where ispace's Hakuto-R lunar lander crash-landed in the Atlas crater after its rocket engines...

Bezos' Blue Origin Gets $3.4B NASA Contract to Build Moon Lander

2 years after losing out to SpaceX

(Newser) - Jeff Bezos' rocket company has won a NASA contract to land astronauts on the moon, two years after it lost out to SpaceX, the AP reports. Blue Origin received a $3.4 billion contract Friday to lead a team to develop a lunar lander named Blue Moon. It will be...

Mars Rover Finds Signs of a Robust Ancient River

A new discovery could lead to clues about planet's ability to support life

(Newser) - Images captured by NASA's Perseverance rover suggest the existence of a once-thriving and surprisingly potent Martian river—shedding light on the planet's intriguing geological past. A NASA press release reports that the rover's high-resolution photographs, made during its ongoing mission on Mars, provide compelling evidence of an...

NASA 'Trick' Boosts Voyager 2's Life by 3 Years

Space agency figured out a way to fiddle with the spacecraft's power

(Newser) - NASA has found a way to keep Voyager 2 fully operational until 2026 by adding a new power source, reports Business Insider . Forty-five years after the probe's launch, the move described as a "technical trick" by Space.com means V2 won't have to shut down one of...

Mars Rover's 'Pet Rock' Disappears After 439 Days

Perseverance had a traveling companion for more than half its mission

(Newser) - After being together for more than half of Perseverance's mission, the NASA Mars rover and its so-called "pet rock" have separated. A rock managed to lodge itself in the rover's front left wheel on Feb. 4, 2022, almost a year after Perseverance landed on the red planet...

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