All Articles Tagged As: orbiter

Chandrayaan-1 successfully launched - next stop: The moon (10/29/2008)

Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to the Moon, was successfully launched earlier this morning from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India. The PSLV-C11 rocket, an upgraded version of the Indian Space Research Organization's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, lifted off at 02:52 Central European Summer Time and, about 20 minutes later, injected the spacecraft into a highly elongated orbit around the Earth. ...> Full Article

New Findings Show Diverse, Wet Environments on Ancient Mars (7/20/2008)

The camera may also capture an image of the intended landing site for Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission, due for launch in 2009 ...> Full Article

Physicists eagerly await launch of NASA space telescope they helped build (6/1/2008)

Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral on June 5. ...> Full Article

Mars Express one of three orbiters preparing for Phoenix landing (2/29/2008)

A trio of NASA and ESA spacecraft orbiting Mars are preparing for the 25 May arrival of NASA's Phoenix lander. ESA's Mars Express has already started adjusting its orbit to provide critical back-up monitoring of Phoenix. ...> Full Article

Astronomers find one of the youngest and brightest galaxies in the early universe (2/16/2008)

NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, with a boost from a natural "zoom lens," have uncovered what may be one of the youngest and brightest galaxies ever seen in the middle of the cosmic "dark ages," just 700 million years after the beginning of our universe. ...> Full Article

Spitzer Spies Young Stars in their Baby Blanket of Dust (2/12/2008)

Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi star-forming region from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. ...> Full Article

Giant Particle Accelerator Discovered In The Sky (1/28/2008)

ESA's orbiting gamma-ray observatory, Integral, has made the first unambiguous discovery of highly energetic X-rays coming from a galaxy cluster. The find has shown the cluster to be a giant particle accelerator. ...> Full Article

Mars Orbiter Examines 'Lace' and 'Lizard Skin' Terrain (12/14/2007)

Scrutiny by NASA's newest Mars orbiter is helping scientists learn the stories of some of the weirdest landscapes on Mars, as well as more familiar-looking parts of the Red Planet. ...> Full Article

Travel Maps Of The Lunar North Pole (12/10/2007)

A new map obtained with SMART-1 data shows the geography and illumination of the lunar north pole. Such maps will be of great use for future lunar explorers. ...> Full Article

Mars Express Probes The Red Planet's Most Unusual Deposits (11/4/2007)

The radar system on ESA's Mars Express has uncovered new details about some of the most mysterious deposits on Mars: The Medusae Fossae Formation. It has given the first direct measurement of the depth and electrical properties of these materials, providing new clues about their origin. ...> Full Article

Selecting Next Mars Rover Landing Site With Minerals In Mind (10/27/2007)

Scientists scouting potential landing sites for NASA's next Mars rover mission are using new data from a powerful mineral-mapping camera to narrow the site selection. ...> Full Article

New isotope molecule may add to Venus' greenhouse effect (10/11/2007)

New isotope molecule may add to Venus' greenhouse effect ...> Full Article

Small Explorer Mission to Detect Black Holes Scheduled for 2011 Launch (10/4/2007)

NASA has given the go-ahead to restart an astrophysics mission that will provide a greater capability for using high-energy Xrays to detect black holes than any existing instrument has. ...> Full Article

Heat-sensing camera finds 'skylights' on Mars (9/26/2007)

A heat-sensitive camera flying on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has led a team of geologists to find seven deep holes on the flanks of Arsia Mons, a giant volcano on Mars. ...> Full Article

Saturn's moon Iapetus is the Yin-Yang of the Solar System (9/16/2007)

Cassini scientists are poring through hundreds of images returned from the 10 September fly-by of Saturn's two-toned moon Iapetus. ...> Full Article

The mysterious ridges at the mouth of Tiu Valles (9/15/2007)

These images taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board Mars Express show the mouth of the Tiu Valles channel system on the red planet. ...> Full Article

Cassini Flies By Saturn's Walnut-Shaped Moon Iapetus (9/14/2007)

Cassini completed its closest flyby of the odd moon Iapetus on Sept. 10, 2007. The spacecraft flew about 1,640 kilometers (1,000 miles) from Iapetus' surface and is returning amazing views of the bizarre moon. ...> Full Article

Joint Dark Energy Mission a Top Priority for NASA (9/8/2007)

The National Research Council's Beyond Einstein Program Assessment Committee has recommended that the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM), jointly supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Energy, be the first of NASA's Beyond Einstein cosmology missions to be developed and launched. ...> Full Article

'Heart' of Herschel to be presented to media (9/6/2007)

By the end of 2007, the assembly of the ESA's Herschel far-infrared space observatory - the latest mission to study the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies - will be completed. ...> Full Article

500 days at Venus, and the surprises keep coming (9/4/2007)

Venus Express has now orbited Earth's twin for 500 Earth days, completing as many orbits. While the satellite maintains steady and excellent performance, the planet continues to surprise and amaze us. ...> Full Article

AKARI finishes its cool observations (9/2/2007)

International scientific satellite reaches the end of the major phase of its work ...> Full Article

The Highs And Lows Of Martian Water Vapour (8/31/2007)

Recent observations by instruments aboard Mars Express show peculiar behaviour by water vapour in the highest and lowest regions of Mars. ...> Full Article

Could Enceladus's Icy Plumes Pose A Hazard To Cassini? (8/30/2007)

On 12th March 2008, Cassini will swing by Saturn's moon Enceladus at an altitude of less than 100 kilometres at the point of closest approach. This will give scientists and unprecedented opportunity to study the plumes of water vapour emanating from the "tiger stripe" fissures near the moon's south pole, but it has also given the Cassini team pause for thought as to whether ice grains lofted by the jets could damage the spacecraft. ...> Full Article

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Status Report (8/29/2007)

Diagnostic tests and months of stable, successful operation have resolved concerns raised early this year about long-term prospects for the powerful telescopic camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. ...> Full Article

Speeding Bullet Star Leaves Enormous Streak Across Sky (8/27/2007)

NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has spotted an amazingly long comet-like tail behind a star streaking through space at supersonic speeds. "I was shocked when I first saw this completely unexpected, humongous tail trailing behind a well-known star," said Caltech's Christopher Martin. ...> Full Article

SMART-1 diagnoses wrinkles and excess weight on the Moon (8/24/2007)

Combining information from SMART-1 and Clementine makes it possible to assess the link between fine geological structures, identified for the first time with AMIE's high resolution, and the chemical composition of the study area. These fine geological structures form due to local mascon (mass concentration) or because of the thermal effects in the area related to volcanic activity. This deforms the crust giving it the appearance of being 'overweight' or 'wrinkled'. ...> Full Article

Hinode helps unravel long-standing solar mysteries (8/24/2007)

A year after launch, scientists working with Hinode, a Japanese mission with ESA participation, are meeting at Trinity College, Dublin, to discuss latest findings on solar mysteries - including new insights on solar flares and coronal heating. ...> Full Article

Total Lunar Eclipse Draws Attention Back to the Moon (8/23/2007)

As August draws to an end, watchers of the night sky will be in for a treat. In the early morning hours of August 28, sky watchers across much of the world can look on as the Moon crosses in to the shadow of the Earth, becoming completely immersed for one-hour and 30 minutes, a period of time much longer than most typical lunar eclipses. In fact, this eclipse will be the deepest and longest in 7 years. ...> Full Article

Moving to the rhythm of the Sun (8/20/2007)

Scientists from the Ulysses mission have proven that sounds generated deep inside the Sun cause the Earth to shake and vibrate in sympathy. They have found that Earth's magnetic field, atmosphere and terrestrial systems, all take part in this cosmic sing-along. ...> Full Article

Mars Express Orbiter will keep an eye on Phoenix Lander (8/7/2007)

ESA's Mars Express will keep an eye on NASA's Phoenix lander as it makes its way to the Martian surface, setting an example for international cooperation and interplanetary networking. ...> Full Article

New Software Enables Easy Access To Huge Mars Database (8/5/2007)

A software program developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis is allowing viewers everywhere access to early images from the most powerful spectral camera ever sent to Mars. The images are now available on NASA's online planetary data archive. ...> Full Article

Cassini Finds Possible Origin of One of Saturn's Rings (8/4/2007)

Cassini scientists may have identified the source of one of Saturn's more mysterious rings. Saturn's G ring likely is produced by relatively large, icy particles that reside within a bright arc on the ring's inner edge. ...> Full Article

Orbiter Catches a Dust Devil on Mars (7/22/2007)

The University of Arizona-based High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) group this week released a good look at a dust devil on Mars. This is not the storm bedeviling NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. ...> Full Article