NASA
Interplanetary spaceflight, astronauts, and beyond. NASA is leading the exploration into space.
NASA: Jupiter's Great Red Spot Up Close
NASA's Juno mission has begun to release the very latest images from its JunoCam, taken July 10, 2017 during its close flyby near Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot. It was Juno's sixth flyby near the gas giant in our Solar System.
By Anya Wassenberg7 years ago in Futurism
Exoplanet Update: NASA Releases New Kepler Data
NASA released the latest data from the Kepler space telescope project. A total of 219 objects were identified as new planet candidates. More significantly, 10 of those were determined to be possible Earth-like exoplanets which orbit their star at a distance called the habitable zone, where water could exist in a liquid state.
By Anya Wassenberg7 years ago in Futurism
NASA: Juno Delivers First Jupiter Data
Jupiter, it turns out, is even more wonderfully complicated than earth's scientists had previously imagined. NASA's Juno Mission has resulted in the first flurry of research papers that look to find clues to the beginnings of our galaxy in a better understanding of the solar system's largest planet.
By Anya Wassenberg7 years ago in Futurism
Joint NASA/ESA Mission Proposed to Search for Life on Europa
Europa is one of the most fascinating places in the Solar System, and is considered to be at or near the top of the list of worlds to search for possible evidence of life. Beneath its outer ice crust lies a deep and dark salty ocean, thought to be quite to Earth's own oceans. Could that ocean be inhabited, even if just by microbes? Scientists want to know, and now a new proposal calls for a joint orbiter/lander mission between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), to try to answer that question.
By Paul Scott Anderson7 years ago in Futurism
NASA's New Europa Mission Formally Named 'Europa Clipper'
It's been a long time coming, but NASA's new mission to Jupiter's moon Europa now has a formal name: Europa Clipper. The spacecraft, to be launched in the early 2020s, will conduct multiple close flybys of the moon, with the goal of determining just how habitable it actually is. With a global salty ocean just beneath its icy crust, Europa is thought to be one of the best places in the Solar System to search for possible alien life.
By Paul Scott Anderson7 years ago in Futurism
NASA's Kepler Space Telescope Continues Observations of TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System
The seven Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1 generated a lot of excitement when their discovery was announced last month. This is the largest collection of Earth-sized worlds in one planetary system found so far, and some of them are well within the star's "habitable zone" where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on their surfaces. Little else is known about the actual conditions on these planets so far, but NASA's Kepler Space Telescope has also been observing TRAPPIST-1 in recent weeks.
By Paul Scott Anderson7 years ago in Futurism
Could the TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System Be Home to Alien Life?
The discovery of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1 generated a lot of excitement last week. Earth-sized planets have been found before, among the thousands of exoplanets discovered so far by astronomers, but this is the first time that so many have been detected in one planetary system. As of now, astronomers are limited in how much they can learn about these new worlds, but the James Webb Space Telescope, the upcoming successor to Hubble due to launch in 2018, will be able to gather more data and analyze whatever atmospheres these planets have, perhaps bringing us closer to finding another habitable world.
By Paul Scott Anderson7 years ago in Futurism
Everything You Need to Know About the Apollo Missions
This list includes everything you need to know about the Apollo missions to help you understand the space race. The Apollo missions took place between 1961 and 1975. These missions were part of a NASA program to put a man on the moon. This was to fulfill a promise made by John F. Kennedy in 1961 to place an American on the moon before the end of the decade. The program ultimately resulted in just that, but it was not without its share of setbacks. This list covers all the manned Apollo missions. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the Apollo missions.
By James Lizowski8 years ago in Futurism
Famous Female Astronauts
When many of us think of space travel and astronauts, we go to towering figures like Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin; but what many people fail to realize is the importance of women in space. Women have played an important role in space exploration since the US and Soviet Russia began their space programs in the 1960s; advancing both our understanding of space and women's rights. Among the dozens of women who have become space pioneers these are the most important women in space and some of the most famous female astronauts.
By George Gott8 years ago in Futurism
Most Exciting NASA Space Missions
NASA has kept the world on its toes. From Apollo to Chandra to Viking, and all of the space exploration in between, NASA's entire history has been step after giant step for mankind. The organization was established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to encourage peaceful applications in space science. Since then, NASA has led the vast majority of US space missions. Throughout these decades, NASA has launched many an exciting and revolutionary mission, from winning the space race to launching numerous unmanned missions for observational purposes. As man looks from the most exciting NASA space missions and exploration towards colonization, more and more privately held space companies are popping up to complement NASA's work. With Elon Musk's SpaceX releasing the first privately funded, liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit and working towards enabling people to live on other planets, it seems that the future of space travel may be more privately run than governmental. However, as we move forward, it is important to look back and see how far NASA has brought us with the most exciting NASA space missions.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Space Conspiracy Theories
Everything you know about space is a lie. We’ve never been to the moon, Pluto is a hologram, and Obama visited Mars twice. Conspiracy theorists believe all of this and so much more. NASA is one of the top organizations accused of conspiracy theories, and has been since the day it was created. Established in 1958, NASA was founded to compete with the Soviet Union in the space race. After Russia launched Sputnik, people were afraid that they would start building weapons in space. NASA was created to combat this. In the 1960s, John F. Kennedy approved the Apollo program which was aimed at successfully sending a man to the moon. While the Apollo 1 ended in disaster, the Apollo 8 and 10 missions went to the moon to test equipment and take photos but did not land.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
