A pioneering camera and spectrometer that will fly aboard NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has completed cryogenic testing designed to mimic the harsh conditions it will experience in space. The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) underwent testing inside the thermal space test chamber at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Rutherford Appleton … Continue reading
It’s almost one-million pounds of force on the “can,” and they want to see it buckle. Watch live TV coverage on NASA Television’s Education Channel and the agency’s website as NASA engineers test an immense aluminum-lithium rocket fuel tank on Wednesday, March 23, 10:30 a.m. EDT from NASA’s Marshall Space … Continue reading
The Glory spacecraft and its Taurus XL launch vehicle are coming together at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as NASA gets ready to launch its first Launch Services Program mission of 2011.Researchers are looking for more puzzle pieces to fill out the picture of Earth’s climate and Glory was … Continue reading
HOUSTON — NASA astronaut Mark Kelly will resume training as commander of the STS-134 space shuttle mission on Monday, Feb. 7. With the exception of some proficiency training, Kelly has been on personal leave since Jan. 8 to care for his wife, congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically wounded in … Continue reading
The first time anyone installed a main engine in a space shuttle in 1980, it took three days and prompted a series of changes that quickly became standard practice. “The first one, it was, ‘There’s the orbiter, go put a motor in it,’” recalled Robert “Bob” Rysdyk, a lead engine … Continue reading
NASA is seeking applications from graduate students for the agency’s new Space Technology Research Fellowships. Applications are being accepted from accredited U.S. universities on behalf of graduate students interested in performing space technology research beginning in the fall of 2011. The fellowships will sponsor U.S. graduate student researchers who show … Continue reading
NASA awarded on Dec. 27 a 10-year contract to HP Enterprise Services of Herndon, Va., for Agency Consolidated End-user Services, or ACES. This firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract has a maximum value of $2.5 billion and four-year base period with two three-year option periods. The contract will be managed at … Continue reading
Curious how a device designed to produce fuel and oxygen on Mars transformed into a source of clean energy right here on Earth? The 2010 edition of NASA’s annual Spinoff publication is now available online, highlighting new innovations and notable examples of NASA technology improving everyday life on our home … Continue reading
There’s just a little bit of time left for students to submit proposals for NASA’s “Kids in Micro-g” challenge. Students in fifth through eighth grades are tapped to design a classroom experiment that also can be performed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Proposals are due by Dec. 8. … Continue reading
NASA will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 2, to discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. The news conference will be … Continue reading