Imaging tiny comet dust in 3D

Rosetta has imaged the smallest grains of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s dust yet, with its Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System, MIDAS.

 

Atomic force microscope topographic images of MIDAS particles A, B, and C. (a) Overview image with a pixel resolution of 312 nm and a colour scale representing height. (b) Sub-units (grains) of the individual particles detected at the resolution of the instrument are outlined. (c) 3D images of particles A and C with two times height exaggeration to aid visualisation. Particles A and C comprise tightly packed ‘compact’ grains, while B appears to be a single grain.

MIDAS works by collecting and then physically scanning grains with an Atomic Force Microscope. This uses a very fine tip, a bit like an old-fashioned record player needle, that is scanned over a particle. The deflection of the needle and therefore the height of the sample are measured to build up a 3D picture. This enables scientists to determine the structure of the particle, and thus gain insight into how it might have formed.

The new results, published in the journal Nature, provide evidence that dust particles continue to be aggregates below the size range already reported by the COSIMA instrument. That is, even at the very small scales of a few tens of micrometres down to a few hundred nanometres, the dust grains analysed by MIDAS appear to be made up of numerous smaller grains.

“To understand how comets are formed, we need to understand the structure of the smallest grains and how they are built,” says Mark Bentley of the Space Research Institute at the Austrian Academy of Science in Graz, Austria, principal investigator of MIDAS and lead author of the paper. “What we see with MIDAS is that everything is made of smaller and smaller aggregates; it’s similar to what the COSIMA instrument sees but continued down to even smaller scales.”

Atomic force microscope topographic images of MIDAS compact particle D. (a) Overview image with a pixel resolution of 80 nm and a colour scale representing height. (b) Sub-units (grains) of the particle detected at the resolution of the instrument are outlined. (c) 3D image of the particle with two times height exaggeration to aid visualisation.

MIDAS detected both small, tightly packed ‘compact’ grains and larger more porous, loosely arranged ‘fluffy’ grains. The comet grains also appear to be elongated, several times longer in one direction than the others, in agreement with observations of dust in the interstellar medium.

 

Atomic force microscope topographic images of MIDAS particle E, a loosely packed ‘fluffy’ aggregate comprising many grains. (a) Overview image with a pixel resolution of 210 nm and a colour scale representing height. b) Sub-units (grains) of the particle detected at the resolution of the instrument are outlined. (c) 3D image of the particle corresponding to the area covered by the red outline in (a) with two times height exaggeration to aid visualisation.

Examples of the different types, which were collected by MIDAS from mid-November 2014 to February 2015, are shown in the figures accompanying this post.

One particularly large, porous grain captured from Comet 67P/C-G has similar properties to a type of so-called ‘interplanetary dust grain’ (IDP) thought to have grown into porous aggregates of smaller spheroidal particles during the early phases of Solar System formation.

These new results from MIDAS further strengthen the link between IDPs and cometary dust. The observed “aggregate of aggregates” structure of the particles gives hints to their formation mechanism, and how such particles could form a weakly bound layer at the surface of the comet nucleus.

“Aggregate dust particles at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko” by M.S. Bentley et al is published in Nature.

See our 2014 blog post "Introducing MIDAS" for background on the instrument.

 

All images, credit: ESA/Rosetta/IWF for the MIDAS team IWF/ESA/LATMOS/Universiteit Leiden/Universität Wien

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NASA Holds Final Sample Return Robot Competition

After five years of competition by more than 40 different teams from around the globe, NASA’s Sample Return Robot Challenge has reached its final stage. The top seven teams will compete for the $1.36 million prize purse on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, Sept. 4-6.

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Kentucky Students Talk Live with NASA Astronauts on Space Station

Students in Hyden, Kentucky, will have the opportunity to speak with two NASA astronauts currently living and working aboard the International Space Station at 1:10 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 31. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

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NASA to Hold Asteroid Mission Briefings, Launch

NASA is gearing up to launch the United States’ first mission to sample an asteroid, with activities at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6, and culminating with the spacecraft launch Thursday, Sept. 8. Various activities are open to media and will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

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SpaceX Dragon Splashes Down with Crucial NASA Research Samples

SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:47 a.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 26, southwest of Baja California with more than 3,000 pounds of NASA cargo, science and technology demonstration samples from the International Space Station.

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CometWatch – late August round-up

This week's CometWatch entry was taken with Rosetta's NAVCAM on 17 August 2016, when the spacecraft was 13.9 km from the nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Enhanced NAVCAM image of Comet 67P/C-G taken on 17 August 2016, 13.9 km from the nucleus. The scale is 1.2 m/pixel and the image measures 1.2 km across. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

This close-up view shows a portion of the Imhotep region, on the large comet lobe.

The top part of the image portrays the flat, smooth-covered portion of Imhotep, scattered with a variety of boulders of different sizes. Towards the top right is a cluster of three large boulders, including the 45-m sized Cheops, named after the Great Pyramid at Giza near Cairo in Egypt.

Around the comet's perihelion, Rosetta observed many spectacular changes on this portion of Imhotep (see blog post 'Comet surface changes before Rosetta’s eyes').

To have an idea of the surface changes, you can compare the new CometWatch with a number of images of the same region taken in the past months by Rosetta: from early images such as CometWatch 26 October 2014 and the close fly-by of 14 February 2015 to more recent ones, for example this OSIRIS wide-angle camera image taken on 25 May 2016.

In the lower part of today's image, a number of circular features are visible, many of which appear to be stacked on top of one another. These roundish features can also be seen, under a different perspective, in an OSIRIS narrow-angle camera image from 16 July 2016.

A view of the Imhotep region in the overall context of Comet 67P/C-G is provided in a recent OSIRIS wide-angle camera image, taken on 10 August 2016, and you can find more details about the various geological aspects of this region in the blog post 'Inside Imhotep'.

Meanwhile, the OSIRIS team have published a number of striking new views of the comet via their image of the day website.

An OSIRIS wide-angle camera image captured less than 7 km from the comet centre on 15 August depicts portions of both lobes of 67P/C-G. The steep cliffs of the small lobe Hathor region are visible on the right, declining towards the neck, which is hidden from sight in this view by the dust-covered terrains of Ash, visible on the right.

OSIRIS wide-angle camera image taken on 15 August 2016, when Rosetta was 6.8 km from Comet 67P/C-G. The scale is 0.59 m/pixel and the image measures about 1.2 km across. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

The small, roundish feature visible in the lower part of this image was described the only unambiguously identified impact crater on the comet surface in a paper by N. Thomas et al. (part of the Science special issue: Catching a Comet, 2015). About 35 m in diameter, the crater appears to have been partially buried by the smooth material that covers the Ash region.

Another image, taken with the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera about 6 km from the comet centre on 18 August, depicts in extraordinary detail some of the boulders on a different portion of the Ash region.

OSIRIS narrow-angle camera image taken on 25 May 2016, when Rosetta was 6.1 km from Comet 67P/C-G. The scale is 0.11 m/pixel and the image measures about 225 m across. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

You can try and find these boulders in another recent OSIRIS image (second from top in this post), which portrays Ash in a broader context – including the above mentioned crater.

Another stunningly detailed OSIRIS narrow-angle camera image, taken only a couple of days ago, on 24 August, reveals the rough texture of the Khonsu region (left and lower part of the image) next to the slopes that separate it from Atum, a portion of which is visible in the top right corner. A recent NAVCAM image taken on 8 August 2016 presents a broader view on this region.

OSIRIS narrow-angle camera image taken on 24 August 2016, when Rosetta was 9.3 km from Comet 67P/C-G. The scale is 0.16 m/pixel and the image measures about 330 m across. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

This week's original NAVCAM image is provided below.

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NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Mars 2020 Rover Mission

NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Centennial, Colorado, to provide launch services for a mission that will address high-priority science goals for the agency’s Journey to Mars.

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Rosetta captures comet outburst

This article is mirrored from the ESA Portal. 

Rosetta’s OSIRIS wide-angle camera captured an outburst from the Atum region on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko’s large lobe on 19 February 2016. The images are separated by half an hour each, covering the period 08:40–12:10 GMT, and as such show the comet rotating. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

In unprecedented observations made earlier this year, Rosetta unexpectedly captured a dramatic comet outburst that may have been triggered by a landslide.

Nine of Rosetta’s instruments, including its cameras, dust collectors, and gas and plasma analysers, were monitoring the comet from about 35 km in a coordinated planned sequence when the outburst happened on 19 February.

“Over the last year, Rosetta has shown that although activity can be prolonged, when it comes to outbursts, the timing is highly unpredictable, so catching an event like this was pure luck,” says Matt Taylor, ESA’s Rosetta project scientist.

“By happy coincidence, we were pointing the majority of instruments at the comet at this time, and having these simultaneous measurements provides us with the most complete set of data on an outburst ever collected.”

The data were sent to Earth only a few days after the outburst, but subsequent analysis has allowed a clear chain of events to be reconstructed, as described in a paper led by Eberhard Grün of the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

A strong brightening of the comet’s dusty coma was seen by the OSIRIS wide-angle camera at 09:40 GMT, developing in a region of the comet that was initially in shadow.

Over the next two hours, Rosetta recorded outburst signatures that exceeded background levels in some instruments by factors of up to a hundred. For example, between about 10:00–11:00 GMT, ALICE saw the ultraviolet brightness of the sunlight reflected by the nucleus and the emitted dust increase by a factor of six, while ROSINA and RPC detected a significant increase in gas and plasma, respectively, around the spacecraft, by a factor of 1.5–2.5.

In addition, MIRO recorded a 30ºC rise in temperature of the surrounding gas.

This diagram of Rosetta highlights (in red) the science instruments that were on and made detections of the 19 February 2016 outburst event, and that are presented in the study reporting the first analysis of the event. Credits: ESA/ATG medialab

Shortly after, Rosetta was blasted by dust: GIADA recorded a maximum hit count at around 11:15 GMT. Almost 200 particles were detected in the following three hours, compared with a typical rate of 3–10 collected on other days in the same month.

At the same time, OSIRIS narrow-angle camera images began registering dust grains emitted during the blast. Between 11:10 GMT and 11:40 GMT, a transition occurred from grains that were distant or slow enough to appear as points in the images, to those either close or fast enough to be captured as trails during the exposures.

In addition, the startrackers, which are used to navigate and help control Rosetta’s attitude, measured an increase in light scattered from dust particles as a result of the outburst.

The startrackers are mounted at 90º to the side of the spacecraft that hosts the majority of science instruments, so they offered a unique insight into the 3D structure and evolution of the outburst.

Astronomers on Earth also noted an increase in coma density in the days after the outburst.

By examining all of the available data, scientists believe they have identified the source of the outburst.

“From Rosetta’s observations, we believe the outburst originated from a steep slope on the comet’s large lobe, in the Atum region,” says Eberhard.

The source of the 19 February 2016 outburst was traced back to a location in the Atum region, on the comet’s large lobe. The inset image was taken a few hours after the outburst by Rosetta’s NavCam and shows the approximate source location. The image at left was taken on 21 March 2015 and is shown for context, and so there are some differences in shadowing/illumination as a result of the images being acquired at very different times. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

The fact that the outburst started when this area just emerged from shadow suggests that thermal stresses in the surface material may have triggered a landslide that exposed fresh water ice to direct solar illumination. The ice then immediately turned to gas, dragging surrounding dust with it to produce the debris cloud seen by OSIRIS.

“Combining the evidence from the OSIRIS images with the long duration of the GIADA dust impact phase leads us to believe that the dust cone was very broad,” says Eberhard.

“As a result, we think the outburst must have been triggered by a landslide at the surface, rather than a more focused jet bringing fresh material up from within the interior, for example.”

“We’ll continue to analyse the data not only to dig into the details of this particular event, but also to see if it can help us better understand the many other outbursts witnessed over the course of the mission,” adds Matt.

“It’s great to see the instrument teams working together on the important question of how cometary outbursts are triggered.”

“The 19 Feb. 2016 outburst of comet 67P/CG: A Rosetta multi-instrument study,” by E. Grün et al is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stw2088

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NASA Astronaut Shane Kimbrough Available for Interviews Before Space Station Mission

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who is making final preparations for a September launch to the International Space Station, is available for live satellite interviews from 7 to 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 6. The interviews will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

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NASA Awards Information Technology Services Contract

NASA has awarded an information technology services contract to All Points Logistics, LLC of Merritt Island, Florida, to perform a wide range of support services at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

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NASA Flies to Africa to Study Climate Effects of Smoke on Clouds

NASA scientists and two research aircraft are on their way to a unique natural laboratory off the Atlantic coast of southwest Africa to study a major unknown in future climate prediction.

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NASA Opens Media Accreditation for NOAA’s GOES-R November Launch

Media accreditation now is open for the launch of NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) weather and environmental satellite, currently planned for Nov. 4.

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Media Invited to Interview Future Space Station Crew, Attend Televised NASA Briefing

NASA is inviting media to attend a news conference and conduct one-on-one interviews Tuesday, Aug. 30, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, with three crewmembers currently preparing for a November launch to the International Space Station. The 2 p.m. EDT news conference will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

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NASA TV Coverage Set for U.S. Cargo Ship Departure from International Space Station

After delivering almost 5,000 pounds of supplies, experiments and equipment – including a docking adapter for future American commercial crew spacecraft – a SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is set to leave the International Space Station Friday, Aug. 26. NASA Television will provide coverage of Dragon’s departure beginning at 5:45 a.m. EDT.

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NASA TV to Air US Spacewalk, Briefing

On Sept. 1, two NASA astronauts will spacewalk outside the International Space Station for the second time in less than two weeks.

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NASA Prepares to Launch First U.S. Asteroid Sample Return Mission

NASA is preparing to launch its first mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth. The mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.

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NASA Television to Air Journey to Mars Showcase, Rocket Engine Test

NASA is offering a behind-the-scenes look Thursday, Aug. 18, at its Journey to Mars, including the test of a rocket engine that will launch the agency to the Red Planet, with live coverage on social media, NASA Television and the agency’s website.

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NASA Unveils New Public Web Portal for Research Results

Public access to NASA-funded research data now is just a click away, with the launch of a new agency public access portal. The creation of the NASA-Funded Research Results portal on NASA.gov reflects the agency’s ongoing commitment to providing broad public access to science data.

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NASA Television Airs Journey to Mars Showcase, Rocket Engine Test

NASA is offering a behind-the-scenes look Thursday, Aug. 18, at its Journey to Mars, including the test of a rocket engine that will launch the agency to the Red Planet, with live coverage on social media, NASA Television and the agency’s website.

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NASA Awards Aeronautics, Space Programs, Policies Study Contract

NASA has awarded a sole source contract to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington to conduct studies and evaluations in support of the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.

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NASA Brings Excitement of Aeronautics, Space Exploration to Chicago Air and Water Show

Visitors to this year’s annual Chicago Air and Water Show will have a chance to explore the universe with NASA.

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CometWatch – early August round-up

Today’s CometWatch entry features a new image from Rosetta’s NAVCAM (below) along with a round-up of images released from the OSIRIS narrow- and wide-angle cameras in the last week.

Enhanced NAVCAM image taken from a distance of 10.6 km to the centre of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 8 August 2016. The image scale is 0.9 m/pixel and the image measures about 930 m across. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0.

The NAVCAM image, taken from a distance of about 10.6 km from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 8 August, shows a spectacular close-up of details close to the boundary of Atum (foreground and left) and Anubis (the smoother region towards the top).

To the left, the scene shows exposed layers with smoother material lying in between, which transitions into a heavily eroded zone before taking on a smoother appearance again in the centre, albeit scarred with fracture-like features cross-cutting at a range of scales. Layers can also be picked out towards the top right, some of which have the appearance of being folded, as seen in other images of the Anubis region.

The OSIRIS team have also shared a number of new views via their image of the day website.

OSIRIS narrow-angle camera image taken on 3 August 2016, when Rosetta was 8.7 km from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The scale is 0.15 m/pixel at the comet and the image measures about 307 m. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

An image captured on 3 August (above) shows a striking contrast between very smooth plains, highly fractured outcrops, and a boulder strewn surface – all within a ~300 x 300 m square region in Seth.

OSIRIS narrow-angle camera image taken on 6 August 2016, when Rosetta was 8.7 km from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The scale is 0.15 m/pixel at the comet and the image measures about 307 m. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

Meanwhile an image captured on 6 August (above) – the two year anniversary of Rosetta arriving at the comet – shows a heavily fractured region in Bastet, on the comet’s small lobe. A relatively smoother patch, home to an array of boulders, sits within the fractured terrain.

Finally, a great view over the large lobe was captured by Rosetta’s OSIRIS wide-angle camera on 10 August (below). It really shows off the curvature of the comet, and the contrasting terrains of Imhotep (left), Khepry and Aten (top/middle) and Ash (right).

OSIRIS wide-angle camera image taken on 10 August 2016, when Rosetta was 12.8 km from the centre of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The scale is 1.18 m/pixel at the comet and the image measures about 2.4 km. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

And in case you missed it…don’t forget our two-year anniversary NAVCAM image here!

The original 1024 x 1024 pixel image of the NAVCAM image released today is provided below:

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NASA to Host Media Briefing on Launch of Asteroid-Bound Spacecraft

In less than a month, NASA will launch the first U.S. spacecraft destined to rendezvous with, study and return a sample of an asteroid. Ahead of this mission, which will yield the largest sample returned from space since the Apollo era, the agency will host a media briefing at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 17.

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NASA Selects Six Companies to Develop Prototypes, Concepts for Deep Space Habitats

NASA has selected six U.S. companies to help advance the Journey to Mars by developing ground prototypes and concepts for deep space habitats.

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NASA TV to Air US Spacewalk, Briefing on Installation of Space Station Docking Port

NASA Television will bring to viewers around the world live coverage Friday, Aug. 19, as two NASA astronauts install a new gateway for American commercial crew spacecraft at the International Space Station -- a significant milestone in NASA’s work to return crew launches to U.S. soil.

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CometWatch 6 August – Two years on

Two incredible years have passed since ESA’s comet-chaser Rosetta arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014.

Enhanced image of comet 67P/Churyumov-Geraimsenko, taken by Rosetta's NAVCAM from a distance of 8.5 km. The scale is 0.7 m/pixel and the image measures about 700 m across. Credits: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0

During that time Rosetta has mapped the comet’s curious shape and given us awe-inspiring views from near and far, spotting changes in its surface features and watching as jets of gas and dust stream out in to space – sometimes unexpectedly as sudden outbursts.

The spacecraft has performed daring close flybys and made distant excursions to sample gas, dust and plasma at a range of distances, giving unparalleled insight into the processes that operate at the comet and how it interacts with its environment as it hurtles through space.

In two years, the comet has travelled around 1.5 billion km along its orbit around the Sun, passing through perihelion last August – its closest approach to the Sun – and putting on a spectacular fireworks display as its activity reached a maximum.

Unlike this time last year, when the comet was so active that Rosetta could only observe it from a safe distance of 200–300 km, the activity has since subsided and the spacecraft is now operating at much closer distances, as reflected in this image, captured on 6 August 2016 from 8.5 km. The scale is 0.7 m/pixel and the image measures about 700 m across.

It shows a close-up view of part of the comet’s small lobe, encapsulating some of the large depression known as Hatmehit and its steep cliff walls (left), and the contrasting heavily fractured terrain of Wosret (bottom) and Bastet (top). A portion of the horizon is also captured in the distance, at the top right.

Local variations in topography and individual large boulders cast impressive shadows across the scene. For example, the details of the cliff edge at the top left are recorded in the shadows it casts on the floor below.

The area close to the bottom of the image has been the focus of imaging campaigns attempting to find Rosetta’s lander Philae, where it is thought to have bounced in November 2014, but has yet to be confirmed.

With Rosetta still flying alongside, the comet is now heading back towards the outer Solar System. As such, power is falling, and Rosetta’s thrilling mission will soon conclude in a grand finale: it will make a controlled impact onto the surface of the comet on 30 September.

This image is featured as ESA's Space Science Image of the Week.

The original image is provided below:

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NASA Charges Toward Greener Aviation With Novel Concepts

NASA has selected five green technology concepts that have the potential to transform the aviation industry in the next decade by reducing aircraft fuel use and emissions.

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Celebrating two years at the comet

We’re celebrating Rosetta’s two year anniversary at Comet 67P/C-G (tomorrow!) with a new animation visualising the spacecraft’s incredible adventure flying alongside the comet.

The animation begins on 31 July 2014, during Rosetta’s final approach to the comet after its ten-year journey through space. The spacecraft arrived at a distance of 100 km on 6 August whereupon it gradually approached the comet and entered initial mapping orbits that were needed to select a landing site for Philae. These observations also enabled the first comet science of the mission. The manoeuvres in the lead up to, during and after Philae’s deployment on 12 November are seen, before Rosetta settled into longer-term science orbits.

In February and March 2015 the spacecraft made several flybys. One of the closest flybys triggered a ‘safe mode’ event that forced it to retreat temporarily until it was safe to gradually draw closer again. The comet’s increased activity in the lead up to and after perihelion in August 2015 meant that Rosetta remained well beyond 100 km distances for several months.

In June 2015, contact was restored with Philae again – albeit temporary, with no permanent link able to be maintained, despite a series of dedicated trajectories flown by Rosetta for several weeks.

Following perihelion, Rosetta performed a dayside far excursion some 1500 km from the comet, before re-approaching to closer orbits again, enabled by the reduction in the comet’s activity. In March–April 2016 Rosetta went on another far excursion, this time on the night side, followed by a close flyby and orbits dedicated to a range of science observations.

The animation finishes at 9 August 2016, before the details of the end of mission orbits were known. A visualisation of the trajectories leading to the final descent to the surface of the comet on 30 September will be provided once available.

The trajectory shown in this animation is created from real data, but the comet rotation is not. An arrow indicates the direction to the Sun as the camera viewpoint changes during the animation.

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NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative Opens Space to Educators, Nonprofits

Accredited education institutions, nonprofit organizations and NASA centers can join the adventure and challenges of space while helping the agency achieve its exploration goals through the next round of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). Applicants must submit proposals by 4:30 p.m. EST, Nov. 22.

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NASA Invites Media to Orion Water Drop Test, Update on Journey to Mars

Media are invited to watch engineers test a mockup of NASA’s Orion spacecraft in a simulated ocean splashdown Thursday, Aug. 25, at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

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NASA Invites Media to Journey to Mars Showcase on Aug. 18

Media are invited Thursday, Aug. 18, to interview experts from across NASA and industry about the science, technology and human spaceflight activities that are making the agency’s Journey to Mars possible.

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NASA Invites Media to Learn About New Hurricane Mission

NASA is inviting journalists to learn about a mission that will help improve hurricane track, intensity and storm surge forecasts during a media event from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. CDT Thursday, Aug. 11, at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio.

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NASA Names New Chair for Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named Patricia Sanders as chair of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), an advisory committee that reports to NASA and Congress on matters concerning the agency’s safety performance.

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NASA Offers Media Access to View Asteroid-Bound Spacecraft

Media will have an opportunity to photograph NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft and interview mission officials at 8 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 20, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. OSIRIS-REx will be the first U.S. mission to sample the surface of an aste

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