Spacecraft

NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory are celebrating over three decades of flight and space exploration by Voyager 1 and 2. The longevity and success of the spacecraft have secured them a place in the annals of space travel, according to Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a prepared statement. During their travels, Voyagers flew by Jupiter, Saturn and their moons and were the first to explore Uranus and Neptune. The spacecrafts sent to Earth never before seen photos and data of the planets and moons.

The mission of the spacecraft Ulysses, which studied the far-flung polar regions of the sun, has come to an end after 18 years of exploration far outlasting its original life expectancy. The spacecraft was a joint mission between Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA and European Space Agency. Throughout its long mission it entered unexplored regions of the solar system, gathering information about the sun and its environment. ?We lasted almost four times longer than planned and a year longer than we thought we would,?

Having lost communication with Mars Global Surveyor late last year, JPL/NASA announced late last week that an internal board has determined the spacecraft was lost due to a series of events triggered after ground control in Denver sent an incorrect computer address. "There was not a single thing that happened," said Fuk Li, Mars exploration program manager at JPL in La Cañada Flintridge. "It was a series of events that caused the problem." MGS was launched in November 1996, and arrived at Mars to begin its mission in September 1997.

Engineers are still attempting to contact the Mars Global Surveyor satellite through various methods utilizing other Mars explorers in a Martian rescue mission. The satellite stop relaying data to Earth just days before its 10th anniversary. "We first lost it on Nov. 2, then got it back on the fifth but lost it again," said Tom Thorpe, MGS project manager from JPL. The orbiter is the oldest of the five NASA spacecraft currently in orbit around Mars. Launched on Nov. 7, 1996 the MGS has operated longer than any other spacecraft that has been sent to the planet.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter scientists and engineers gathered together again at a press briefing held at JPL in La Cañada Flintridge on Monday. The purpose was to share the impressive images from the spacecraft's first week of photographing the surface of Mars. The panel consisted of Steve Saunders, program scientist, Scott Murchie, principal investigator for the spectrometer on the spacecraft, Alfred McEwen, the camera's principal investigator, Rich Zurek, project scientist, and Jim Graf, project manager.

Weather conditions on Earth and Mars are plaguing two JPL missions. The Phoenix Mars Lander, which had a scheduled launch Friday, has now been postponed to Saturday at 3:02 a.m. PST. The delay is due to severe weather at the Kennedy Space Center, while the rovers Opportunity and Spirit are still battling a severe dust storm on the Martian surface. Severe weather conditions surrounded the Kennedy Space Center launch pad on Tuesday afternoon delaying the second stage fueling. The Phoenix is planned to arrive on Mars in the spring of 2008.

The Dawn spacecraft is scheduled for launch on July 7 from Cape Canaveral. Its eight-year mission, managed by JPL in La Cañada Flintridge, will explore the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres and look into the very beginning of the solar system. A press conference was held last week where an update on the mission was released. The mission has a brief launch time window of July 7 to 11, due in part to other missions that are scheduled for launch including the space shuttle. The mission has had its trials and tribulations.

For those who have been impressed with what scientists have learned about Mars so far ? scientists from JPL-NASA with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter think they haven't seen anything yet. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is due to arrive on Mars at 1:25 p.m. March 10. This mission will provide information for a landing site for the Phoenix Mars Scout, a spacecraft that will land in an icy area of Mars near the north polar ice cap. Its primary...

Next Leap in Mars Exploration Ready for Launch NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was set for launch today (Aug. 11). The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Mars in March 2006 for a mission to understand the planet's water riddles and to advance the exploration of the mysterious red planet. The mission's first launch opportunity window was 4:50 to 6:35 a.m. PDT, today. If the launch had to be postponed, additional launch windows would open daily at different times each morning throughout the month, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.

The chance that an asteroid is somewhere out in space with our name on it has fueled Hollywood plot lines and countless novels. The idea that a brave soul would climb into a spacecraft, land on the asteroid and blow it up with bravery, conviction and a plucky sidekick may not be exact science however real scientists are looking at viable ways to stop an Earthbound asteroid. Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, looks out into space for any and all dangers that may be heading our way. "We are hit by at least 100 tons of [space]

After more than 10 years of planning and preparation, and a few last-minute delays, Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists launched Monday an infrared telescope designed to map the entire sky using infrared light. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope will spend the next nine months photographing images in long-wavelength infrared light, at the rate of one image every 11 seconds, sending millions of images back to earth for analysis. Mission team members hope to create a “road map” of the universe, including near-Earth asteroids, old and dying stars, planet-forming disks and distant galaxies.

Images and data from one of Saturn’s moons were sent earlier this week to JPL scientists in La Cañada Flintridge, indicating the possible presence of a liquid ocean beneath the surface of the tiny Enceladus that may contain the conditions necessary for life. Information was gathered in a flyby Monday morning as part of the Cassini mission to Saturn, currently five years underway, in which NASA hopes to learn more about the exact composition of bodies existing within the planet’s rings.

The mission of the spacecraft Ulysses, which studied the far-flung polar regions of the sun, has come to an end after 18 years of exploration far outlasting its original life expectancy. The spacecraft was a joint mission between Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA and European Space Agency. Throughout its long mission it entered unexplored regions of the solar system, gathering information about the sun and its environment. ?We lasted almost four times longer than planned and a year longer than we thought we would,?

The news vans, cameras and reporters are slowly moving out of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory parking lot after a weekend of crossed fingers, lucky peanuts and amazing scientific and engineering achievement. Just before 5 p.m on Sunday the Phoenix spacecraft used its descent thrusters and landed on its three legs on the Martian surface, all according to plan. The landing procedure was last attempted in 1999 with the Mars Polar Lander but communication was lost with the spacecraft shortly before it entered Mars?

NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory are celebrating over three decades of flight and space exploration by Voyager 1 and 2. The longevity and success of the spacecraft have secured them a place in the annals of space travel, according to Alan Stern, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a prepared statement. During their travels, Voyagers flew by Jupiter, Saturn and their moons and were the first to explore Uranus and Neptune. The spacecrafts sent to Earth never before seen photos and data of the planets and moons.

Weather conditions on Earth and Mars are plaguing two JPL missions. The Phoenix Mars Lander, which had a scheduled launch Friday, has now been postponed to Saturday at 3:02 a.m. PST. The delay is due to severe weather at the Kennedy Space Center, while the rovers Opportunity and Spirit are still battling a severe dust storm on the Martian surface. Severe weather conditions surrounded the Kennedy Space Center launch pad on Tuesday afternoon delaying the second stage fueling. The Phoenix is planned to arrive on Mars in the spring of 2008.

The Dawn spacecraft is scheduled for launch on July 7 from Cape Canaveral. Its eight-year mission, managed by JPL in La Cañada Flintridge, will explore the asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres and look into the very beginning of the solar system. A press conference was held last week where an update on the mission was released. The mission has a brief launch time window of July 7 to 11, due in part to other missions that are scheduled for launch including the space shuttle. The mission has had its trials and tribulations.

Having lost communication with Mars Global Surveyor late last year, JPL/NASA announced late last week that an internal board has determined the spacecraft was lost due to a series of events triggered after ground control in Denver sent an incorrect computer address. "There was not a single thing that happened," said Fuk Li, Mars exploration program manager at JPL in La Cañada Flintridge. "It was a series of events that caused the problem." MGS was launched in November 1996, and arrived at Mars to begin its mission in September 1997.

The chance that an asteroid is somewhere out in space with our name on it has fueled Hollywood plot lines and countless novels. The idea that a brave soul would climb into a spacecraft, land on the asteroid and blow it up with bravery, conviction and a plucky sidekick may not be exact science however real scientists are looking at viable ways to stop an Earthbound asteroid. Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, looks out into space for any and all dangers that may be heading our way. "We are hit by at least 100 tons of [space]