http://solarsystem.nasa.gov The Solar System Exploration Home Page is part of NASA's Office of Space Science and describes NASA's program to explore the solar system. en-us 10 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26655 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26655 Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 PST 05.05.08 - NASA Kepler Mission Offers Opportunity to Send Names Into Space
How cool would it be to have your name on board the spacecraft that discovers the first known Earth-like planet beyond our solar system? Well, here's your chance.
]]> 0 0 0 Kepler http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26595 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26595 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST 04.30.08 - Jupiter's Shadow Sculpts Its Rings
Using data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft, scientists have shown that Jupiter's shadow is shaping the planet's rings and the orbits of particles within the rings. The findings appear in the May 1 issue of Nature.
]]> Galileo http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26635 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26635 Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 PST 04.28.08 - Mercury Features Receive New Names
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved new names for features on Mercury and agreed on a new theme for fossae on the planet.
]]> 0 0 0 MESSENGER http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26575 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26575 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST 04.23.08 - Shoulder Motor Balks on Opportunity Rover's Robotic Arm
A small motor in the robotic arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity that began stalling occasionally more than two years ago has become more troublesome recently.
]]> 0 0 0 Opportunity http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26496 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26496 Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST 04.17.08 - New Atlases Use NASA Data to Chart Ocean Winds
Several new atlases of ocean wind patterns around the globe, based on data from NASA's QuikScat satellite, are benefiting a wide range of users, from those who sail the seas to those responsible for managing their precious resources.
]]> 0 0 0 QuickSCAT http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26475 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26475 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST 04.16.08 - New NASA Moon Mission Begins Integration of Science Instruments
Several instruments that will help NASA characterize the moon's surface have been installed on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. The powerful equipment will bring the moon into sharper focus and reveal new insights about this celestial body.
]]> 0 0 0 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26437 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26437 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST 04.10.08 - NASA Spacecraft Fine Tunes Course for Mars Landing
NASA engineers have adjusted the flight path of the Phoenix Mars Lander, setting the spacecraft on course for its May 25 landing on the Red Planet.
]]> 0 0 0 Phoenix http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26415 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26415 Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST 04.03.08 - Stardust Stars on Earth as it Does in the Heavens
While their spacecraft's journeys may have taken it more than halfway to Jupiter, members of the Stardust team have lately been doing some roaming of their own.
]]> 0 0 0 Stardust http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26375 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26375 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PST 04.01.08 - NASA Scientists Identify Smallest Known Black Hole
Using a new technique, two NASA scientists have identified the lightest known black hole. With a mass only about 3.8 times greater than our Sun and a diameter of only 15 miles, the black hole lies very close to the minimum size predicted for black holes.
]]> 0 0 0 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26255 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26255 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.26.08 - Cassini Tastes Organic Material at Saturn's Geyser Moon
NASA's Cassini spacecraft tasted and sampled a surprising organic brew erupting in geyser-like fashion from Saturn's moon Enceladus during a close flyby on March 12.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26196 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26196 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.20.08 - Cassini Spacecraft Finds Ocean May Exist Beneath Titan's Crust
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered evidence that points to the existence of an underground ocean of water and ammonia on Saturn's moon Titan.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26195 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26195 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.20.08 - NASA Mission Finds New Clues to Guide the Search for Life on Mars
NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has found evidence of salt deposits. These deposits point to places where water once was abundant and where evidence might exist of possible Martian life from the Red Planet's past.
]]> 0 0 0 Mars 2001 Odyssey http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26175 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26175 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.19.08 - Critical Deep-Space Maneuver Targets MESSENGER for Its Second Mercury Encounter
The MESSENGER spacecraft delivered a critical deep-space maneuver today - 64 million miles (103 million kilometers) from Earth.
]]> 0 0 0 MESSENGER http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26155 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26155 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.19.08 - Hubble Finds First Organic Molecule on an Exoplanet
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has made the first detection ever of an organic molecule in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting another star.
]]> 0 0 0 Hubble Space Telescope http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26055 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26055 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.13.08 - Cassini Flies Through Watery Plumes of Saturn Moon
NASA's Cassini spacecraft performed a daring flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Wed., March 12, flying about 15 kilometers per second (32,000 mph) through icy water geyser-like jets.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26036 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=26036 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.13.08 - Spitzer Finds Organics and Water Where New Planets May Grow
Researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered large amounts of simple organic gases and water vapor in a possible planet-forming region around an infant star, along with evidence that these molecules were created there.
]]> 0 0 0 Spitzer Space Telescope http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/ Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.13.08 - Cassini Gets Close-Up Views of Enceladus
Cassini completed its close flyby of Enceladus on March 12. Raw, or unprocessed, images from the flyby are now available.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25995 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25995 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.10.08 - Cassini Spacecraft to Dive Into Water Plume of Saturn Moon
NASA's Cassini spacecraft will make an unprecedented "in your face" flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Wed., March 12.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25935 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25935 Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.06.08 - Saturn's Moon Rhea Also May Have Rings
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found evidence of material orbiting Rhea, Saturn's second largest moon. This is the first time rings may have been found around a moon.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25895 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25895 Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.05.08 - Making a Mosaic
During MESSENGER's flyby of Mercury on January 14, 2008, the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) acquired images to create eight different mosaics.
]]> 0 0 0 MESSENGER http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25875 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25875 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.03.08 - Tenacious Rover Just Might Make It
Spirit has achieved a northerly tilt of 29.9 degrees! As a result, based on power projections, Spirit has a fighting chance of surviving another winter on Mars, if the weather and environment cooperate.
]]> 0 0 0 Spirit http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25855 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25855 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PST 03.03.08 - NASA Spacecraft Photographs Avalanches on Mars
A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars has taken the first ever image of active avalanches near the Red Planet's north pole.
]]> 0 0 0 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25835 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25835 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST 02.28.08 - Spacecraft at Mars Prepare to Welcome New Kid on the Block
Three Mars spacecraft are adjusting their orbits to be over the right place at the right time to listen to NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander as it enters the Martian atmosphere on May 25.
]]> 0 0 0 Mars 2001 Odyssey Mars Express Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Phoenix http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25795 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25795 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST 02.27.08 - Craters in Caloris
Caloris basin is an area of particular interest to the MESSENGER science team
]]> 0 0 0 MESSENGER http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25775 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25775 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST 02.26.08 - Spitzer's Eyes Perfect for Spotting Diamonds in the Sky
Diamonds may be rare on Earth, but surprisingly common in space -- and the super-sensitive infrared eyes of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope are perfect for scouting them.
]]> 0 0 0 Spitzer Space Telescope http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25636 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25636 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST 02.19.08 - Cassini Finds Mingling Moons May Share a Dark Past
Despite the incredible diversity of Saturn's icy moons, theirs is a story of great interaction.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25637 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25637 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST 02.15.08 - Mars Rovers Sharpen Questions About Livable Conditions
Like salt used as a preservative, high concentrations of dissolved minerals in the wet, early-Mars environment known from discoveries by NASA's Opportunity rover may have thwarted any microbes from developing or surviving.
]]> 0 0 0 Opportunity http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25595 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25595 Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST 02.13.08 - Titan's Surface Organics Surpass Oil Reserves on Earth
Saturn's orange moon Titan has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth, according to new data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25575 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25575 Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST 02.12.08 - Hunting Earths with Epoxi
In 2005, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft directed an impactor into comet Tempel 1 and collected valuable information about the composition of comets. Now the spacecraft is turning its largest telescope toward the stars to search for exosolar planets.
]]> 0 0 0 EPOXI http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25555 http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=25555 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST 02.07.08 - Scientists Study "Plumbing" in Plumes of Enceladus
Scientists on the Cassini mission have become out-of-this world "plumbers" as they try to piece together what's happening inside the "pipes" feeding the plumes of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
]]> 0 0 0 Cassini-Huygens