Nov 26, 2010 | Blog, Education Station, European Space Agency, Exploration, International Cooperation, NASA, Our Solar System, Space and Science
It is the first time a spacecraft has captured direct evidence of an oxygen atmosphere at a world other than Earth. The flyby measurements of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft at Saturn’s moon Rhea reveal a tenuous oxygen-carbon dioxide atmosphere. The NASA-led...
Nov 21, 2010 | Blog, Commercial Space, Constellation Program, Education Station, Exploration, International Space Station, Kids Space, Mars, NASA, Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, The Moon
A NASA, university and industry team is studying mid-decade human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Detailed by the team are options for long-duration “Gateway” habitats. An interim look at such a prospect is being briefed at high-levels within NASA, a plan that...
Nov 19, 2010 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, NASA, Space and Science
Tiny, hold in your hand satellites, are dubbed CubeSats. They hitch rides on boosters carrying larger satellites. CubeSats can conduct all types of experiments, from Earth remote sensing to monitoring the space environment. According to Stanford news writer, Louis...
Nov 18, 2010 | Blog, Canadian Space Agency, Education Station, Exploration, International Cooperation, Planet Earth
For the last 15 years, Canada’s RADARSAT-1 has observed the Earth from space. RADARSAT-1 is a sophisticated Earth observation satellite developed by Canada to monitor environmental changes and the planet’s natural resources. Launched in November 1995, RADARSAT-1...
Nov 16, 2010 | Constellation Program, Exploration, International Space Station, Space Shuttle, NASA, Space Research
NASA faces significant management challenges as it carries out the shuttle’s retirement, termination of the Constellation Program and the start of a commercial space transportation initiative, according to agency Inspector General Paul Martin. In 14-page report made...
Nov 16, 2010 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, NASA, Planet Earth, Space and Science, Why Space
Earth never looked so good! Thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a space-based look back on our piece of celestial real estate offers an art-filled eye-full. The USGS has unveiled “Earth as Art3” – a collection of the latest set of NASA Landsat satellite...
Nov 16, 2010 | Blog, Education Station, Exploration, International Cooperation, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), NASA, Our Solar System, Space and Science
A sample container from Japan’s Hayabusa spacecraft that returned from its seven year round-trip to asteroid Itokawa earlier this year reportedly does contain particles from the space rock. According to several press reports, an analysis of some 1,500 particles found...
Nov 13, 2010 | Blog, Commercial Space, Education Station, Exploration, Kids Space, Space Race, Space Tourism, Spaceports
The privatization of commercial space travel has taken a step forward. On November 9, The Spaceship Company (TSC) broke ground on a new assembly, integration and test hangar at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. A subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corporation,...
Nov 11, 2010 | Exploration, Hubble Space Telescope, International Cooperation, Space and Science
NASA faces new cost and potential political challenges over the future of the James Webb Space Telescope, the highly touted successor to the Hubble Space Telescope whose price tag has soared to $6.5 billion. A joint effort led by the U. S. with participation from...
Nov 10, 2010 | Blog, China, Education Station, Exploration, Mars, Space Race, The Moon
A number of recent space stories by Chinese news outlets underscore that country’s multi-step space exploration agenda. Early this week, Xinhua news service reported that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended an unveiling ceremony for pictures of the Moon’s Sinus Iridum...