NASA – Page 2 – Astronomy Now

NASA lunar orbiter to image Chandrayaan 2 landing site

13 September 2019 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will try to locate India’s Vikram lander on the moon during a flyover of the landing site Tuesday. Indian space officials said they found the disabled spacecraft on the moon using the country’s own Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, but declined to release any images.

WFIRST telescope passes preliminary design review

30 August 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope optical system passes a preliminary design review, a major milestone in the Hubble-class wide-field observatory.

James Webb Space Telescope mirror, instruments mated with spacecraft

28 August 2019 Astronomy Now

James Webb Space Telescope’s mirrors and science instruments have been mechanically attached to the observatory’s sunshield and subsystems, a major milestone for engineers building the infrared telescope. Launch from French Guiana remains targeted for 2021.

NASA’s Europa Clipper approved for development

20 August 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA formally approves development of the Europa Clipper, a spacecraft intended to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in search of clues about a potentially habitable sub-surface ocean.

Mars 2020 rover on track for launch next July

31 July 2019 Stephen Clark

The launch of NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is less than a year away, and the steady pace of work inside the craft’s pristine assembly hall in California is keeping the mission on schedule for liftoff from Cape Canaveral next July, despite growing costs, according to mission managers.

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover looking more and more like a rover

28 July 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, scheduled for launch on 17 July 2020, is rapidly maturing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where engineers recently tested the spacecraft’s multi-joint robot arm as critical instruments and other systems are installed and tested.

NASA gives go-ahead for flying drone to explore Saturn’s moon Titan

28 June 2019 Stephen Clark

NASA officials announced that the agency will move forward with the development of a plutonium-powered robotic quadcopter drone to explore Saturn’s moon Titan, a hazy world covered with dunes and methane lakes that scientists say is reminiscent of the ancient Earth.

NASA to shut down Spitzer Space Telescope early next year

1 June 2019 Stephen Clark

After a search for an outside funding source turned up empty, NASA plans to end observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope in January to conclude a 16-year mission that discovered exoplanets, studied galaxies in the ancient universe, and peered at planets and asteroids in our own Solar System.

Asteroid Bennu surprises with rocky surface and activity

20 March 2019 Astronomy Now

The OSIRIS-REx sample-return spacecraft is finding one surprise after another orbiting asteroid Bennu, including unexpected “ejection events.”

NASA orbiter spots Chinese lander on the Moon

21 February 2019 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted China’s Chang’e 4 lander and rover on the far side of the Moon in new images, as the Chinese robots explore the floor of Von Kármán crater.