Looking Back on 2014: NASA Marks the Top Discoveries of the Year

Medicine & Technology Jan 01, 2015

In terms of discoveries and technological advancements, 2014 marked an important year for NASA. In fact the US space agency made huge strides towards its goal of sending astronauts to Mars. And these achievements were reached through a combination of front-line testing and scientific findings, while at the same time examining our own planet and the vast universe around it.

Coffin Discovery on Mars? Why Mars Rovers' Diminishing Memory May Be A Problem for NASA

Dec 31, 2014

It seems Mars enthusiasts have had some extra time over the holidays to painstakingly exam every image taken by NASA's Curiosity Rover. And what they found is causing quite a stir, and a bit of concern over the Rover's spotty memory as of late. The latest discovery by these enthusiasts looks suspiciously like a coffin resting on Mars surface.

Coffin Discovery on Mars? Why Mars Rovers' Diminishing Memory May Be A Problem for NASA

Dec 31, 2014

It seems Mars enthusiasts have had some extra time over the holidays to painstakingly exam every image taken by NASA's Curiosity Rover. And what they found is causing quite a stir, and a bit of concern over the Rover's spotty memory as of late. The latest discovery by these enthusiasts looks suspiciously like a coffin resting on Mars surface.

NASA's Mars Rover Seems To Be Going A Bit Senile―It Can't Remember A Thing

Dec 30, 2014

It's been over a decade since The Opportunity, NASA's newest Mars Rover, began scurrying across the planet's surface―and it's showing some signs of its aging.

What Lay in Seas of Venus? Researchers Say They May Have Found the Cloudlike Answer

Dec 30, 2014

As NASA contemplates sending man to Venus, to live in a floating civilization above the hostile burning surface, new research reveals that while current surface temperatures soar above a bone-ashing 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures may have once supported some sort of liquid on the surface—but you won’t be able to guess what it is.

NASA Envisions Floating City High Above in Venus Skies

Dec 29, 2014

NASA's new concept of a Venus-based "cloud city," as fantasy as it may sounds, has solid backing.

NASA Selects 4 U.S. Partners to Help Further Spaceflight Industry, No Extra Cost to Government

Dec 26, 2014

On December 23, NASA announced new unfunded partnerships with four U.S. firms to help develop the spaceflight industry. Specifically, these firms will assist with developing new space capabilities for both government and non-government customers. That’s right, these partnerships bring us that much closer to public spaceflight opportunities.

VIDEO: NASA Captures Spectacular Solar Flare Light Display

Dec 24, 2014

The best place to check out Christmas lights this year is up in the sky. Late Friday afternoon an extremely active area of the sun, known as Active Region2242, erupted in a gigantic solar flare.

Recently Invented Gecko Gloves Excite both Children and NASA

Dec 23, 2014

Stanford Graduate student Elliot Hawkes took on the task of creating a Gecko-inspired controllable adhesive for part of his dissertation project. The resulting product is causing excitement far beyond the mechanical engineering department at Stanford.

Orion’s Return: What Re-entry Means for the Industry of Spaceflight

Dec 23, 2014

On December 5, 2014 after a one-day weather delay, NASA launched Orion from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. While this test flight was unmanned, Orion is built to hold a crew of 2- 6 individuals. It’s no secret that NASA plans to send humans to an asteroid and to Mars using Orion.

NuSTAR Telescope Helps NASA Find Nanoflares on the Sun

Dec 22, 2014

With a new day in science comes a new study of the sun. No, we’re not talking about a new telescope or a new division under the international space agencies, but rather a reallocation of a science used in other parts of space. Turning their sights from far off black holes, with a closer subject in mind, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is repositioning their NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) towards our very own local star to produce the most sensitive measurements of high-energy solar x-rays to date.

Discovery Sparks Interest—NASA’s Mission to Mars Gets Its Own New Show

Dec 18, 2014

Often in the media, it’s what’s new and fresh that brings in the ratings. But what about looking for something potentially millions of years old? What if it wasn’t on this planet even? Peak your interest yet? Well, if so, you may just be in luck, because after decades of researching and scoping out the fourth planet from our sun, Mars, NASA has announced today that it has collaborated with the Discovery Channel to show a never-before-seen view of the Red Planet. And it airs tonight, Dec. 18!

Curiosity Rover Gets Its Own Special—Discovery Channel Tonight

Dec 18, 2014

Earlier this week, NASA announced that its Mars Curiosity Rover may have found some essential building blocks of life, and now they’re saying that viewers on Earth will have a chance to watch the discovery process for themselves. Premiering tonight, Dec. 18, the Discovery Channel will chronicle the Curiosity Rover’s long trek across the Red Planet fourth from our sun, giving viewers here on Earth a never-before-seen perspective from the surface of Mars.

Organics on Mars—Could Life Be Sustained on Red Planet?

Dec 17, 2014

While there are many requisite features for a planet to be host to forms of life, even as simple as archaea species, the most important known feature is the existence of organic molecules from which they can be created. And though there are still many questions left unanswered about our red neighbor on the galactic block, Mars, researchers from NASA say that the Curiosity Rover Mission has successfully identified methane and other organics which may give their teams a better insight into the possible watery past of our solar system’s famed “Red Planet”.

Could Water Have Changed the Face of Mars, or Is the Habitability Question too Much to Bare?

Dec 12, 2014

While some parts of the nation are fighting Winter storms of snow and sleet, eyes this week are o water of the liquid variety. And more specifically, researchers and reporters are looking towards the molecule’s importance in developing life, as well as its origins story too. News this week of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta Mission, revealed a recently published study reporting that the sustenance of our Earth and of all life, water, may in fact have not originated on comets from the Kuiper Belt as once believed. And what’s more, now that researchers have debunked false origin stories of the miracle molecule, they’re now beginning to question whether water alone can make a planet habitable for life, or if there are other mitigating conditions as well.