SPACE

NASA Scientist Says Space Mining Needs Oversight

SPACE While prospecting and mining on the moon or on asteroids is probably a couple of decades away from becoming reality, according to a NASA scientist speaking at a symposium on planetary and terrestrial mining, oversight will be needed by a body much like the United Nations.

Humans May Not Have to Carry Oxygen to Mars

NASA is already in the planning stages for a future trip to Mars, and one of the hurdles they must jump is how humans will breath on the Red Planet. However, instead of carrying huge oxygen tanks, future human missions may actually utilize methods to actually produce the life giving gas on the planet itself.

Cause of Galactic Death: Strangulation

It's the ultimate whodunnit: what kills galaxies? A new study, published today in the journal Nature, names strangulation as the primary cause of galactic death.

From the Surface of Jupiter's Moon—Europa Reveals Icy Glass

The European Space Agency (ESA) has just published a striking picture of Europa, Jupiter's icy moon. In the image the surface looks like shattered glass; it reveals many interlocking cracks in the moon's icy crust which were formed by an ocean below the moon's surface. Now a team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) led by planetary scientist Kevin Hand has identified the cracks as sea salt.

Giant Asteroid to Pass Close to the Earth

An asteroid that is approximately one-mile wide will come very close to the Earth on May 14, according to NASA’s Near Earth Object watch. While an asteroid of this size would be cataclysmic if it hit the Earth, this one will pass safely by.

NASA Releases New Pictures of Ceres

NASA has released the most brilliant images of Ceres to date, truly showcasing the surface of the dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt. The new images could help scientists at NASA finally explain the unusually bright spots that have been puzzling researchers since the first images of the dwarf planet were sent back to Earth.

NASA Downplays EM Drive

Despite reports circling the Internet recently, NASA has not yet created a new fuel-free, faster than light propulsion system, the space agency said.

NASA Says Humans Will Land on Mars in 2030s

Assuming that NASA receives the funding necessary and makes the technological advances that are needed in space travel, the first humans could land on Phobos, one of the moon's of Mars, by 2033 and on the surface of the Red Planet by 2039, according NASA.

NASA Brings Traffic Control to Mars

Space may be vast and so large it is often beyond our true comprehension, but our neck of the woods is getting very crowded. Around Earth, there are thousands of satellites both active and inactive often requiring precise control to ensure there are no collisions. While Mars isn't exactly LAX, there are now five different active satellites orbiting it. To prevent any accidental and unfortunate collisions, NASA is now working on a new traffic management system for the Red Planet.

JPL Tech In Space And On Ground Helps Save Lives After Disaster

Technology from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) helped search-and-rescue teams find and save four men buried in rubble following the Nepal Earthquake. FINDER, a device no larger than a carry-on suitcase weighing less than 20 pounds, detected the heartbeats of the victims through 10 feet of wood, mud, and brick.

Andromeda's Halo and Its Gaseous Glow

Thanks to the latest from the NASA Hubble Space Telescope astronomers may now be poised to understand the origins of our galaxy more clearly. A team of scientists led by astrophysicist Nicolas Lehner of the University of Notre Dame used the Hubble to find a massive gas halo surrounding the Andromeda Galaxy, our closest neighbor.

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