NASA will officially open its Propulsion Research Laboratory July 29 at the Marshall Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The facility is a state-of-the-art laboratory for cutting-edge research into advanced propulsion systems
July 20th, 2004
New Martian Meteorite Found In Antarctica
While rovers and orbiting spacecraft scour Mars searching for clues to its past, researchers have uncovered another piece of the red planet in the most inhospitable place on Earth — Antarctica. The new specimen was found by a field party from the U.S. Antarctic Search for Meteorites program (ANSMET) on Dec. 15, 2003, on an ice field in the Miller Range of the Transantarctic Mountains, roughly 750 km (466 miles) from the South Pole. Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History involved in classification of Antarctic finds said the mineralogy, texture and the oxidized nature of the rock are unmistakably martian. The new specimen is the seventh recognized member of a group of martian meteorites called the nakhlites, named after the first known specimen that fell in Nakhla, Egypt, in 1911.
July 14th, 2004
Clouds Roll in for Martian Winter
Using its left navigation camera, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity sought to capture some clouds on its 153rd sol on Mars (June 28, 2004). The presence of morning clouds in the area of Endurance Crater was established by spacecraft orbiting Mars. Mars has three kinds of clouds: dust clouds low in the atmosphere; water clouds near the surface up to heights of 20 kilometers (about 12 miles); and carbon dioxide clouds at very high altitudes.
July 5th, 2004
‘Hank’s Hollow’ Sparkles
This false-color composite panoramic camera image highlights mysterious and sparkly dust-like material that is created when the soil in this region is disturbed. NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this image on sol 165 (June 20, 2004) in “Hank’s Hollow,” using filters L2, L5 and L7.
June 23rd, 2004
NASA Administrator Discusses Agency Transformation
Media representatives are invited to NASA Headquarters Thursday, June 24. NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe will outline the agency’s Transformation, which is an important component of the final report from the Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy.
The briefing is at 3 p.m. EDT in NASA’s auditorium, 300 E Street SW, Washington. The briefing will be broadcast live on NASA Television and www.nasa.gov. Reporters can ask questions from participating NASA field centers.
June 15th, 2004
Mars Rovers Going the Extra Mile
NASA’s Mars rovers are delighting scientists with their extra credit assignments. Both rovers successfully completed their primary three-month missions in April. The Spirit rover is exploring a range of martian hills that took two months to reach. It is finding curiously eroded rocks that may be new pieces to the puzzle of the region’s past. Spirit’s twin, Opportunity, is also negotiating sloped ground. It is examining exposed rock layers inside a crater informally named “Endurance.”
June 14th, 2004
NASA Schedules Mars Rover Media Briefing
NASA will update the news media on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission Tuesday at 1 p.m. EDT at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California. The briefing will cover the Spirit rover’s arrival at Columbia Hills and rover Opportunity’s descent into Endurance Crater. Both rovers successfully completed their three-month primary missions in April and are exploring during their bonus extended missions.
June 10th, 2004
Press Release Images: Spirit
This cylindrical-projection mosaic was created from navigation camera images acquired by NASA
June 10th, 2004
Press Release Images: Opportunity
Perched on the edge of “Endurance Crater,” NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity prepares to roll all six wheels in and then back out to the rim as an engineering test to ensure that the slope and rock surface meet expectations. The rover executed the maneuver successfully and proceeded farther into the crater the following day.
June 9th, 2004
Mars Rovers Continue Unique Exploration of Mars
NASA’s Mars Opportunity rover began its latest adventure today inside the martian crater informally called Endurance. Opportunity will roll in with all six wheels, then back out to the rim to check traction by looking at its own track marks. “We’re going in, but we’re doing it cautiously,” said Jim Erickson, deputy project manager for the Mars Exploration Rovers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.