From a possible cure for Aids to a new discovery of quasiparticles, 2008 brought with it important scientific and medical advances as well as great disappointments such as the unexpected malfunction of the Large Hadron Collider, which postponed the multi ...
NASA Outsources ISS Resupply
The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) announced plans to outsource upcoming resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX vehicles will make twelve trips to the space station and Orbital Sciences Corporation vehicles will make eight between 2010 ...
Gamma Ray Pulsar Discovered
NASA’s Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope recently discovered a previously unknown pulsar. This is an exceptional discovery since this pulsar is emitting only gamma rays, and displays no radio emissions that all known pulsars emit. This discovery is another example ...
Special Report: NASA Future Forum
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently held the sixth of seven planned Future Forums at the Museum of Science in Boston in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The forum included presentations by NASA Deputy Administrator, Shana Dale, the head of Ares ...
Underground Water on Saturn’s Moon
Researchers working on NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn are theorizing that Saturn’s moon Enceladus has pockets of liquid water located just underneath its surface. Several recent flybys of this moon (including one on October 9, 2008 that passed a mere ...
Toxic Chemical Doesn’t Preclude Life on Mars
Researchers involved in analyzing the data collected by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander claim that the discovery of perchlorate on the planet’s surface doesn’t rule out the possibility of finding microbial life on Mars. Perchlorate is a weak oxidant used in ...
Young Planets Remain Hot Longer than Assumed
An MIT scientist suggests young planets maintain a high temperature for several million years, much longer than previously assumed. This can make such planets easier to detect, because during this hot stage their brightness is not overshadowed by that of ...
IBEX to Go to the Outer Solar System
NASA has recently accomplished the successful launch of the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) probe into orbit. The spaceship will be able to collect new data on solar wind. The research can also help scientist understand the way in which solar ...
STS-126 to Dock at ISS
The Space Shuttle Endeavour, which launched two days ago, is scheduled to dock at the International Space Station today (November 16th) at 4:04 PM CST. The main goal of the mission, called STS-126, is to prepare the station for long ...
NASA Tests Rover Concepts in Arizona
NASA’s recent tests of the lunar rover have taken the vehicle to its limits. Since the moon has such a harsh environment, NASA is taking all the measures possible to make sure the new rover will be prepared, such as ...