Discovery Program

Asteroid 99942 Apophis is fast approaching our home planet for an uncomfortably close encounter in 2029. In order to prepare for the rare event, NASA is calling for ideas for low cost missions to rendezvous with Apophis, but the space agency already has a pair of asteroid probes ready to take on the task.This is the Coolest Galaxy S24 AI Feature That Few Are Talking AboutNASA is hosting a workshop on Wednesday, February 7 “on innovative approaches to conduct missions during the Earth flyby of the asteroid Apophis in…

Fresh off of its first asteroid encounter that revealed a bonus space rock, Lucy is now ready for the big leagues. The NASA spacecraft began maneuvering its way to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, traveling to a farther orbit in deep space in order to reach the Jovian system.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewOn Wednesday, Lucy fired its main engine for the first time in space as the first step in a series of maneuvers to change the velocity of the spacecraft so that it can reach the…

It departed our planet just over two months ago, but NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is already 16 million miles from Earth, well on its way to its main destination: the asteroid Psyche. Eager to prove its readiness, the spacecraft recently beamed back the first images captured by both of its cameras to create a tantalizing mosaic of dotted stars.'Even AI Rappers are Harassed by Police' | AI UnlockedThe Psyche mission launched on October 13, headed toward a rare, metal-rich asteroid by the same name (which can get a little…

NASA is going to store a pair of spacecraft at a facility, awaiting a second chance to go to space should the agency find a new purpose for them.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeFollowing months of uncertainty, NASA announced that it was officially calling off the Janus mission to study two separate binary asteroid systems. Janus’ twin spacecraft are being prepared for “long-term storage” awaiting future funding that could possibly utilize the spacecraft for another mission. The mission, selected as part…

It’s been a rough ride for NASA’s Psyche mission even before the spacecraft has had a chance to leave the ground. Things are looking brighter, however, as the highly anticipated mission is all set for its new launch date in October, marking a second chance to explore one of the most intriguing objects in our solar system.NASA Delays Return to Earth's Evil Twin, VenusPsyche was originally scheduled to launch in August 2022 to explore the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche. Two months before liftoff, NASA delayed the launch of…

Five years since the Kepler Space Telescope was retired, a team of astronomers believe they’ve found exoplanets captured by some of the veteran observatory’s last light.What Is Planet Nine and Why Can’t We Find It?Kepler launched to space in 2009 with one essential task: find new worlds. In its nearly decade-long tenure in solar orbit, Kepler found over 2,600 exoplanets, including some that lurk in the so-called “Goldilocks Zone” of habitability, suggesting that they may have conditions suitable for fostering life.Kepler…

A NASA probe sent to observe Jupiter’s swarm of asteroids recently caught the first glimpse of its rocky targets, capturing deep-space images of four of the mysterious Trojans. What Is Planet Nine and Why Can’t We Find It?The Lucy spacecraft used its highest resolution imager, L’LORRI (Lucy LOng Range Reconnaissance Imager), to photograph four Trojan asteroids during a two-day period from March 25 to 27, NASA announced on Thursday. The first asteroids to be seen by Lucy are: Eurybates, Polymele, Leucus, and Orus. Those…

A space advocacy organization is rallying the scientific community in an effort to revive NASA’s VERITAS mission to Venus, which has been delayed indefinitely due to staff and budgeting issues at the space agency.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewThis week, the Planetary Society published an open letter to Congress calling for a 2029 launch date for the Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (VERITAS) mission. The letter has already been signed by…

A highly anticipated mission to Venus is in trouble after NASA pulled all of its funding, save for a tiny fraction meant to keep the planetary orbiter on brittle life support as its fate hangs in the balance.Last week, NASA released its budget request for 2024 with a proposed total of $27.2 billion, of which $3.383 billion would be allocated towards planetary science. However, the space agency only requested $1.5 million for its Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (VERITAS) mission, a…

NASA’s Perseverance rover being outfitted with its wheels at JPL on June 13, 2019.Photo: NASA/JPL-CaltechFollowing the release of an independent review examining the delay of NASA’s Psyche mission, the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) says it’s making progress in addressing the broader issues at the institution that went beyond its delayed asteroid mission.During the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group last week, JPL Director Laurie Leshin highlighted changes that were made in an effort to fix some of…