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NASA Sun-Watching Spacecraft Celebrates 4th Birthday with Amazing Video

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A NASA sun-studying probe celebrates four years in space this week, and the agency has released a stunning new video to mark the occasion.

Theamazing new video of the sun, which NASA released Tuesday, is a greatest-hits set from the space agency's powerful Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which is celebrating its fourth year in space. The video showcases some of SDO's most dramatic and beautiful images from the last 12 months.

The nearly four-minute movie includes footage of sunspots,solar flares powerful blasts of light in X-ray and other wavelengths and prominence eruptions, which send loops of solar material out into the sun's atmosphere.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatoryblasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Feb. 11, 2010, on a mission to study solar activity and help scientists understand how variations in that activity affect life here on Earth.

"Scientists study these images to better understand the complex electromagnetic system causing the constant movement on the sun, which can ultimately have an effect closer to Earth, too: Flares and another type of solar explosion called coronal mass ejections can sometimes disrupt technology in space," NASA officials wrote in a description of the video. nasa-sun-observatory-fourth-anniversary-video-sdo

SDO captures high-resolution views of the sun in 10 different wavelengths 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The probe records images of the solar atmosphere in unprecedented detail, researchers say.

Solar Quiz: How Well Do You Know Our Sun?

Many of us take the sun for granted, giving it little thought until it scorches our skin or gets in our eyes. But our star is a fascinating and complex object, a gigantic fusion reactor that gives us life. How much do you know about the sun?

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Solar Quiz: How Well Do You Know Our Sun?

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NASA Sun-Watching Spacecraft Celebrates 4th Birthday with Amazing Video

NASA spacecraft get a 360-degree view of Saturn's auroras

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NASA trained several pairs of eyes on Saturn as the planet put on a dancing light show at its poles. While NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, orbiting around Earth, was able to observe the northern auroras in ultraviolet wavelengths, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, orbiting around Saturn, got complementary close-up views in infrared, visible-light and ultraviolet wavelengths. Cassini could also see northern and southern parts of Saturn that don't face Earth.

The result is a kind of step-by-step choreography detailing how the auroras move, showing the complexity of these auroras and how scientists can connect an outburst from the sun and its effect on the magnetic environment at Saturn. A new video showing aurora images from Hubble and Cassini is available at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/?id=1277.

"Saturn's auroras can be fickle -- you may see fireworks, you may see nothing," said Jonathan Nichols of the University of Leicester in England, who led the work on the Hubble images. "In 2013, we were treated to a veritable smorgasbord of dancing auroras, from steadily shining rings to super-fast bursts of light shooting across the pole."

The Hubble and Cassini images were focused on April and May of 2013. Images from Cassini's ultraviolet imaging spectrometer (UVIS), obtained from an unusually close range of about six Saturn radii, provided a look at the changing patterns of faint emissions on scales of a few hundred miles (kilometers) and tied the changes in the auroras to the fluctuating wind of charged particles blowing off the sun and flowing past Saturn.

"This is our best look yet at the rapidly changing patterns of auroral emission," said Wayne Pryor, a Cassini co-investigator at Central Arizona College in Coolidge, Ariz. "Some bright spots come and go from image to image. Other bright features persist and rotate around the pole, but at a rate slower than Saturn's rotation."

The UVIS images, which are also being analyzed by team associate Aikaterini Radioti at the University of Liege, Belgium, also suggest that one way the bright auroral storms may be produced is by the formation of new connections between magnetic field lines. That process causes storms in the magnetic bubble around Earth. The movie also shows one persistent bright patch of the aurora rotating in lockstep with the orbital position of Saturn's moon Mimas. While previous UVIS images had shown an intermittent auroral bright spot magnetically linked to the moon Enceladus, the new movie suggests another Saturn moon can influence the light show as well.

The new data also give scientists clues to a long-standing mystery about the atmospheres of giant outer planets.

"Scientists have wondered why the high atmospheres of Saturn and other gas giants are heated far beyond what might normally be expected by their distance from the sun," said Sarah Badman, a Cassini visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team associate at Lancaster University, England. "By looking at these long sequences of images taken by different instruments, we can discover where the aurora heats the atmosphere as the particles dive into it and how long the cooking occurs."

The visible-light data have helped scientists figure out the colors of Saturn's auroras. While the curtain-like auroras we see at Earth are green at the bottom and red at the top, Cassini's imaging cameras have shown us similar curtain-like auroras at Saturn that are red at the bottom and purple at the top, said Ulyana Dyudina, an imaging team associate at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.

The color difference occurs because Earth's auroras are dominated by excited nitrogen and oxygen molecules, and Saturn's auroras are dominated by excited hydrogen molecules.

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NASA spacecraft get a 360-degree view of Saturn's auroras

NASA, CNES Team Up For Mars Lander Project

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This week NASA and the Centre national dtudes spatiales (the French space agency, CNES) signed an agreement to work towards a future Mars lander set to launch in 2016.

The mission is known as the Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The goal of the project is to

The InSight mission is currently scheduled to launch in March 2016. After arriving at Mars half a year later a lander will be deployed to the red planets surface. Once there, the lander will use a tool known as the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to study the interior of Mars.

The SEIS instrument is capable of measuring tectonic activity and meteorite impacts on Mars. Researchers hope the data gathered by the lander will help inform research into how rocky planets first form.

This new agreement strengthens the partnership between NASA and CNES in planetary science research, and builds on more than 20 years of cooperation with CNES on Mars exploration, said Charles Bolden, NASA administrator. The research generated by this collaborative mission will give our agencies more information about the early formation of Mars, which will help us understand more about how Earth evolved.

NASA is the latest agency to sign on for the SEIS project. The German Aerospace Center, the UK Space Agency, the Swiss Space Office, and the ESA all have a hand in the project, and the InSight mission includes researchers from all over Europe, North America, and Japan.

Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech

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NASA, CNES Team Up For Mars Lander Project

NASA Report: How to Defend Planet From Asteroids

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The results of a workshop to find the best ways to find, track and deflect asteroids headed for Earth were released by NASA on Friday (Feb. 7).

NASA's Asteroid Initiative, started in 2013, includes a mission tocapture a small near-Earth asteroidand drag it into a stable orbit around the moon, and a challenge to devise the best ideas for detecting and defending against potentially dangerous asteroids.

The agency put out a request for information to refine the objectives of the Asteroid Initiative, to generate other mission concepts and increase participation in the mission and planetary defense. [NASA's Asteroid-Capture Mission in Pictures]

NASA received an enthusiastic response, including from the general public. The agency evaluated the ideas it received and chose 96 of them to explore further at a two-part workshop at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 30 and Nov. 20 to 22, 2013.

"We are already acting on the ideas submitted through the [request] process," NASA said in a statement.

For example, the agency reactivated the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft, now known asNEOWISE, in Sept. 2013, to look for near-Earth asteroids that could be targets for the Asteroid Redirect Mission.

The workshop report also recommended holding more forums to get citizens involved in the Asteroid Initiative and create incentives to reach milestones in the asteroid mission and grand challenge.

Asteroid Basics: A Space Rock Quiz

Asteroids are fascinating for lots of reasons. They contain a variety of valuable resources and slam into our planet on a regular basis, occasionally snuffing out most of Earth's lifeforms. How much do you know about space rocks?

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NASA Report: How to Defend Planet From Asteroids

NASA And French Space Agency Team Up For 2016 Mars Lander Mission

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Artist's concept of the InSight lander. NASA

NASAs Mars rovers, such as Curiosity and Opportunity, are looking for evidence of ancient water and exploring the history of the Martian environment that indicates a past that was once suitable for life. NASA will go beyond the surface on Mars in the new InSight mission.

The InSight missions main objective will be to explore the deep interior of Mars to gain new insights to how it formed. According to the CNES, the mission will study the structure of Mars crust mantle and core, measuring size, thickness and density. The Mars lander will be equipped with the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to measure tectonic activity and the effects of meteorite impacts. The SEIS instrument will also analyze the interior structure and composition of Mars.

The research generated by this collaborative mission will give our agencies more information about the early formation of Mars, which will help us understand more about how Earth evolved, said NASA chief administrator Charles Bolden in a statement.

According to NASA, the InSight mission will launch in March 2016, landing on Mars six months after launch. The landers arrival will bring the total number of Mars missions to seven, with one future mission slated for 2020. NASA currently has three spacecraft orbiting the planet, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey and the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN), and is participating in the European Space Agencys Mars Express mission as well as two rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity. NASA is planning to launch a new rover in 2020 with the goal of a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.

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NASA And French Space Agency Team Up For 2016 Mars Lander Mission

Finden Ihr einen Planeten? Nasa erstellt grte Himmelskarte der Welt im Internet – Video

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Finden Ihr einen Planeten? Nasa erstellt grte Himmelskarte der Welt im Internet
http://focus.de/videos - Die Nasa hat eine der grten Himmelskarten der Welt ins Netz gestellt. Zivilpersonen knnen diese auf der Suche nach bislang unentd...

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Finden Ihr einen Planeten? Nasa erstellt grte Himmelskarte der Welt im Internet - Video

NASA just made moon mining a real possibility

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Weve heard enthusiastic talk of space asteroid mining missions before, but these ambitious plans could be one step closer to becoming a reality after NASA announced that its began accepting applications from private enterprises to fund such missions in return for access to the moons resources.

If theres one thing that weve learned from science fiction, its that financial gain is one of the biggest driving forces behind space exploration. And the moon could potentially inspire the first lunar gold rush for an element known as helium-3, which could one day revolutionize the energy industry.

NASAs project is known as CATALYST (Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown), and will be entirely dependent on private sector financing. The idea is that NASA will work with private companies like Virgin Galactic to develop (relatively) affordable methods of transport to and from the moon. Companies that fund the project could be given first dibs at extracting minerals from the moon, whilst helping to expedite new exploration and science missions on the lunar surface.

The project is NASAs way of getting around never-ending cutbacks in its budget. In the future, the agency is expected to outsource more of its work to commercial entities, in return for its expertise.

Anyone who can return to the moon would stand to make an absolute fortune. Among the valuable minerals scientists believe can be extracted from its surface is helium-3, an element thats incredibly rare on Earth. When combined with deuterium, a so-called heavy hydrogen thats abundant in our oceans, helium-3 becomes a very effective fuel for nuclear fusion that could potentially revolutionize the energy industry, affording us clean energy for very little cost.

One of the biggest proponents of moon mining has been Naveen Jain, the founder of Moon Express, a space company thats also competing for the Google Lunar X Prize and the chance to extract minerals from the lunar surface.

In an interview with Wired.com last year, Jain pointed out that humans already possess the technology and the experience to reach the moon. After all, NASA did just that more than forty years ago now throw in the financial resources of believers like him, and theres little to stop us from returning.

We fight over minerals and fuel here on Earth, said Jain.

All those things are plentiful in space. We must be able to create more of what we need and change to a mindset of abundance rather than one of scarcity.

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NASA just made moon mining a real possibility

NASA joins 3D manufacturing bandwagon

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NASA has looked into 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, to fill its unique requirements for highly customized spacecraft and instrument components. According to the organization, the process offers a compelling alternative to more traditional manufacturing approaches.

"We're not driving the additive manufacturing train, industry is," said Ted Swanson, the assistant chief for technology for the mechanical systems division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Swanson is the center's point-of-contact for additive manufacturing. "But NASA has the ability to get on-board to leverage it for our unique needs."

Led by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, the agency has launched a number of formal programs to prototype new tools for current and future missions using this emerging manufacturing technique. Additive manufacturing involves computer-aided device, or CAD, models and sophisticated printers that literally deposit successive layers of metal, plastic or some other material until they are complete.

Goddard technologists Ted Swanson and Matthew Showalter hold a 3D-printed battery-mounting plate developed specifically for a sounding-rocket mission. The component is the first additive-manufactured device Goddard has flown in space. (Image Credit: NASA)

In addition to the U.S. Air Force, DOE, NIST and NSF, NASA is part of the government team investing in, America Makes, formerly known as the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, a public-private partnership created to transition this exciting technology into mainstream U.S. manufacturing.

America Makes is part of the National Manufacturing Initiative, a forward-leaning effort that recognizes our economy requires an advanced, globally competitive manufacturing sector that invents and makes high-value-added products and leading-edge technologies here in the U.S.

"NASA's work with additive manufacturing should enable us to be smart buyers and help us save time, expense and mass," said LaNetra Tate, the advanced-manufacturing principal investigator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate's Game Changing Development Program. "With additive manufacturing, we have an opportunity to push the envelope on how this technology might be used in zero gravity, how we might ultimately manufacture in space."

As a result of these efforts and others sponsored around the agency, teams of NASA engineers and scientists are investigating how their instruments and missions might benefit from an industry that actually began more than two decades ago, with the introduction of the world's first 3D system.

"This effort really goes beyond one center," said Matt Showalter, who is overseeing Goddard's disparate 3D printing efforts. Showalter believes Goddard technologists and scientists will benefit most from collaborations with others also investigating the technology's benefits. "It's in the national interest to collaborate with other institutions. This is a powerful tool and we need to look at how we can implement it. For us, it's a team effort."

This battery case, created with a material called Polyetherketoneketone, is the first 3D-printed component Goddard has flown. Developed under a university-industry partnership, the part was demonstrated during a sounding-rocket mission testing a thermal-control device developed with R&D funding. (Image Credit: NASA)

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NASA joins 3D manufacturing bandwagon

NASA Mars Orbiters Find Strongest Evidence Of Possible Liquid Water In Seasonal Dark Flows [PHOTOS]

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Recurring Slope Lineae appear during warmer weather on Mars and could be a possible indicator of liquid water. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

According to the space agency, dark flows, or RSL, are thin markings seen on some slopes on Mars during warmer temperatures. These seasonal lines disappear in the Martian winter and only occur in a few areas of the planet. While the researchers cannot conclusively say the RSL are the result of seasonal liquid water running down Martian slopes during the summer, all the evidence suggests the presence of liquid water.

Lead author Lujendra Ojha, a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said in a statement, We still don't have a smoking gun for existence of water in RSL, although we're not sure how this process would take place without water.

Ojhas team observed 13 RSL sites using the MROs Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. The researchers discovered iron-containing minerals, with different oxidation states, in the RSL sites with levels that increased during warmer weather.

Any explanation for these seasonal changes in mineral levels requires water, notes NASA. The darkening could be due to moisture or an increase in ferric minerals, iron-containing material with a higher oxidation state than ferrous minerals. The source of these seasonal dark flows may be near-surface water that did not freeze due to the presence of salt.

The CRISM data is mapped over the HiRISE image with purple/pink areas indicating a ferric mineral reading NASA/JPL-Caltech/UA/JHU-APL

RSL vary year-to-year and the next step in finding liquid water on Mars may require forecasting models that can predict wet areas. James Wray, from Georgia Tech, said in a statement, "NASA likes to 'follow the water' in exploring the Red Planet, so we'd like to know in advance when and where it will appear. RSL have rekindled our hope of accessing modern water, but forecasting wet conditions remains a challenge.

Alfred McEwan, from the University of Arizona in Tucson, had previously discovered RSL near the Martian equator. The new research builds off his findings and adds new RSL sites as well as a spectral analysis of these areas. Ojhas spectral analysis of RSL using MROs CRISM instrument will be published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The observation of candidate RSL sites and the discovery of new RSL sites using the HiRISE camera will be published in the journal Icarus.

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NASA Mars Orbiters Find Strongest Evidence Of Possible Liquid Water In Seasonal Dark Flows [PHOTOS]


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