Archive for July, 2007

Piranha Black Holes

Deep in the heart of the Milky Way galaxy lurks an extraordinary black hole. Astronomers call it “supermassive.” It has been feeding on the core of our galaxy so long, the hole has accumulated more than a million Suns of mass inside its pinprick belly.

How do we know …

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Robots Practice Moon Survey

Two NASA robots are surveying a rocky, isolated polar desert within a crater in the Arctic Circle. The study will help scientists learn how robots could evaluate potential outposts on the moon or Mars.

The robots, K10 Black and K10 Red, carry 3-D laser scanners and ground-penetrating radar. The team …

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Mars Rovers Braving Sever Dust Storms

Having explored Mars for three-and-a-half years in what were missions originally designed for three months, NASA’s Mars rovers are facing perhaps their biggest challenge.

For nearly a month, a series of severe Martian summer dust storms has affected the rover Opportunity and, to a lesser extent, its companion, Spirit. The …

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New View of Venus

NASA’s Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft, known as Messenger, and the European Space Agency’s Venus Express recently provided the most detailed multi-point images of the Venusian atmosphere ever seen.

The images result from a June 5 flyby of Venus by Messenger during its long journey to Mercury. …

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NASA Announces New Spacecraft Assignments

Two NASA spacecraft now have new assignments after successfully completing their missions. The duo will make new observations of comets and characterize extrasolar planets. Stardust and Deep Impact will use their flight-proven hardware to perform new, previously unplanned, investigations.

“These mission extensions are as exciting as it gets. They will …

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