Feb 18, 2013 | Asteroid Exploration, Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Planet Earth, Space and Science, Space Research
That close flyby of Earth by a space rock should provide new data critical to understanding the potential hazards that other asteroids could pose if they collide with the Earth. Shortly after the destructive Russian fireball event on February 15, asteroid 2012 DA14...
Feb 14, 2013 | Ask the Expert, Blog, Book Reviews, Education Station, Kids Space, Multimedia, NASA, Planet Earth, Space and Science, Why Space
A new PBS NOVA TV special offers a revealing look at Planet Earth thanks to an armada of space-based assets. Earth from Space has been produced in extensive consultation with NASA scientists, making extensive use of data gleaned by Earth-observing satellites This...
Feb 12, 2013 | Ask the Expert, Asteroid Exploration, Blog, Education Station, Exploration, International Cooperation, Kids Space, Our Solar System, Planet Earth, Space and Science
The up-coming close flyby of asteroid DA14 is stirring up considerable attention. On Friday, Feb. 15, the 50-meter-wide asteroid DA14 will pass within 17,000 miles of Earth, closer than a typical communications satellite. This space rock, if it were to impact our...
Feb 11, 2013 | Ask the Experts — Answers, Benefits of Space Exploration, Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Market Research, Mars, NASA, Space Race
A new national opinion poll has found a “Mars Generation” that’s confident humans will go to Mars by 2033. When told that there are currently two operational NASA rovers on Mars – the NASA Curiosity and Opportunity rovers — 67 percent of respondents agreed the...
Feb 9, 2013 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Mars, NASA, Space Research
For the first time in history, a robot has drilled into Mars to collect a sample for detailed analysis. NASA’s Curiosity rover has used a drill carried at the end of its robotic arm to bore into a flat, veiny rock on Mars and collect a sample from its interior. As a...
Feb 9, 2013 | Blog, Education Station, European Space Agency, Exploration, Kids Space, Mars, Multimedia, Space and Science
The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter is a busy bird. Thanks to its high-resolution camera system, the spacecraft has imaged nearly 90% of Mars’ surface. Assuming that good atmospheric conditions coincide with the appropriate orbits, Mars Express scientists...
Feb 8, 2013 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Mars, NASA, Space and Science
NASA’s next mission to Mars is now assembled and has started environmental testing, headed toward launch later this year. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is now undergoing environmental testing at Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems...
Feb 6, 2013 | Ask the Expert, Asteroid Exploration, Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, NASA, Our Solar System, Planet Earth, Space and Science
It’s coming to a sky near you – a late Valentine’s Day gift from the heavens! On February 15, a small asteroid is flying by within 18,000 miles of Earth. The asteroid, known as 2012 DA14, was discovered last year and is roughly the size of a school gymnasium (130 to...
Jan 29, 2013 | Ask the Expert, Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Mars, NASA, Space and Science
Yet more data about the Red Planet boosts the idea that the subsurface environment on Mars once had an active hydrology and could be a good place to search for evidence of past life. Using high-resolution images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, networks of...
Jan 26, 2013 | Ask the Experts — Answers, Benefits of Space Exploration, Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Multimedia, NASA, Planet Earth, Space Tourism, Why Space
The “Overview Effect” was first described by author Frank White in 1987 – an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and humankind’s place upon it. A recently released short film — ‘Overview’ explores this phenomenon through...