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NASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space via Laser

December 22, 2023
NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment beamed an ultra-high definition streaming video on Dec. 11 from a record-setting 19 million miles away (31 million kilometers, or about 80 times the Earth-Moon distance). The milestone is part of a NASA technology demonstration aimed at streaming very high-bandwidth video and other data from deep space – enabling future human missions beyond…
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As the Arctic Warms, Its Waters Are Emitting Carbon

December 22, 2023
When it comes to influencing climate change, the world’s smallest ocean punches above its weight. It’s been estimated that the cold waters of the Arctic absorb as much as 180 million metric tons of carbon per year – more than three times what New York City emits…
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NASA Helps Study One of the World’s Most Diverse Ecosystems

December 9, 2023
An international team of researchers spent October and November 2023 in the field studying one of the world’s most biologically diverse areas – South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region. As part of the effort, researchers used NASA airborne and space-based instruments to gather complementary data to better understand the unique aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in this region. Their…
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Students Create Elaborate Homemade Machines for JPL Competition

December 9, 2023
Some 250 students hauled homemade machines they’d spent weeks honing to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Friday, Dec. 8, for the 24th annual JPL Invention Challenge. The rules for the creative engineering competition change every year, but the…
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NASA’s Psyche Delivers First Images and Other Data

December 6, 2023
Loading Image Comparison… This mosaic of a star field in the constellation Pisces was made from “first light” images acquired Dec. 4 by both of the cameras on NASA’s Psyche spacecraft. Use the slider to view the star field with and without star names labeled.
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NASA Orbiter Snaps Stunning Views of Mars Horizon

November 29, 2023
Astronauts often react with awe when they see the curvature of the Earth below the International Space Station. Now Mars scientists are getting a taste of what that’s like, thanks to NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, which completed its 22nd year at the Red Planet last month. The spacecraft captured a series of panoramic images that showcase the curving Martian landscape below gauzy layers of…
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NASA Uses Two Worlds to Test Future Mars Helicopter Designs

November 23, 2023
For the first time in history, two planets have been home to testing future aircraft designs. On this world, a new rotor that could be used with next-generation Mars helicopters was recently tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, spinning at…
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NASA Data Reveals Possible Reason Some Exoplanets Are Shrinking

November 16, 2023
Some exoplanets seem to be losing their atmospheres and shrinking. In a new study using NASA’s retired Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers find evidence of a possible cause: The cores of these planets are pushing away their atmospheres from the inside out. Exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) come in a variety of sizes, from small, rocky planets to colossal gas giants. In the middle lie…
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