This image was taken by Navcam Left A onboard NASA's Mars rover Curiosity on September 16, 2012. Curiosity landed on Mars the evening of Aug. 5 PDT (morning of Aug. 6 EDT). UPI/NASA/JPL-Caltech

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When a NASA official said last week data from an instrument on the Mars Curiosity rover suggested something "for the history books," many people thought an announcement was imminent of the possible discovery of life on the Red Planet -- until the space agency began to seriously backpedal on the story.

It may be a case of once bitten twice shy as NASA has been through this before -- a hotly anticipated and heavily hyped bit of news that only disappoints in the end.

The current excitement began when Curiosity mission lead scientist John Grotzninger started receiving data on his computer from the rover's on-board chemistry lab while in the presence of a reporter from National Public Radio.

The instrument known as Sam, sample analysis at Mars, has been analyzing a Martian soil sample.

"This data is going to be one for the history books. It's looking really good," Grotzinger told NPR.

Grotzinger would not reveal anything more, saying it could be several more weeks while NASA scientists went over the data to make sure it wasn't a glitch or something from earth contaminating the instrument sample.

Still, a lot of people thought "one for the history books" could only mean SAM had found something suggesting evidence of life on Mars at some point.

SAM is in fact designed to look for organic molecules and while organic molecules would be important, it is not the same thing as "life on Mars." NASA quickly began downplaying talk of a major discovery.

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SciTechTalk: NASA says Mars discovery may not be 'one for the history books'

NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and two planet-based explorers are tracking a massive dust storm, offering scientists an opportunity to study the planets weather like none theyve had before.

The regional dust storm was first spotted on Nov. 10 in the Red Planet's southern hemisphere. Though the storm is considered only regional, its big enough that it has lowered air pressure on either side of the planet and increased temperatures on the opposite pole by changing the atmospheres circulation.

Scientists are waiting to see whether it will develop into a dust haze that will engulf the entire planet.

For the first time since the Viking missions of the 1970s, we are studying a regional dust storm both from orbit and with a weather station on the surface, said Rich Zurek, chief Mars scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in LaCaada Flintridge in a news statement Wednesday.

The storm has come within 900 miles of Mars rover Opportunity, which landed on the planet in 2004 and depends on the sun for energy. On the other side of the planet is Curiosity, the 1-ton, nuclear-powered mobile laboratory that landed earlier this year.

If the dust storm expands, the two rovers combined with the Reconnaissance Orbiter should give scientists an unprecedented view.

One thing we want to learn is why do some Martian dust storms get to this size and stop growing, while others this size keep growing and go global, Zurek said.

Between Nov. 10 and Nov. 16, the region around the dust storm heated up by about 45 degrees Fahrenheit, scientists say. The dust is absorbing sunlight instead of reflecting it, lifting dust above the planet surface and pushing the storm wider.

If the dust engulfs Mars, it could reduce Opportunitys energy supply. Curiositys power would not be affected. Photos from its cameras could be hazy, however, not unlike its first images after it landed on the planet in the summer.

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NASA has unprecedented view of Mars dust storm

A NASA spacecraft is keeping tabs on a vast dust storm on Mars that has spawned changes in the Martian atmosphere felt by two rovers on the planet's surface.

The Martian dust storm was first spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) on Nov. 10 and has been tracked ever since. The agency's Mars rover Opportunity has seen a slight drop in atmospheric clarity due to the storm. Meanwhile the newer Curiosity rover which has a built-in weather station has seen a drop in air pressure and slightly increased nighttime temperatures halfway around the planet from Opportunity, NASA officials said.

"This is now a regional dust storm," Rich Zurek, NASA's chief Mars scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement Wednesday. "It has covered a fairly extensive region with its dust haze and it is in a part of the planet were some regional storms have grown into global dust hazes."

Space news from NBCNews.com

Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: It looks as if someone is taking portraits of NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars from a few feet away but who's the photographer?

NASA is combining observations by the Curiosity rover and MRO to create a complete picture of the Martian dust storm. The Spain-built Rover Environmental Monitoring Station on Curiosity gives scientists a real-time look at conditions over the rover's position inside Gale Crater.

The Mars Color Imager on MRO was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. It was Malin's Bruce Cantor who first spotted the storm in photos from the powerful Mars camera on Nov. 10. [ Amazing Mars Photos by MRO Spacecraft ]

"For the first time since the Viking missions of the 1970s, we are studying a regional dust storm both from orbit and with a weather station on the surface," Zurek said.

Because the dust from the current storm is absorbing sunlight instead of reflecting it, a warming effect 16 miles above the Martian tempest has been seen by MRO. The effect, first recorded by MRO's Mars Climate Sounder on Nov. 16, has led to a temperature increase of 45 degrees Fahrenheit so far.

Warmer temperatures are not confined to the Martian south. The circulation of the Martian atmosphere has also led to a hot spot in the planet's northern polar regions. The temperature on Mars is typically about minus 80 degrees F (minus 60 degrees C), but can vary depending on location and the Martian season.

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NASA rover tracks big dust storm on Mars

Optimus Prime is more than just a well-recognized name from television and movies; it is a great analogy for NASA technology transfer. NASA is strong on teaching and encouraging future science and technology experts from an early age – a Transformer character makes an excellent teaching tool. NASA Spinoff technologies are [...]

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10 NASA Spinoff Technology Products And The Optimus Prime Contest

Sending astronauts to a deep-space outpost beyond the moon's far side could help lay the groundwork for more ambitious manned missions to Mars, some researchers say.

Such a lunar effort would take humanity farther from Earth than it's ever been before, allowing scientists and engineers to work their way up to even more distant targets such as asteroids and Mars in a stepwise fashion, advocates say.

"It's a really good way to basically dip your toes in deep space," Josh Hopkins, a space exploration architect for Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, said during a Nov. 14 presentation with NASA's Future In-Space Operations working group.

Beyond the lunar far side

NASA is apparently thinking seriously about launching astronauts to Earth-moon L2, a spot in space beyond the moon's far side. EML-2 is a so-called libration point where the gravitational pulls of the moon and Earth roughly balance out, allowing spacecraft to essentially park there.

- Josh Hopkins, a space exploration architect for Lockheed Martin Space Systems

Astronauts would ride to EML-2 aboard NASA's Orion capsule, which is being built by Lockheed Martin. Orion would get off the ground atop the Space Launch System (SLS), the agency's huge new deep-space rocket.

The launcher's first unmanned test flight is slated for 2017, and NASA hopes the SLS-Orion combo will begin carrying crews by 2021.

EML-2 is an interesting target in its own right, Hopkins said. From there, astronauts could teleoperate rovers on the far side with relative ease, helping explore a part of the moon that remains little-studied to date.

Such rovers could gather samples for a possible return to Earth, he said, which could shed light on the moon's mysterious impact history.

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NASA Outpost Beyond Moon?

A NASA spacecraft is keeping tabs on a vast dust storm on Mars that has spawned changes in the Martian atmosphere felt by two rovers on the planet's surface.

The Martian dust storm was first spotted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) on Nov. 10 and has been tracked ever since. The agency's Mars rover Opportunity has seen a slight drop in atmospheric clarity due to the storm. Meanwhile the newer Curiosity rover which has a built-in weather station has seen a drop in air pressure and slightly increased nighttime temperatures halfway around the planet from Opportunity, NASA officials said.

"This is now a regional dust storm," Rich Zurek, NASA's chief Mars scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement Wednesday (Nov. 21). "It has covered a fairly extensive region with its dust haze and it is in a part of the planet were some regional storms have grown into global dust hazes."

NASA is combining observations by the Curiosity rover and MRO to create a complete picture of the Martian dust storm. The Spain-built Rover Environmental Monitoring Station on Curiosity gives scientists a real-time look at conditions over the rover's position inside Gale Crater.

The Mars Color Imager on MRO was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. It was Malin's Bruce Cantor who first spotted the storm in photos from the powerful Mars camera on Nov. 10.[Amazing Mars Photos by MRO Spacecraft]

"For the first time since the Viking missions of the 1970s, we are studying a regional dust storm both from orbit and with a weather station on the surface," Zurek said.

Because the dust from the current storm is absorbing sunlight instead of reflecting it, a warming effect 16 miles (25 kilometers) above the Martian tempest has been seen by MRO. The effect, first recorded by MRO's Mars Climate Sounder on Nov. 16, has led to a temperature increase of 45 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) so far.

Warmer temperatures are not confined to the Martian south. The circulation of the Martian atmosphere has also led to a hot spot in the planet's northern polar regions.Thetemperature on Marsis typically about minus 80 degrees F (minus 60 degrees C), but can vary depending on location and the Martian season.

Regional dust storms on Mars were observed in 2001 and 2007, but not between those years or in the time since. The Martian year lasts two Earth years, with major dust storm events following a seasonal pattern. Dust storm season on Mars began a few weeks ago as the Martian spring began in the planet's southern hemisphere, NASA officials said.

"One thing we want to learn is why do some Martian dust storm get to this size and stop growing, while others this size keep growing and go global," Zurek said.

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NASA Tracks Big Dust Storm on Mars

ET Moon Bases - Glenn Steckling - Coast to Coast AM Classic
http://www.jetnews.us Date: 01-29-06 Host: Art Bell Guests: Glenn Steckling Author and researcher Glenn Steckling discussed evidence for alien bases on the moon. He noted that numerous anomalies such as luminescent areas and glowing objects have been observed coming from the moon in reports dating as far back as the 1800 #39;s. "Clearly some type of activity," is taking place on the moon, he declared. Astronauts like Gordon Cooper and the French scientist Maurice Chatelain have made comments that NASA moon missions were followed by ET craft, said Steckling, who shared his belief that the aliens are basically non-hostile and beneficial. Further he suggested that ETs live among us, but appear human, so that we would not recognize them as being different. In a discussion of selected NASA photos, Steckling pointed out such details as atmospheric disturbances and clouds on the lunar surface, as well as unexplained light sources and mining-like activities. Biography: Glenn Steckling has assumed the responsibilities of his family #39;s work in the field of UFO and ET research since his father, Mr. Fred Steckling, passed away in 1991. This knowledge represents years of personal experiences and collective data. Now armed with first hand sightings, he continues to present the materials discovered and bequeathed his family spanning over 60 years. Mr. Steckling #39;s latest revision to his Father #39;s book, Alien Bases on the Moon , now Alien Bases on the Moon II , contains a combination of over 100 NASA ...From:C2CPlanetViews:6 0ratingsTime:01:52:48More inEducation

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ET Moon Bases - Glenn Steckling - Coast to Coast AM Classic - Video

Turtle Shell On Mars? | Curiosity Rover Image - JPL
This is a very interesting find on the latest raw images from Mars Curiosity Rover sol 104. Image Link - mars.jpl.nasa.gov http://www.facebook.comFrom:SunsFlareViews:116 15ratingsTime:00:57More inScience Technology

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Turtle Shell On Mars? | Curiosity Rover Image - JPL - Video

Re: Should NASA exist?
this is a video response to the you-tuber know as Jacob spinney and why society needs rules and regulations and organization.From:KingofReason1Views:1 1ratingsTime:02:59More inPeople Blogs

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Re: Should NASA exist? - Video

NASA | Fase da Lua librao: Lua com grficos adicionais
NASA | Fase da Lua librao: Lua com grficos adicionais Esta visualizao mostra as fases da lua e librao em todo o ano de 2013, em intervalos de uma hora. Cada quadro representa uma hora. Para saber mais sobre esta visualizao, ou para ver como a lua vai parecer a qualquer hora, em 2013, visite: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov Este vdeo de domnio pblico e pode ser baixado em: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov Como nossos vdeos? Assinar Goddard da NASA Shorts HD podcast: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov Ou encontrar NASA Goddard Space Flight Center no Facebook: http://www.facebook.com Ou encontrar-nos no Twitter: twitter.com NASA - Moon Phase Libration: Moon With Additional Graphics This visualization shows the moon #39;s phase and libration throughout the year 2013, at hourly intervals. Each frame represents one hour. In addition, this visualization also shows other relevant information, including moon orbit position, subearth and subsolar points, distance from the Earth. Click each graphic to learn more about what it means! Finally, to learn more about this visualization, or to see what the moon will look like at any hour in 2013, visit svs.gsfc.nasa.gov This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA #39;s Goddard Shorts HD podcast: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com Categoria: Notcias e poltica Licena: Licena padro do YouTubeFrom:PERETUFOViews:0 0ratingsTime:05:16More inScience Technology

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NASA | Fase da Lua

NASA - Big news coming about MARS! - Dec 3, 2012
Photo credit - NASA/Bill Ingalls Metro.co.uk: http://www.metro.co.uk Curiosity MSL science objectives: mars.jpl.nasa.gov "It #39;s aliiiiive!"From:wowforreeelViews:13 1ratingsTime:02:26More inNews Politics

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NASA - Big news coming about MARS! - Dec 3, 2012 - Video

NASA Confirms Contact With Nibiru Planet x NASA Press Conference
NASA Confirms Contact With Nibiru Planet x NASA Press Conference Live New Big Tommy Parky UtubeTrollPolice Team NASA Confirms Contact With Nibiru Planet x NASA Press Conference NEW 2012From:TommyParkyVEV0Views:0 0ratingsTime:00:36More inEntertainment

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NASA Confirms Contact With Nibiru Planet x NASA Press Conference - Video

2MIN News November 22, 2012: MAGNETIC STORM WATCH - Nov.23-25
Enjoy! ORIGINAL VIDEO AND OWNER HERE: http://www.youtube.com http://www.youtube.com Spaceweather: spaceweather.com [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density] HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu [Click online data, and have a little fun] CERES JPL: ssd.jpl.nasa.gov SDO: sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth] Helioviewer: http://www.helioviewer.org SOHO: sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth] Stereo: stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side] SunAEON: http://www.sunaeon.com [Just click it... trust me] SOLARIMG: solarimg.org [All purpose data viewing site] iSWA: iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers] NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov US Wind Map: hint.fm NOAA Buoys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov RADIATION Network: radiationnetwork.com NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov RSOE: hisz.rsoe.hu [That cool alert map I use] GOES Xray: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov JAPAN Radiation Map: jciv.iidj.net LISS: earthquake.usgs.gov Gamma Ray Bursts: grb.sonoma.edu [Really? You can #39;t figure out what this one is for?] BARTOL Cosmic Rays: neutronm.bartol.udel.edu [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles] TORCON: http://www.weather.com [Tornado Forecast for the day] GOES Weather: rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov [Clouds over America] RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com HURRICANE ...From:psxoopsandfailsViews:0 0ratingsTime:02:50More inNews Politics

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2MIN News November 22, 2012: MAGNETIC STORM WATCH - Nov.23-25 - Video

Uddhab Bharali
The Indian engineer with 98 innovations is an inspiration who with his sole hard work and determination has created the incredible, embarking the young minds to see life in diverse perspective. The fact that he was academically extraordinarily bright student since childhood, he was always fond of machines. He first designed a low-cost polythene making machine in the year 1988. He has qualified for the NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal for his design of bench top pomegranate de-seeder. He has 39 universal patents to his name. He has also been nominated for World Technology Award.From:TEDxSITM E-CellViews:0 0ratingsTime:22:47More inEducation

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Uddhab Bharali - Video

Sunitha williams Makes History to the First Women headed a Spice Mission
Indian-American NASA astronaut Sunita Williams took off on her second space visit at around 8.10 am on Sunday morning. With this expedition, Sunita Williams has become the first woman in history to head a space mission. Wishes and prayers began to pour in for Sunita as she got ready for her second space odyssey. The 46-year-old took off aboard the Soyuz spacecraft that lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Sunita Williams is accompanied by two flight engineers from Russia and Japan and she will be making two space walks during the mission. The trio will be reaching the International Space Station on Tuesday, joining the Expedition-32 crew who are already present there. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam wished the astronaut the best. "I want to say #39;all the best #39; (to Sunita Williams)." On her last flight six years ago, Sunita spent a record breaking 195 days in space, the only woman in history to do so. This time, she will be flying up in a Russian Soyuz capsule.From:StarIndiansViews:5 0ratingsTime:01:23More inPeople Blogs

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Sunitha williams Makes History to the First Women headed a Spice Mission - Video

LASCO C2 Combo 11/18-11/22/2012 07:36 UT
Festive Holiday Edition (Or maybe just stuff about the sun and some news) Solar Flares 6-hr max: B6 0906 UT Nov22 24-hr: B6 0434 UT Nov22 GOES X-ray Flux plot (updates every 5 minutes) http://www.swpc.noaa.gov Sunspot number decreasing: 75 8 active regions on the disk today. Region 11618 developed quickly in the central and trailing spot sections with several magnetic delta structures forming. Further M class flaring is likely. Flares: M1.4/1N at 06:56, C4.1 at 09:41, M3.5 at 15:30 UTC. The latter flare was associated with a small CME which could have Earth directed components. Current view from AR 11618: http://www.solarmonitor.org This region is most likely to produce flares of M class or possibly an X flare especially with it #39;s continued development. S2059 ( Unnumbered as yet by NOAA) was quiet and stable. The leader spots in this region appear to be merging with AR 11618 due to the expansion of that region.These two regions are worth keeping an eye on because flares from these Earth facing regions will be geoeffective. New region S2068 emerged very quickly and could produce C flares. A pair of CMEs is expected to hit Earth #39;s magnetic field on the 23rd. The incoming clouds were propelled toward Earth by the recent eruptions of sunspot AR1618. Life on Mars? Maybe not: NASA rows back on findings phys.org Planetary K-index Now: Kp= 0 quiet 24-hr max: Kp= 1 quiet Estimated 3-hour Planetary Kp-index (Updates every 5 mins) http://www.swpc.noaa.gov Sources:NOAA/ http://www.spaceweather.com http SOHO ...From:MichelleHill711Views:1 0ratingsTime:00:14More inScience Technology

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LASCO C2 Combo 11/18-11/22/2012 07:36 UT - Video

This Morning
MrGrandMusic This Morning NASA TEAM GStax EntFrom:TheNASACLUBViews:0 0ratingsTime:02:44More inMusic

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This Morning - Video

Data from a sample of Martian dirt could be earth-shattering, but the space agency is taking time to check its work.

SAM, a mobile sample analysis lab, is currently mounted on Curiosity and finding interesting stuff in Martian soil.

It seems NASA and the Curiosity rover have found something exciting and nerd-tastic on Mars, but the space agency's scientists are holding back for now, despite how painful it appears to be for them.

NPR science correspondent Joe Palca happened to be in the room recently when John Grotzinger, lead scientist for the Curiosity mission at NASA, started receiving data on his computer from the rover's on-board chemistry lab, also known as SAM (sample analysis at Mars). SAM and NASA scientists on Earth have been busy analyzing a sample of Martian soil of late, and apparently the dirt from the Red Planet has a secret to tell.

"This data is going to be one for the history books, it's looking really good," Grotzinger said in the story that aired yesterday.

And that's about all he said.

Grotzinger and NASA have remained mum on what exactly Curiosity may have found in the Martian soil, saying it could be several more weeks until they're able to verify the data. The scientists need to make sure whatever earth-shattering find they have isn't an error or perhaps some kind of stowaway molecule or whatever it may be that hitched one really long ride from Earth.

So I contacted another space smarty-pants type not associated with NASA to see if he might have a guess.

Lewis Dartnell is a leading astrobiologist at The Centre For Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck in London. He makes it clear that with so little to go on, no one outside of NASA can know what the agency thinks it has, but, he says, "the SAM instrument is designed to detect organic molecules on Mars, so the smart money is on an announcement along those lines."

That's right, the smart money is on what we all were already thinking -- LIFE ON MARS.

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NASA's not sharing a 'historic' find on Mars... yet

Synopsis - Nov 21, 2012

UAS AOC NON Final Appendix 1, 2, and 3 - Posted on Nov 21, 2012

General Information

Solicitation Number: NNH13ZUA002L Posted Date: Nov 21, 2012 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Nov 21, 2012 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No Original Response Date: Dec 21, 2012 Current Response Date: Dec 21, 2012 Classification Code: R -- Professional, administrative, and mgmt support services NAICS Code: 541611

Contracting Office Address

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771

Description

NASA is considering the initiation of an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Airspace Operations Challenge (hereinafter "Challenge") to be conducted under the Centennial Challenges Program administered through NASA Headquarters located in Washington, D.C. Through this Opportunity Notice (NOTICE) NASA seeks to select a Lead Allied Organization and additional Supporting Allied Organization(s) to work with NASA to conduct this Challenge. Overall coordination of the Lead and Supporting Allied Organizations will be done by a NASA Challenge manager. The date for Challenge competition is expected to be between August 30, 2013 and June 30, 2014 depending upon the availability of a test range and competitor registration date.

A description of the Challenge outlining NASA's objectives and Challenge Concept of Operation is provided in Appendix 1 to this NOTICE. NASA previously released this information in a Request for Information (RFI) on October 16, 2012. The RFI link is http://go.usa.gov/YNNH .

Organizations may submit proposals for consideration as either Lead Allied Organization or Supporting Allied Organization. A Lead Allied Organization will be expected to address all areas of the Challenge discussed in the description section while Supporting Organizations may address as many areas as they wish to be considered.

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NASA Opportunity to Participate in its Centennial Challenges Program as an Allied Organization

Little green men? A Buffalo nickel? The body of Jimmy Hoffa? Whatever the Curiosity rover's "historic discovery" on Mars turns out to be, NASA is once again stirring up a ton of buzz for one of its most popular missions in recent memory.

When Curiosity chief scientist John Grotzinger told NPR earlier this week that the Mars rover had found something that "is gonna be one for the history books," most of the speculation centered around the possibility that the surface probe has discovered evidence of organic life on the Red Planet.

Perhaps, but we won't know the answer until next month when NASA said it will spill the beans about the "historic" data from a recent Curiosity soil sample-collecting foray that the mission's "science team is busily chewing away on," as Grotzinger put it.

One thing's for surethe space agency that seemed on the verge of irrelevance in the public mind just a couple of years ago is back to playing the public relations game like nobody's business.

NASA has been on a PR tear of late. The end of the storied space shuttle program was supposed to be depressingfor the first time in decades, the United States has no direct means for putting humans in spacebut NASA turned lemons into lemonade with a series of triumphant final flybys for the members of its shuttle fleet on the way to their final homes in aerospace exhibits around the country.

While NASA currently relies on the Russian space agency to transport its astronauts to the International Space Station, it's also taken the first steps in partnering with private space enterprises like SpaceX to usher in a new era of space travel where government and commercial ventures join forces to explore the stars together.

The agency's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has identified dozens of worlds orbiting distant stars that might have liquid waterand possibly life. NASA extended Kepler's mission by another four years last week.

NASA is also reportedly on the verge of announcing an ambitious plan to build an orbiting Moon base that would serve as a launching pad for manned missions to near-Earth asteroids and Mars in the next decade.

Then there's Curiosity. From the "seven minutes of terror" during the rover's final descent to the Martian surface in August, as witnessed by millions on television through the eyes of the control team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., to the sudden memetic fame of team member "Mohawk Guy," the Curiosity mission has inspired a new wave of geeky fascination with the mechanics and technologies of space exploration.

Of course, it hasn't all been a garden of roses for NASA. The future James Webb Space Telescope has become a bit of a boondoggle, going drastically over budget, with those cost overruns leading NASA to pull funding from the European Space Agency's upcoming ExoMars missions. The revelation this year of numerous computer security breaches over the past several years has been a black eye for an agency supposedly at the forefront of technology.

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Life on Mars? NASA Teases 'Historic' Discovery by Curiosity