Category: Planetary Science

NASA’s Hubble Detects First-Ever Spin Reversal of Tiny Comet

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence that the spinning of a small comet slowed and then reversed its direction of rotation, offering a dramatic example of how volatile activity can affect the spin and physical evolution of small bodies in the solar system. This is the first time researchers have observed evidence […]

Approval to Exceed GSA Lodging for LPSC 2026

This letter from SARA is to issue a waiver for NASA grantees attending LPSC2026, allowing them to be reimbursed out of their grants for their actual lodging, although it’s expected to be above the approved GSA amount. This waiver does not supersede the travel policy of your institution if it is more restrictive. Note: I have […]

NASA Back for Seconds with New Food System Design Challenge

NASA is getting ready to send four astronauts around the Moon with Artemis II, laying the foundation for sustainable missions to the lunar surface and paving the way for human exploration on Mars. As the agency considers deep space endeavors that could last months or years, it must develop ways to feed astronauts beyond sending […]

Flight Engineers Give NASA’s Dragonfly Lift

In sending a car-sized rotorcraft to explore Saturn’s moon Titan, NASA’s Dragonfly mission will undertake an unprecedented voyage of scientific discovery. And the work to ensure that this first-of-its-kind project can fulfill its ambitious exploration vision is underway in some of the nation’s most advanced space simulation and testing laboratories. Set for launch in in […]

NASA Study Suggests Saturn’s Moon Titan May Not Have Global Ocean

A key discovery from NASA’s Cassini mission in 2008 was that Saturn’s largest moon Titan may have a vast water ocean below its hydrocarbon-rich surface. But reanalysis of mission data suggests a more complicated picture: Titan’s interior is more likely composed of ice, with layers of slush and small pockets of warm water that form […]

Sugars, ‘Gum,’ Stardust Found in NASA’s Asteroid Bennu Samples

The asteroid Bennu continues to provide new clues to scientists’ biggest questions about the formation of the early solar system and the origins of life. As part of the ongoing study of pristine samples delivered to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) spacecraft, three new papers published Tuesday by […]

Sugars, ‘Gum,’ Stardust Found in NASA’s Asteroid Bennu Samples

The asteroid Bennu continues to provide new clues to scientists’ biggest questions about the formation of the early solar system and the origins of life. As part of the ongoing study of pristine samples delivered to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) spacecraft, three new papers published Tuesday by […]

PLANETS Units Have Landed – Free NASA-Funded Out-of-School Time Resources

The NASA Science Activation program’s PLANETS (Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science) project, led by Northern Arizona University (NAU), is pleased to announce the official launch of three free out-of-school (OST) time units that give all learners in grades 3-5 and 6-8 the chance to do real planetary science and […]

NASA Helps Connect Astronomers and Community Colleges Across the Nation

The NASA Community College Network (NCCN) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) have teamed up to provide an exciting and impactful program that brings top astronomy researchers into the classrooms of community colleges around the United States. The Harlow Shapley Visiting Lectureship Program, named for astronomer Harlow Shapley (1885-1972), has a history dating back to […]