The number of illegal gold mines in the Amazon is increasing so fast that activists have turned to satellite imagery to identify them. Still, with thousands of new mines a year, the work was overwhelming scientists at Earthrise Alliance – they needed more hands on deck. That’s how ninth graders in Weston, Massachusetts, began locatingContinue reading In the Right Hands, NASA Satellite Data and Analysis Make Earth Better →

The first unmanned test flight of Indian rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), as part of the country’s human space mission Gaganyaan, will not happen this year, said officials. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had planned the first of the two test flights later this year. “The first flight of the rocket as partContinue reading Gaganyaan Mission: GSLV’s First Test Flight For India’s Human Space Mission Delayed →

More than 8,500 active-duty Air Force service members have volunteered to join the U.S. Space Force — the nation’s newest military branch. “I am incredibly proud of the men and women who made the bold decision to volunteer to join the U.S. Space Force and defend the ultimate high ground,” Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operationsContinue reading More than 8,500 Air Force personnel volunteer to join US Space Force →

Illustration of NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) on the surface of the Moon Credits: NASA Ames/Daniel Rutter   NASA has awarded Astrobotic of Pittsburgh $199.5 million to deliver NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023. The water-seeking mobile VIPER robot will help pave the wayContinue reading NASA Selects Astrobotic to Fly Water-Hunting Rover to the Moon →

Far, far beyond the orbits of the planets lie the hazy contours of the magnetic bubble in space that we call home. This is the heliosphere, the vast bubble that is generated by the Sun’s magnetic field and envelops all the planets. The borders of this cosmic bubble are not fixed. In response to theContinue reading NASA’s IBEX Charts 11 Years of Change at Boundary to Interstellar Space →

Larger than the planet Mercury, huge moon Titan is seen here as it orbits Saturn. Below Titan are the shadows cast by Saturn’s rings. This natural color view was created by combining six images captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on May 6, 2012. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute Full image and caption   Just as ourContinue reading Saturn’s Moon Titan Drifting Away Faster Than Previously Thought →

NASA will announce the commercial provider selected to deliver NASA’s new water-hunting mobile robot, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), to the South Pole of the Moon during a media teleconference at 2:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, June 10. As the first resource-mapping mission on the surface of another world, VIPER will help pave theContinue reading NASA to Announce Selection of Company to Fly VIPER Rover to Moon →

NASA has finalized the contract for the initial crew module of the agency’s Gateway lunar orbiting outpost.  Orbital Science Corporation of Dulles, Virginia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Space, has been awarded $187 million to design the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO) for the Gateway, which is part of NASA’s Artemis program andContinue reading NASA Awards Northrop Grumman Artemis Contract for Gateway Crew Cabin →

(Reuters) – NASA’s human spaceflight chief Doug Loverro resigned on Tuesday, according to an internal memo seen by agency employees, capping his brief role at the agency overseeing future astronaut launches and landing humans on the moon by 2024. “Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Doug Loverro has resigned from his position effective Monday,Continue reading NASA human spaceflight chief resigns ahead of launch →

With its Artemis program, NASA will quickly and sustainably return to the lunar surface. To prepare for sustainable operations on the Moon, NASA is advancing technologies needed to explore and work on the lunar surface. This includes developing capabilities to “live off the land,” which requires being able to dig up resources in the lunarContinue reading Innovators Around the World Help NASA Improve a Moon Digging Robot →