MSSS Delivers First Science Instrument to JPL for 2009 Mars Rover Mission Payload: related news

MSSS Delivers First Science Instrument to JPL for 2009 Mars Rover Mission Payload

Malin Space Science Systems, Inc. (MSSS), has delivered the first of four science cameras it is developing for the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover mission. This camera, the Mars Descent Imager is designed to provide a sequence of hundreds of 2 Megapixel color images of the martian surface during the rover's descent about two years from now. MARDI was transported to JPL last week to participate in a contamination measurement test. That test was completed satisfactorily on 10 July, and instrument functionality was verified in imaging testing the following day (Figure 2). The instrument will shortly be integrated with the MSL rover avionics (computer) for testing, and will be integrated with the rover mechanical systems within the month.

MSSS Delivers First Science Instrument to JPL for 2009 Mars Rover Mission Payload

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Sigma Space Delivers Main Systems For NASA's First Global Hawk Science Instrument

LANHAM, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sigma Space announced today the delivery of the complete opto-mechanical system, electronics, and fuselage structure for NASA's first science instrument to be flown in the Global Hawk platform. The instrument, built under the direction of Dr. Matthew McGill from Goddard Space Flight Center, is a lidar designed to provide information on cloud and aerosol properties. It will be applied to atmospheric research, climate change studies, and hurricane surveillance and study. Sigma collaborated with Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems Division for aircraft integration.

International Group Studies Mars Sample Return Mission

Until humans can actually set foot on the Red Planet, the next best thing would be a sample return mission, to bring Martian soil samples back to Earth. A sample return would exponentially increase our knowledge and understanding Mars and its environment. And in order to pull off a mission of this magnitude, international cooperation might be required, and in fact, may be preferred. The International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG), organized an international committee to study an international architecture for a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission concept. After several months of collective work by scientists and engineers from several countries worldwide, the “iMARS” group is ready to publish the outcome of its deliberations and the envisioned common architecture for a future international MSR mission, and they will discuss thei

Swiss nano-microscope delivers first images recorded on Mars

The first image recorded by an atomic force microscope on another planet. On July 9 Mars day 44 of the Phoenix Mars Mission the atomic force microscope on the Mars Lander recorded an image of a test grid which serves as a calibration for the microsco ...

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first-ever image of a single particle of Mars' ubiquitous dust.

This image, released Aug. 14, 2008 and taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on June 12, 2008, shows the Lander's Robotic Arm scoop after delivering the first sample of dug-up soil to Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA, instrument suite. The Lander has sent back the first-ever image of a speck of red Martian dust taken through an atomic force microscope. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Cassini's Primary Mission Ends, Two-Year Extension Begins

wooferhound points out recent news that the Cassini probe has completed its original four-year mission and is beginning a two-year extended mission, which was authorized earlier this year. Cassini's first mission brought us a treasure trove of information about Saturn and its various moons. The new mission will target two of those moons in particular for further study: Titan and Enceladus. Quoting: "The spacecraft is extremely healthy and carries 12 instruments powered by three radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Data from Cassini's nominal and extended missions could lay the groundwork for possible future missions to Saturn, Titan or Enceladus. [The two moons] are primary targets in the two-year extended mission, dubbed the Cassini Equinox Mission.

NASA MEPAG: Preliminary Planning for an International Mars Sample Return Mission

The international Mars Architecture for the Return of Samples (iMARS) Working Group was chartered by the International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG) in mid-2006 to develop a potential plan for an internationally sponsored and executed Mars sample return (MSR) mission. Its purpose is to outline the scientific and engineering requirements of such an international mission in the 2018-2023 time frame. The Terms of Reference of iMARS are given in Appendix I.

Science Weekly podcast: Women in science and science in jelly

This week, the Science Weekly team discuss dark energy and the even darker matter of the gender gap with astrophysicist Sarah Bridle - recipient of a Women in Science fellowship. It's sponsored by a well-known cosmetics company - is it worth it? Do awards like this actually help to de-beard science? And isn't this a wider societal problem anyway?

Mars' Ice Clouds Eat Up Ozone

NASA's robotic Opportunity rover snapped a picture of a vast, sandy plain and high-flying clouds while exploring Mars' Victoria Crater last October. Credit: Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Cornell, JPL, NASA, unmannedspaceflight.com

JPL Enters the Blogosphere

Here we are, four years after the Cassini spacecraft entered orbit around Saturn. We’re about to begin the extended mission, termed the Cassini Equinox Mission. Cassini has been a scientifically remarkable mission and a fantastic return on the investment. If you are reading this blog, then you might already know about Cassini’s discoveries at Enceladus, Titan, the other icy moons, the rings, the magnetosphere and Saturn itself. But if you’re new to following this mission, you can catch up on those discoveries by reading about them here: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features/feature20080627.cfm. This great science is accomplished by an international team of scientists and engineers. I am thrilled to be able to carry the scientific reins for Cassini as its incoming project scientist.

Chronicles of a Science Experiment - Episode 1

In this first episode of Chronicles of a Science Experiment, EarthSky's Jorge Salazar begins following Aaron Strickland, a Fellow of the National Science Foundation Discovery Corps and a post-doctoral chemist at Cornell University. Strickland's research project is in nanotechnology, the science of the very small. In this first episode, we'll look at the person inside the white lab coat, a young man with a wife, two kids and a passion for science.

11th Annual Mars Society Convention on 14th-17th August

Next week, Boulder, Colorado will play host to the eleventh annual Mars Society conference. There will be a huge array of speakers, lectures and workshops anyone can get involved in to learn more about the future of manned exploration on Mars. The Mars Society is an international organization working to raise public awareness about the opportunities we have on Mars and push for eventual manned settlements. Primarily, the Mars Society is pushing for better governmental spending in planetary missions, but there is an increasing awareness that many aims can only be achieved through private enterprise. The organization doesn't limit itself to political activities. For years the organization has managed a series of "Mars Analogues," isolated habitats where volunteers carry out extended experiments, studying everything from human psychology in

Opportunity Rover Eyes Cliff Face on Mars

GOLDEN, Colorado � NASA's Opportunity Mars rover is getting an eyeful, wheeling itself ever closer to a cliff wall that's part of the huge Victoria Crater. A camera campaign is underway, with early imagery producing anticipation within the rover science team back on Earth.

Another NASA mission to Mars for bearings

The Phoenix Mars Lander that began scooping up samples of Martian soil June 4 depends on REALI-SLIM thin-section bearings to position its robotic arm for digging in the permafrost. This is the second Mars mission for REALI-SLIM bearings, manufactured by KAYDON Corporation Bearings Division. They were also used in the two 2004 Mars Exploration Rovers, which are still sending geologic findings back to Earth, some 171 million miles away.

A world-leading UK science project switches on first neutrons

The UK's ISIS Second Target Station Project moved a major step closer to completion today when the first neutrons were created in the ISIS Second Target Station. After five years of planning and construction, the first neutrons were detected by the Inter instrument at 1308 BST. ISIS, the world-renowned neutron facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Mars Express Spacecraft/Orbiter - ,

Mars Express is ESA's Mars mission and also the name of the spacecraft that will transport the Beagle 2 Mars lander and act as an orbiting probe and telecommunications relay satellite for Beagle 2 and other landers due to land on the Red Planet between 2003 and 2007. The mission's main objectives are to deposit the lander on the surface and search for sub-surface water from orbit. The spacecraft contains a range of remote sensing scientific instruments to collect data concerning the planet's atmosphere, structure and geology.

Mars Polar Lander, USA

The Mars Surveyor '98 Programme comprised of two spacecraft launched separately, the Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter) launched in 1996 and the Mars Polar Lander (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander).

Mars Polar Lander - Space Probe, USA

The Mars Surveyor '98 Programme was comprised of two spacecraft launched separately: the Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter) launched in 1996, and the Mars Polar Lander (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander).

Mars bake test hastened after oven short circuit

This artist rendition provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the Phoenix lander on the arctic plains of Mars digging a trench through the upper soil layer. The Phoenix Mars lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of its eight tiny test ovens. Scientists fear another outage could render the crucial equipment useless. This artist rendition provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the Phoenix lander on the arctic plains of Mars digging a trench through the upper soil layer. The Phoenix Mars lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of its eight tiny test ovens. Scientists fear another outage could render the crucial equipment useless. (AP Photo/NASA-JPL, Cory Waste)

Swiss nano-microscope delivers first images recorded on Mars

For the first time ever, nanostructures have been measured on another planet. On July 9, the NASA "Phoenix" Mars Probe recorded images with nanometer resolution (one nanometer roughly corresponds to 0.00000004 inch) using its onboard Swiss-made atomic force microscope, and successfully transmitted these images back to Earth.

Phoenix microscope takes first image of Martian dust particle

NASA's [profile] Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first-ever image of a single particle of Mars' ubiquitous dust, using its atomic force microscope. The particle -- shown at higher magnification than anything ever seen from another world -- is a rounded particle about one micrometer, or one millionth of a meter, across. It is a speck of the dust that cloaks Mars. Such dust particles color the Martian sky pink, feed storms that regularly envelop the planet and produce Mars' distinctive red soil.

Obama Answers Science Policy Questionnaire

thebestsophist writes "A couple months ago, Scientists and Engineers for America, Science Debate 2008, and a bunch of other science organizations sent McCain, Obama, and all the Congressional candidates a bunch of questions on science and technology. Topics included biosecurity, genetics research, and national security, as well as the more common questions on research and education. Well, Senator Obama just answered." Senator McCain has not responded to the questionnaire at this point in time, but the site has a profile of his views and actions relating to science policy, which provides a good basis for comparing the candidates' stances. We've previously discussed the differences between the two candidates' technology platforms. According to a recent NPR story, both candidates intend to keep politics out of science.

New Speak Up Report Shows Hands-on Activities Integral to Science Education

SAN ANTONIO, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- PASCO scientific and Project Tomorrow today announced a new report on science education that is based upon the authentic, unfiltered views and ideas of over 367,000 K-12 students, teachers, parents and school administrators collected through the annual Speak Up online surveys. This report documents for the first time the disconnection between how students in kindergarten through 12th grade want to learn science, what tools they want to use to explore science, and what is actually happening in their science classrooms.

Mars Rover Technology Helps Earth Explorers

Scientists at Georgia Tech and Penn State are working to bring Mars rover technology a little closer to home. They have built autonomous robots that are designed to brave the tough and dangerous conditions of the Antarctic. Their mission is to collect climate data.

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