Topic: John Grunsfeld

Kepler, a prolific hunter for other Earths, is suddenly in trouble

Kepler's quest for an Earth-like planet orbiting a sun-like star has been put on hold, NASA said, after the spacecraft sensed it was facing in the wrong direction and put itself in 'safe mode.'

Cover Story The Mars mystique

After 50 years of missions to Mars, scientists are unlocking some of the mysteries surrounding a planet that has captivated mankind for millenniums. Will ­humans ever leave a boot print on Mars?

Odd meteorite could be time capsule of a wetter Mars

Scientists have analyzed a meteorite found on Earth and suggest that it could come from Mars's crust at a time when the planet was still wet and volcanically active.

NASA plans follow-up trek to Mars

The Mars rover Curiosity is four months into its 2-year investigative visit to Mars. Now NASA is planning another rover trip to bring samples from Mars back to Earth. 

How can humans touch Mars? Bring back a soil sample

A new report from NASA suggests that the agency prioritize bringing samples back from Mars to Earth for study. NASA will not make a specific plan for how they'll achieve this goal until after the president releases his 2014 budget in February.  

Is NASA focusing too much on Mars? (+video)

Even as the Curiosity Mars rover was still testing its equipment in preparation for its surface mission, NASA has unveiled plans for another unmanned mission to Mars. Is the agency playing favorites?

NASA to launch new mission to Mars to probe below the crust (+video)

NASA'S first mission deep below the surface of Mars aims to understand how the Red Planet formed and how that geological history compares with that of another rocky planet – Earth.

Next Mars mission to probe Red Planet's core

Scheduled to land on Mars sometime in 2016, NASA's next planetary mission will measure seismic waves and heat flows through the Red Planet's interior.

What will future Mars missions look like?

Following the successful landing of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, amid deep budget cuts the agency is drafting a 20-year plan for the Red Planet.  

NASA showered with praise over Curiosity Mars rover landing

NASA is exulting in its latest success: A one-ton robotic science lab safely deposited on the surface of Mars via never-before-attempted entry and descent maneuvers. 

NASA's Mars rover makes daring touchdown on Red Planet (+video)

An ambitious maneuver involving an enormous supersonic parachute and a rocket-powered sky crane safely delivered the one-ton, $2.5 billion dollar robot to the surface of Mars.

Stephen Colbert offers a tip of the hat to NASA's Mars Rover (+video)

NASA administrator and veteran astronaut John Grunsfeld appeared on the Colbert Report on Wednesday, where he discussed the planned landing of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, which is scheduled to land on the Red Planet on Sunday night. 

Where to watch Curiosity's Mars landing? Times Square.

It's not New Year's Eve, but just beneath the ball's usual spot sits a screen which will feature NASA's coverage of the landing of its Mars probe, Curiosity, on Sunday night. Other sites around the country will also provide viewings of the landing.

Mars rover 'hardest NASA robotic mission ever attempted,' says NASA (+video)

At 10:30 p.m. PDT on Aug. 5, the one-ton, $2.5 billion Curiosity rover is scheduled to touch down on Mars, in what experts are calling a risky landing.

Why is NASA's latest Mars Rover biggest and best yet? (+video)

NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover, expected to land on the Red planet in three weeks, is NASA's most advanced robotic mission yet.

Will Curiosity be NASA's last Mars rover? (+video)

Budget cuts have forced NASA to drastically scale back its planetary science missions. But the space agency still has hopes for a future mission that will collect samples of Martian soil and bring them to Earth. 

Will NASA's Mars rover land safely? Glitch could delay news. (+video)

NASA's Curiosity rover is due to touch down on the Martian surface on August 5, but a malfunction in another NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars will mean we'll all have to wait longer to find out if the landing is successful.  

Obama's NASA budget: Mars takes a hit, but space science isn't dead

Two major Mars missions lost out to the James Web Space Telescope in Obama's proposed NASA budget, but there's still money for other ambitious space-science missions.

NASA to exchange 'flagship' missions for small-ball projects (+video)

NASA is drastically scaling back its Mars exploration initiatives in exchange for smaller, more efficient missions, agency officials say. 

In Pictures Space photos of the day 08/19

In Pictures Space Photos of the Day 06/17

NASA's next big-ticket telescope showcased in New York City

A mockup of the James Webb Space Telescope, billed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, took center stage at New York's World Science Festival.
06/02/2010 12:55 pm

Hubble telescope glimpses universe's earliest galaxies

New Hubble telescope images provide a look at the cosmos when it was just 600 to 800 million years old. Galaxies from this period might have helped transform the universe from dark to light.
01/05/2010 03:27 pm

Horizons Atlantis astronauts stay in orbit; dream of pizza

05/22/2009 01:00 am

Final spacewalk leaves like-new Hubble ready for its final bow

Astronauts made all the needed repairs, giving the telescope five to 10 more years of life.
05/19/2009 01:00 am