A Gold Mine of Galaxy Nuggets

Astronomers mine data from the Planck and Herschel missions to find a treasure chest of galaxy clusters.

from News and Features - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory http://ift.tt/19y9Qlr

via IFTTT

Image Browser update: approach to comet, plus cruise phase images!

The Rosetta downlink and archive teams at ESAC are pleased to announce that the next set of NAVCAM image data are now available in ESA’s Planetary Science Archive (PSA) and via the new NAVCAM Image Browser tool. The Image Browser was launched earlier this month with NAVCAM image data from the first half of 2014. The latest set of 214 images, taken between 2 July and 1 August, cover the period when Rosetta moved from 42 980 km to 848 km from the comet, and the shape of 67P/C-G was finally revealed. During this phase, 4-5 images were taken per day for navigation, with one image taken every 30 minutes from 30 July to 1 August. As an added bonus, the Image Browser has now also been updated with images from the cruise phase of the mission (the underpinning data was already accessible via the PSA). That is, the NAVCAM images taken during the swing-bys of Earth and Mars, and asteroids Steins and Lutetia are now also available via the Image Browser (although note that the cruise phase datasets for Steins and Lutetia only contain navigation images from a far distance, so the asteroids are not resolved). The next NAVCAM data release is expected on 30 April. For background information about the Image Browser, see our introductory blog post here or go directly to the Browser here.



from Rosetta - ESA's comet chaser » Rosetta - ESA's comet chaser http://ift.tt/1EYw5JS

via IFTTT

NASA Announces New Partnerships with U.S. Industry for Key Deep-Space Capabilities

Building on the success of NASA’s partnerships with commercial industry to date, NASA has selected 12 Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) to advance concept studies and technology development projects in the areas of advanced propulsion, habitation and small satellites.



from NASA Breaking News http://ift.tt/1FaEHzA

via IFTTT

Saturn Spacecraft Returns to the Realm of Icy Moons

A dual view of Saturn's icy moon Rhea marks the return of NASA's Cassini spacecraft to the realm of the planet's icy satellites.

from News and Features - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory http://ift.tt/1BXpEVa

via IFTTT

NASA Administrator, President’s Science Advisor to Speak with Astronaut on Yearlong Space Station Mission

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will be joined by John Holdren, science advisor to President Obama and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and former astronaut Mark Kelly for the first public conversation with astronaut Scott Kelly from the International Space Station on Monday, March 30.



from NASA Breaking News http://ift.tt/1IJCcFM

via IFTTT

CometWatch 22 March

This single frame Rosetta Navigation Camera image was taken on 22 March 2015 at a distance of 77.8 km from the centre of Comet 67P/C-G. The image scale is 6.6 m/pixel and the 1024 x 1024 pixel image measures 6.8 km across. The image above has been processed to bring out the details of the comet’s activity, while also emphasising details on the nucleus. The image presents another interesting view of regions previously cast in shadow, particularly on the small lobe around Hatmehit, and of the topography on the large lobe close to Aker and Khepry. (The 9 March image also offered a new view of these regions, from a slightly different angle). At the bottom right, the large lobe is casting a shadow over the broader ‘atmosphere’ around the comet. The original 1024 x 1024 image is provided below.



from Rosetta - ESA's comet chaser » Rosetta - ESA's comet chaser http://ift.tt/19pjXcp

via IFTTT

It's 'Full Spin Ahead' for NASA Soil Moisture Mapper

The rotating "golden lasso" reflector antenna on NASA's new soil moisture mapping mission is now fully spun up to its design rate in preparation for science operations.

from News and Features - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory http://ift.tt/1FTQxRN

via IFTTT

Rover Amnesia Event Follows Latest Memory Reformatting

The team operating the Mars Rover Opportunity learned that it experienced a brief amnesia event related to its flash memory, the first since a reformatting a week earlier.

from News and Features - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory http://ift.tt/1ykIy8l

via IFTTT

Year in Space Starts for One American and One Russian

Three crew members representing the United States and Russia are on their way to the International Space Station after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:42 p.m. EDT Friday (1:42 a.m., March 28 in Baikonur).



from NASA Breaking News http://ift.tt/19qkI4D

via IFTTT

Scars on Mars from 2012 Rover Landing Fade -- Usually

A series of observations from Mars orbit show how dark blast zones that were created during the August 2012 landing of NASA's Curiosity rover have faded inconsistently.

from News and Features - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory http://ift.tt/1NiNvY5

via IFTTT

NASA Asteroid Hunter Spacecraft Data Available to Public

Millions of images of celestial objects, including asteroids, observed by NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) spacecraft now are available online to the public. The data was collected following the restart of the asteroid-seeking spacecraft in December 2013 after a lengthy hibernation.



from NASA Breaking News http://ift.tt/1IAAN45

via IFTTT