Topic: Southwest Research Institute

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NASA's IBEX maps solar system's tail for the first time

NASA has provided the first ever map of our solar system's tail, called the heliotail.
Mars sand dunes may hint at water beneath

The discovery, based on research in Alaska, opens a window on processes at play early in Mars' history, when it hosted an environment that could have harbored microbial life.
Huge asteroid won't strike Earth on Friday. But what about the next time?

There's no chance that the 150-foot-wide asteroid 2012 DA14 will strike our planet, but it's only a matter of time before a large space rock does, say scientists.
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?
NASA: Astronauts could survive Mars radiation

Radiation on the surface of the Red Planet is roughly similar to that experienced by astronauts on the international space station, report NASA scientists. The findings help researchers understand the planet's capacity for supporting life and will assist NASA in preparations for future manned flights to the planet.
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.
Moon formed from humongous Earth collision, new theories attempt to explain

The new research potentially plugs a big hole in the giant impact theory, long the leading explanation for the moon's formation.
Do Pluto's moons pose risks for NASA spacecraft? (+video)

Scientists are planning a new route for NASA's New Horizons space probe as it approaches a potentially perilous path toward Pluto. They aim to chart a safe, but interesting course.
Fifth moon discovery reminds us how little we know about Pluto (+video)

Orbiting at outskirts of the solar system some three billion miles from Earth, Pluto remains shrouded in mystery.
Pluto's fifth moon: five fascinating facts (+video)

Using data from the Hubble telescope, SETI scientists spotted a fifth moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto.
Pluto now has at least five moons. Can we go back to calling it a planet?

Long considered a planet, Pluto was reclassified as a 'dwarf planet' in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union. Will the discovery of a fifth moon prompt astronomers to reconsider?
Pluto's new moon could cause problems for space probe, says NASA (+video)

Pluto's newly discovered fifth moon could mean more debris surrounding the icy dwarf planet, which could pose a hazard for NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which was launched in 2006 with the aim of mapping Pluto's surface.
What should we name Pluto's new moon?

Scientists examining data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have spotted a fifth moon orbiting Pluto. The moon is currently labeled S/2012 (134340) 1, a monicker that could probably be improved.
Hubble telescope spots fifth moon orbiting Pluto (+video)

Almost exactly a year after it spotted a fourth moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet, the Hubble Space Telescope has detected a fifth one.
Florida scientists reduced to holding bake sale to fund NASA

In an effort to rescue planetary science projects amid budget cuts, scientists in Florida are holding bake sales and car washes to sway legislators to protect NASA's budget.
Asteroid Vesta: Is it really an asteroid?

The humongous asteroid Vesta is actually a protoplanet left over from the early days of our solar system, new observations from a NASA space probe suggest.
NASA's dazzling northern lights launch aims to study 'space weather'

The two-stage suborbital rocket was part of a NASA-funded study into how the northern lights can affect signals from GPS satellites and other spacecraft.
Scientists intrigued by atoms from beyond the solar system

NASA's IBEX spacecraft has snagged atoms that came from outside our solar system. Interstellar space includes the raw material that becomes new stars, planets, and organic life.
'Alien' matter from beyond solar system discovered by NASA

This so-called interstellar material was spotted by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, a spacecraft that is studying the edge of the solar system from its orbit about 200,000 miles above Earth.
Solar storms: Two breakthroughs could lead to better warnings

The solar storms that cause blackouts and damage satelites have always been hard to predict, but two new methods of monitoring them could lead to much more accurate forecasts.
08/19/2011 01:33 pm
'Next stop, Jupiter': NASA's mission to the giant planet blasts off

NASA launches Juno, its newest planetary explorer, on a 1.7 billion-mile, five-year voyage to Jupiter. Scientists hope to pierce Jupiter's cloudy veil and fill in the blanks on the origins of the oldest planet.
08/05/2011 06:35 pm
What NASA hopes to learn from Juno spacecraft on Jupiter mission

Jupiter, perhaps more than any object in the solar system, is thought to hold the key to understanding planet formation. On Friday, NASA sends the Juno spacecraft hurtling toward Jupiter to probe the planet's constituent parts.
08/05/2011 10:26 am
Pluto moon discovery hints at future surprises for NASA probe

Pluto moon: The tiny new moon — announced July 20 and called P4 for now — brings the number of known Pluto satellites to four.
07/21/2011 10:53 am
Hidden sea on a Saturn moon? New evidence says yes.

Satellite Cassini flew through geyser plumes spouting from Enceladus and gathered ice crystals. These crystals are salt-rich, suggesting that a hidden salty sea lurks beneath Enceladus's icy cap.
06/22/2011 07:20 pm
After the space shuttle, astronaut corps awaits a new mission

NASA's once-iconic astronaut corps will shrink but still play a vital role as the space shuttle era comes to an end.
05/16/2011 08:59 am