PASADENA, Calif. – NASA’s new Aquarius instrument has produced its first global map of the salinity of the ocean surface, providing an early glimpse of the mission’s anticipated discoveries. Aquarius, which is aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D (Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas) observatory, is making NASA’s first space observations of ocean surface salinity… Read more“The first global map of the salinity, or saltiness, of Earth’s ocean surface produced by NASA’s new Aquarius instrument reveals a rich tapestry of global salinity patterns, demonstrating Aquarius’ ability to resolve large-scale salinity distribution features clearly and with sharp contrast. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL-Caltech Aquarius Yields NASA’s First Global Map of Ocean Salinity”
Month: September 2011
NASA’s UARS Re-enters Earth’s Atmosphere
NASA’s decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. Sept. 24, 20 years and nine days after its launch on a 14-year mission that produced some of the first long-term records of chemicals in the atmosphere. The precise… Read more“NASA’s UARS Re-enters Earth’s Atmosphere”
NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars
The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA’s Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet — a planet orbiting two stars — 200 light-years from Earth. Unlike… Read more“NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars”
Origin of Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Remains a Mystery
PASADENA, Calif. — Observations from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission indicate the family of asteroids some believed was responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs is not likely the culprit, keeping open the case on one of Earth’s greatest mysteries. While scientists are confident a large asteroid crashed… Read more“Origin of Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Remains a Mystery”
NASA’s Chandra Finds Nearest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes
Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered the first pair of supermassive black holes in a spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way. Approximately 160 million light years from Earth, the pair is the nearest known such phenomenon. The black holes are located near the center of the spiral… Read more“NASA’s Chandra Finds Nearest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes”
Socializing Science With Smartphones in Space
Icon for SpaceLab for iOS app. (Courtesy of Odyssey Space Research) View large image Screenshot of SpaceLab for iOS app. (Courtesy of Odyssey Space Research) View large image One may think that participation with the International Space Station would be restricted to an exclusive club of high ranking officials and… Read more“Socializing Science With Smartphones in Space”