jet propulsion laboratory

NASA just combined all of my favorite things: space, lasers, and cats. In a first-of-its-kind demonstration of deep space optical communication, the space agency streamed a high-definition video from 19 million miles away from Earth. And as it turns out, NASA is just as obsessed as we are when it comes to sharing cat videos.NASA Delays Return to Earth's Evil Twin, VenusOn December 11, a gold-capped laser transceiver attached to NASA’s asteroid probe Psyche beamed a 15-second-long video of an orange tabby cat named Taters…

A diligent surveyor of the night skies, NEOWISE is sadly approaching its fiery demise as the Sun’s erratic outbursts are causing the infrared telescope to gradually fall out of its orbit before it eventually burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeNASA’s NEOWISE, or Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, will be rendered unusable in early 2025 due to increased solar activity, the space agency announced. The telescope’s orbit is expected to gradually lower over time.…

Six California lawmakers wrote to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson last week to oppose the agency’s recent cuts to the Mars Sample Return mission, which aims to bring samples collected by the Perseverance rover on Mars to Earth.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonThe letter was written by congresspeople Judy Chu, Laphonza Butler, Mike Garcia, and Young Kim, as well as California senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla. In the letter, the six legislators described the NASA move as “short-sighted and misguided,” and…

Researchers poring over imagery and data from the Perseverance rover on Mars have found evidence of organic molecules in the planet’s Jezero Crater, potentially providing evidence of the planet’s carbon cycles and its ability to host life.Cecilia Rose Gooding on the Writers Strike | io9 InterviewThe discovery is by no means a confirmation that life once existed on Mars, but it is a sign that the conditions necessary for life as we know it once did. Perseverance is investigating many aspects of the fourth planet from the…

After 63 days of agonizing silence, NASA’s Martian chopper finally phoned home.The Ingenuity helicopter reestablished communication with mission control on June 28, officially logging its 52nd flight as a success, NASA recently announced. The space agency lost contact with Ingenuity as the helicopter was descending towards the surface of the Red Planet following its most recent flight on April 26. Trump Went Through Twitter WithdrawalThe reason behind the communication drop was that a hill was inconveniently positioned…

The Perseverance rover snapped this image of the surface of Mars on June 23.Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAPWhile roaming the Martian terrain, NASA’s Perseverance rover spotted an odd-shaped rock that may have traveled its way from space to land on the Red Planet.A Transformer Is Headed to the MoonUsing its SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager, the Perseverance rover snapped a series of images on Friday that revealed a donut-shaped rock laying on the surface of Mars. The large rock has a hole in the middle and is surrounded…

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…

An artist’s rendering of the planet, called LP 791-18 d.Illustration: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KRBwyle)On this world, the floor is lava and there’s no couch to jump to: Astronomers have described a planet that might be completely covered in active volcanoes. What Is Planet Nine and Why Can’t We Find It?Data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and the now deactivated Spitzer Space Telescope revealed an Earth-size rocky planet with some extreme features.The planet, called LP 791-18 d,…

Saturday, May 13 will be witnessing two gigantic asteroids rushing towards Earth at great speed. One is a 160-foot giant, while the other is 61-foot in width. Are their large sizes and speed enough to pose a threat to the planet? Asteroids, which are dubbed as near Earth objects, can sometimes be dangerous for the planet depending upon their size. However, the asteroids heading towards Earth today are not dangerous for Earth unless they change their trajectory.Meanwhile, here are the details shared by NASA's Jet…

For more than three years, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has been idly coasting around the Sun while locked in a retirement safe mode,while its successor, the Webb Telescope, took over its cosmic observation duties. An upcoming servicing mission, however, could give the old telescope a new purpose: protecting Earth from dangerous asteroids.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewThis week, Washington-based company Rhea Space Activity announced that it has been selected to develop…