15 Years Ago: Japan launches HTV-1, its First Resupply Mission to the Space Station
On Sept. 10, 2009, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched its first cargo delivery spacecraft, the H-II Transfer Vehicle-1 (HTV-1), to the International Space Station. The HTV cargo vehicles, also called Kounotori, meaning white...
Sols 4300-4301: Rippled Pages
Earth planning date: Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 With today’s plan, Curiosity completes its most southerly planned exploration of the Gediz Vallis channel. From here, our rover will head north and climb out of the channel to explore terrain to the west....
Want to get into Warhammer 40K? Here's what you need to know before playing Space Marine 2
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is out now. If you don't know anything about the universe or haven't played the original, we've got you covered....
30 Years Ago: STS-64 Astronauts Test a Spacewalk Rescue Aid
On Sept. 9, 1994, space shuttle Discovery took to the skies on its 19th trip into space. During their 11-day mission, the STS-64 crew of Commander Richard “Dick” N. Richards, Pilot L. Blaine Hammond, and Mission Specialists Jerry M. Linenger,...
Satellites watch Tropical Storm Francine threaten Gulf Coast (video)
Satellites operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration watched Tropical Storm Francine strengthen as it approaches the Gulf Coast....
Kyle Helson Finds EXCITE-ment in Exoplanet Exploration
Almost a decade ago, then-grad student Kyle Helson contributed to early paperwork for NASA’s EXCITE mission. As a scientist at Goddard, Helson helped make this balloon-based telescope a reality: EXCITE launched successfully on Aug. 31. Name: Kyle...
China moves Mars sample-return launch up 2 years, to 2028
China has moved the launch of its Tianwen 3 Mars sample return mission up two years, to 2028. The new timeline suggests China could get Mars samples to Earth as soon as 2031....
Partial lunar eclipse of the Harvest Moon: Everything you need to know
The upcoming Full Harvest Moon on Sept. 17 will feature a partial lunar eclipse. Here's what to expect and how to see it....
Elon Musk's pet dog inspires young girl's design for Polaris Dawn zero-g indicator
A privately-funded space crew aiming to set several records in orbit may not include the first child in space, but they have her hopes, wishes and furry spacesuit-clad creation aboard....
A long-lost moon could explain Mars' weird shape and extreme terrain
A long-lost moon could explain why Mars is so different from the other rocky planets in the solar system.
SpaceX's historic private Polaris Dawn astronaut launch lights up predawn sky (photos)
SpaceX launched the history-making Polaris Dawn mission early this morning, and the nighttime launch made for some incredible imagery....
NASA to Test Telemedicine, Gather Essential Health Data with Polaris Dawn Crew
NASA researchers will soon benefit from a suite of experiments flying aboard a new fully-commercial human spaceflight mission, strengthening future agency science as we venture to the Moon, Mars and beyond. The experiments are flying as part of...
7 years ago today, the sun unleashed a record-breaking solar flare
As August 2024 set another 20-year high for sunspots, recent solar flares have yet to top two solar flares from September 2017 that still hold unbroken records....
Just how dark is the universe? NASA's New Horizons probe gives us best estimate yet
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in 2015, has offered the best-yet estimates of how dark deep space truly is....
China plans to build moon base at the lunar south pole by 2035
The first phase of China's moon base will be completed around 2035 near the lunar south pole, and an extended model will be built by about 2050, if all goes according to plan....
SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn astronauts to attempt world's 1st-ever private spacewalk (video)
SpaceX launched the four-person Polaris Dawn mission to orbit on Tuesday (Sept. 10) to carry out the first spacewalk ever performed by private astronauts....
Sols 4297-4299: This Way to Tungsten Hills
Earth planning date: Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 Curiosity completed an impressive 60-meter drive (about 197 feet) across the channel floor within Gediz Vallis and parked along the edge of a shallow linear depression. Just about 20 meters (66 feet)...
NASA JPL Scientists, Engineers Collaborate With Artists for Exhibition
Works in ‘Blended Worlds: Experiments in Interplanetary Imagination,’ an exhibit in Glendale, California, help shrink the universe into something tangible. The universe is vast and filled with countless worlds, but a new exhibit at the Brand...
NASA's Europa Clipper probe to icy Jupiter moon takes big step toward its Oct. 10 launch
NASA's Europa Clipper astrobiology probe passed a major technical review today (Sept. 9), keeping the highly anticipated mission on track for its planned Oct. 10 launch....
Astronauts would have been fine on Boeing's Starliner during landing, NASA says
With Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is safely back on Earth, NASA says Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams could have returned onboard....