Planetary Science

Planetary Science

Mars Odyssey instrument revived

Flight controllers have revived an instrument on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft that measures the amount of radiation bombarding the Martian surface.

Planetary Science

Probing Jupiter’s big magnetic bubble

Simultaneous measurements by two spacecraft have probed in greater detail than ever before Jupiter’s magnetosphere, the invisible bubble of charged particles that surrounds the giant planet.

Planetary Science

Odyssey’s First Look: Craft spies signs of ice at the Martian south pole

Astronomers have for the first time found evidence of large amounts of frozen water in the subsurface of Mars.

Planetary Science

Galileo at Jupiter: The goodbye tour

After more than 6 years spent touring Jupiter and its four largest moons, the Galileo spacecraft’s mission is beginning to wind down.

Planetary Science

Extreme weather: Massive hurricanes meet on Jupiter

Both professional and amateur sky watchers are pointing their telescopes at Jupiter as two titanic storms in the giant planet's upper atmosphere meet each other.

Planetary Science

Exploring the Red Planet

Searching for signs of subsurface water on the Red Planet and analyzing the elemental and mineral composition of surface rock, NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft begins its main mapping mission next month and may shed light on several enduring puzzles about the planet.

Planetary Science

Galileo finds spires on Callisto

The sharpest images ever taken of Jupiter's icy moon Callisto show a group of features never seen before on the remote body—icy, knoblike spires that show signs of slow but steady erosion.

Planetary Science

Craft tracks giant dust storm on Mars

The largest dust storm observed on Mars in 25 years is now engulfing the Red Planet.

Planetary Science

Space Flight Basics

For armchair space explorers, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory offers a tutorial on how to operate an interplanetary space mission. Originally created a decade ago, the newly updated guide includes information on spacecraft engineering, mission design, trajectories, launch, navigation, telecommunications, and much more. Go to: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/

Planetary Science

Nearby star may have its own asteroid belt

Observations of warm dust swaddling a young, nearby star suggest that astronomers may have found evidence of a massive asteroid belt outside the solar system.

Planetary Science

Asteroid Eros poses a magnetic puzzle

Measurements with a magnetometer aboard the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft a few days after it landed on the asteroid 433 Eros confirmed a major puzzle: The rock has no detectable magnetic field.

Planetary Science

Debate over life in Mars rock rekindles

Two recent studies could inject new life into the argument that a 4-billion-year-old Martian meteorite contains fossils of bacteria from the Red Planet but several scientists say the reports fall short of resurrecting that notion.