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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.

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

Ulysses Spacecraft Not Dead Yet

iminplaya sends in the good news that reports of the death of the Ulysses mission are premature. (We've discussed the impending shutdown of the 17-year-old mission a couple of times this year.) Ulysses is a joint NASA / ESA mission to study the sun from an orbit inclined almost 90 degrees from the ecliptic. From the Planetary Society blog post: "Ulysses is not dead yet. ESA issued a statement in February saying that, as Ulysses' radioisotope thermoelectric generators were running out of power, the spacecraft would likely die some time this year. The actual death blow to the spacecraft was likely to be the freezing of hydrazine fuel in a cold spot in a fuel line. Mission controllers found creative ways to prevent the freezing, but the solution was not a long-term one, and ESA had a ceremonial send-off and wrap-up of the mission in mid-June

Get your Phoenix Mars Mission fix on your iPod via iTunes U

Phoenix Mars Mission is led by University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.The Phoenix Mars Mission last week celebrated the successful touchdown of the Phoenix lander on the surface of Mars. While you can keep up with the all the goings on via the mission's blogs (hosted on an Xserve, no less) or the lander's "live" Twitter, perhaps you're addicted to moving pictures instead of words. If so, The University of Arizona and iTunes U may have just what you're looking for.

Cassini Primary Mission Complete; Ready to Tackle New Assignments

Saturn’s gorgeous rings. Geysers on Enceladus. Methane lakes on Titan. These are just a few of the images that stand out from the Cassini mission’s four year survey of Saturn and its remarkable system of rings and moons. On June 30 the Cassini spacecraft completes its primary mission at the ringed planet, and now will embark on an extended two year mission, with hopes of studying more closely the most intriguing targets, Titan and Enceladus and the interaction between Saturn’s icy moons and rings.

Groundbreaking Solar Mission Faces Chilly Death

iamlucky13 writes "Over 17 years ago, the Ulysses spacecraft was launched aboard the space shuttle Discovery for a unique NASA/ESA mission. While nearly all other probes travel along our solar system's ecliptic plane, Ulysses used a Jupiter gravity assist to swing 80 degrees out of plane, carrying it over the sun's poles for an unprecedented view. During a mission that lasted four times longer than planned, it has flown through the tails of several comets, helped pinpoint distant gamma-ray bursts, and provided data on the sun and its heliosphere from the better part of two solar cycles. Unfortunately, the natural reduction of power from its radioisotope thermal generator means it is now unable to even keep its attitude control fuel from freezing, and NASA has decided to formally conclude the mission on July 1.

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.

Cruising the Cloud Tops of Venus With a Solar-Powered Airplane

With all the orbital missions at the various planets in our solar system, scientists have been able to glean an amazing amount of data to help us understand our neighboring worlds. But imagine a mission that could fly lower than orbital altitudes – actually flying in the atmosphere of another planet and closer to the surface – and imagine how much more detailed the data could be. This type of mission would be especially helpful on Venus, where the intense heat and crushing air pressure at the surface basically precludes the success of any type of lander mission. So, last year, when NASA formed a Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) to study the concept of a flagship mission to Venus, waiting in the wings was Dr. Geoffrey Landis.

Phoenix Mission to Mars Will Search for Climate Clues

When the NASA Phoenix Mission spacecraft makes its scheduled May 25 landing on Mars, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis will play key roles in mission operations, including one student who helped pick the landing site. Phoenix will dig near the surface and search for evidence of an environment favorable for microbial life. (Video available)

Moon Mission Launch in September: ISRO

BANGALORE: The wait for Mission Moon just got a little longer. A crucial meeting of the senior scientists at Isro's Satellite Centre has decided that the moon mission could blast off in September. Weather conditions will also determine the precise launch date.

Shuttle Astronauts Complete Mission's 3rd Spacewalk

STS-124 Mission Specialist Ron Garan exits the Quest airlock at the start of the mission's third spacewalk

iTunes U adds Phoenix Mars Mission movies

The Phoenix mission, led by the University of Arizona on behalf of NASA, has been in the news quite a bit lately, but with all the coverage of the mission you may be wondering where to go to get multimedia content -- well wonder no more.

ITunes U Adds Phoenix Mars Mission Movies

The Phoenix mission, led by the University of Arizona on behalf of NASA, has been in the news quite a bit lately, but with all the coverage of the mission you may be wondering where to go to get multimedia content -- well wonder no more.

iTunes U adds Phoenix Mars Mission movies

The Phoenix mission, led by the University of Arizona on behalf of NASA, has been in the news quite a bit lately, but with all the coverage of the mission you may be wondering where to go to get multimedia content — well wonder no more.

Boeing Seeks Mission Support Systems Talent for NASA Work

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] is seeking talented mission operations specialists with current NASA experience in the Houston area in support of its bid for NASA's Facilities Development and Operations Contract (FDOC). Current Mission Support Operations Contract employees are encouraged to submit a contact form at active.boeing.com/defense-space/space/fdoc/ to receive information on an open house scheduled for May 17.

Last Hubble mission delayed till October

Atlantis and a crew of seven were supposed to fly to Hubble at the end of August, but the mission was delayed because of extra time needed to build the shuttle fuel tanks required for the flight and a potential rescue mission.

Maxon Motor offers electro-motors for the NASA Phoenix Mission

NASA has started a new mission to the red planet Mars. The major task of the Phoenix Mission is to look for signs of life, which means traces of water, on Mars.

U Arizona Brings Phoenix Mars Mission to iTunes U

The University of Arizona has brought video and animation relating to the Phoenix Mars Mission onto iTunes U, the education-focused portal hosted on Apple's iTunes. U Arizona is the lead on the mission, the first in a NASA program aimed at launching smaller missions to Mars designed to complement larger ones.

Aerojet Propulsion Propels NASA's GLAST Mission

company, announced today that its engine helped propel NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) mission. The mission will allow astronomers to study extreme environments of the universe that generate significant amounts of gamma-ray radiation. Other objectives include the discovery of the mysteries behind powerful gamma-ray bursts, the composition of dark matter and a search for signs of new laws of physics.

Current live video of the Phoenix NASA mission

imageSpacevidcast.com is broadcasting live coverage (view below) of the Phoenix NASA mission right now. You can read all about the Phoenix mission here at NASA’s website.

NASA Assigns Crew for Equipment Delivery Mission to Space Station

WASHINGTON, July 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission STS-128. The flight will carry science and storage racks to the International Space Station. Marine Corps Col. Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow will command space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-128 mission, targeted for launch July 30, 2009. Retired Air Force Col. Kevin A. Ford will serve as the pilot.

Aerojet Propulsion Propels NASA's GLAST Mission

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that its engine helped propel NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) mission. The mission will allow astronomers to study extreme environments of the universe that generate significant amounts of gamma-ray radiation. Other objectives include the discovery of the mysteries behind powerful gamma-ray bursts, the composition of dark matter and a search for signs of new laws of physics.

NASA sets Oct. 8 launch date for shuttle mission to repair Hubble space telescope

Atlantis and a crew of seven were supposed to fly to Hubble at the end of August, but the mission was delayed because of extra time needed to build the shuttle fuel tanks required for the flight and a potential rescue mission.

NASA sets Oct. 8 date for shuttle's Hubble mission

Atlantis and a crew of seven were supposed to fly to Hubble at the end of August, but the mission was delayed because of extra time needed to build the shuttle fuel tanks required for the flight and a potential rescue mission.

NASA sets Oct. 8 date for shuttle's Hubble mission (AP)

Atlantis and a crew of seven were supposed to fly to Hubble at the end of August, but the mission was delayed because of extra time needed to build the shuttle fuel tanks required for the flight and a potential rescue mission.

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