Topic: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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Briefing
How dangerous are near-Earth asteroids? 5 key questions answered.
On Feb. 15, asteroid 2012 DA14, discovered a year ago, cleared Earth by a scant 17,200 miles. The same day, a smaller, unrelated asteroid that no one saw coming exploded 12 to 15 miles above Russia’s Chelyabinsk region. Events that day highlight the risk that near-Earth objects (NEOs) can pose – although to some extent, humans can counter them.
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Five reasons the world won't end in 2012
Pointing to the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar on Dec. 21, 2012, many doomsday believers think that life as we know it on Earth has entered it's final year. NASA begs to differ.
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Dwarfs
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Epsilon security breach: 5 signs it's only the tip of the iceberg
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Mercury
All Content
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USA Update Alan Wood dies, leaves legacy of Iwo Jima flag
Alan Wood dies: The US Navy veteran brought a flag from Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Iwo Jima. Alan Wood later served as the Jet Propulsion Lab spokesman.
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Ancient Mars could have been habitable, says NASA
A Martian rock sample collected by NASA's Curiosity rover suggests that the Red Planet could have supported living microbes in its ancient past, says NASA.
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Rover Curiosity may resume operation on Mars soon
NASA said that its Mars rover Curiosity, which halted its exploration on the Red Planet last Thursday due to a memory malfunction, might get back to work this weekend.
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Dennis Tito to announce private mission to Mars
Space tourist millionaire Dennis Tito, who in 2001 paid $20 million to visit the International Space Station, is planning a privately funded trip to the Red Planet.
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US scientists seek to prevent another meteor explosion
NASA and the Air Force are working together to develop plans to prepare for future meteor strikes like the one in Russia earlier this month.
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Little telescope to hunt big game: hard-to-see near-Earth asteroids
Canada's NEOSSat space telescope was launched Monday atop an Indian rocket. It will monitor two groups of asteroids whose proximity to the sun makes them hard to see from Earth.
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Briefing
How dangerous are near-Earth asteroids? 5 key questions answered.
On Feb. 15, asteroid 2012 DA14, discovered a year ago, cleared Earth by a scant 17,200 miles. The same day, a smaller, unrelated asteroid that no one saw coming exploded 12 to 15 miles above Russia’s Chelyabinsk region. Events that day highlight the risk that near-Earth objects (NEOs) can pose – although to some extent, humans can counter them.
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Mars is red on the outside, gray on the inside, rover discovers
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover completed its very first drilling activity on the Red Planet, yielding a gray powder from inside an ancient rock.
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In historic first, Mars Curiosity rover drills into Martian rock
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has sent home photos of samples that it gathered from deep inside a rock on Mars. It is the first time a robot has ever drilled into a rock on any planet other than Earth.
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Curiosity makes history with scoop – and begins Mars mission in earnest
NASA's Curiosity rover has successfully drilled into bedrock and scooped the sample – a first for Mars exploration. It was the rover's last systems test, meaning the training wheels are off.
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Russian asteroid highlights astronomers' challenge: predicting such space objects
Astronomers have cataloged about 95 percent of the space objects wider than half a mile – those that could destroy civilization. But they have found less than 1 percent of the objects 100 feet across or larger, a class that includes the asteroid that flitted past Earth on Friday.
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Russian meteor blast had force of 300-kiloton nuclear warhead (+video)
Using sensors designed to detect rogue nuclear tests, scientists have learned more about the meteor that exploded over Russia. It was much bigger than they first thought.
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Friday's near-miss asteroid could help track more dangerous ones
Asteroid 2012 DA14 will buzz within 17,200 miles of Earth – a record for a known object of that size. While it's no threat to hit, it might help scientists find and track others that are.
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State of the Union: NASA's 'Mohawk Guy' will sit with Michelle Obama
At the State of the Union address tomorrow night, First Lady Michelle Obama will be joined by NASA's 'Mohawk Guy,' the Iranian-American Bobak Ferdowsi who attracted attention during the landing of NASA's latest Mars mission, the Curiosity rover.
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Comet ISON: NASA releases first photos of 'comet of the century' (+video)
Comet ISON could put on a spectacular display in late November. Comet ISON could shine brighter than the moon in the night sky. Comet ISON was photographed by NASA's Deep Impact probe earlier this month.
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Earth-buzzing asteroid big enough to level a city, found by amateurs
Asteroid 2012 DA14 will set a record when it zips by within 17,000 miles of Earth next week. The 150-foot object was discovered by a team of dedicated amateur astronomers in southern Spain.
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Earth won't be destroyed by huge asteroid next week, say scientists
Measuring 150 feet wide, asteroid 2012 DA14 could do some serious damage were it to strike our planet. But instead it will zip past us harmlessly, if somewhat closely.
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Cover Story
The Mars mystiqueAfter 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?
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Are polar ice sheets shrinking? Report offers definitive answer at last.
Numerous studies in recent years have offered different – and sometimes conflicting – views about ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. But a new report offers unprecedented scope.
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Leonid meteor shower late tonight: Stay up, bundle up, look up
The Leonid meteor shower peaks tonight in the first of what may be two viewing climaxes this year. The sky at 3 a.m. Eastern time will be moonless, as long as you can see it. Face east.
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Curiosity's unsung skill: scouting Mars for a human mission (+video)
NASA's Curiosity rover is on Mars to look for signs that Gale Crater was once suitable for microbial life. But Curiosity's weather instruments are providing insight into the environment astronauts might face on Mars.
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NASA rover Curiosity finds a rock not seen before on Mars (+video)
Using a laser and X-rays, the NASA rover Curiosity identified a rock named Jake as a form of basalt, similar to volcanic rocks found in ocean-island settings on Earth.
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Mars Curiosity rover touches rock, 'does a science' (+video)
Curiosity spent the past several days investigating a strange pyramid-shaped stone named 'Jake Matijevic,' testing out some of the gear at the end of its 7-foot-long arm.
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Mini-Great Pyramid of Giza on Mars intrigues Curiosity rover team
A small, pyramid-like rock about 1,000 feet from the Curiosity rover's landing site on Mars appears to present the perfect opportunity for scientists to test how two key instruments work together.
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Mysterious Martian spheres baffle NASA researchers
The new Mars photo by Opportunity shows a close-up of a rock outcrop called Kirkwood covered in blister-like bumps that mission scientists can't yet explain.
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