Layoff notices went out Tuesday to 550 employees at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in response to ongoing budgetary chaos at the legendary La Cañada Flintridge facility. The layoffs reduced the employee headcount by more than 10% and affected teams across the institution, according to multiple sources not authorized to speak publicly. A reorganization for remaining staffers will be announced on …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🛰️ NASA’s ISS discovers unseen atmospheric waves 55 miles above Earth during Hurricane Helene. 🌊 The mesosphere reveals a dynamic response to hurricane energy, challenging previous assumptions. 🔭 Advanced instruments like AWE and AMTM offer new insights into upper atmospheric interactions. 🛰️ Atmospheric waves impact satellite orbits, highlighting the importance of understanding space weather. In the midst …
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As humanity eyes returning to the moon, countries like the U.S. and China are working to develop key infrastructure to make lunar exploration, and possibly even moon mining, feasible. This includes lunar rovers, which can make faraway areas of the moon more reachable. What is it? The Lunar Electric Rover (LER) was developed as a versatile exploration vehicle designed to …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🛰️ Sierra Space and NASA revise contract for the Dream Chaser spaceplane, shifting its mission focus. 🚀 Dream Chaser’s first orbital flight in 2026 will be as a free flier, not visiting the ISS. 🛡️ The spaceplane is positioned as a national asset, capable of supporting defense and private space missions. 📅 With the ISS’s decommissioning by …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🔭 The Rubin Observatory and JWST offer complementary astronomical insights through wide-field surveys and infrared observations. 🌌 Located in Chile, the Rubin Observatory utilizes optimal conditions for ground-based wide-field sky mapping. 🚀 The James Webb Space Telescope operates at the L2 point, offering precise infrared capabilities and detailed follow-up observations. 🛰️ Together, they facilitate a comprehensive understanding …
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Robots, they’re just like us—fascinated by the skies above them and the mysteries they hold. And now, NASA has revealed that its Mars Perseverance rover might have spotted a mysterious visitor from beyond our solar system. A recent photo taken by the rover on Saturday shows a bright streak of light across the Martian sky, which NASA believes may have …
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On September 5, 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 1 probe into space with the aim of studying the outer planets. Voyager 1 launched a couple of weeks after Voyager 2, and both probes have flown to the outer reaches the Solar System, breaking records as the furthest manmade objects ever made. The mission has been going on for nearly half a …
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NASA’s spinning spacecraft studying the satellites of the solar system’s largest celestial body (aside from the sun), may already be switched off, but the space agency won’t say. The Juno probe launched in 2011 and entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016, beginning what was originally planned as a 20-month mission. Nearly a decade later, the spacecraft has delivered unprecedented research …
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NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover caught something unusual streaking across the sky above the Red Planet. On Saturday (Oct. 4), Perseverance’s Right Navigation Camera (Navcam) captured an image of a streak of light in the sky above Mars. The date of the image coincides with when interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was set to make its closest pass to the Red Planet, according …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🪐 Scientists discover Titan’s atmosphere behaves like a gyroscope, shifting tilt with the seasons. 🔍 The University of Bristol uses Cassini data to uncover Titan’s unique atmospheric behavior. 🚀 Findings impact NASA’s upcoming Dragonfly mission to Titan, improving landing trajectory calculations. 🌌 Titan’s atmospheric dynamics prompt broader questions in atmospheric science and planetary exploration. Saturn’s largest moon, …
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