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"...some HiRISE images taken in 2017 and early 2018 show slight blurring not seen earlier in the mission. The cause is under investigation. The percentage of full-resolution images with blurring peaked at 70 percent last October, at about the time when Mars was at the point in its orbit farthest from the Sun. The percentage has since declined to less than 20 percent. Even before the first blurred images were seen, observations with HiRISE commonly used a technique that covers more ground area at half the resolution. This still provides higher resolution than any other camera orbiting Mars — about...

"The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) and the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO) are investigating an experimental propulsion system on the X-37B on Mission 4," Capt. Chris Hoyler, an Air Force spokesman, told Space.com via email. "AFRCO will also host a number of advance materials onboard the X-37B for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to study the durability of various materials in the space environment," Hoyler added ... The Air Force owns two X-37B space planes, both of which were built by Boeing's Phantom Works division. The solar-powered spacecraft are about...

A researcher from The University of Western Ontario has helped solve a 37-year old space mystery using lunar images released yesterday by NASA and maps from his own atlas of the moon. Phil Stooke, a professor cross appointed to Western's Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Geography, published a major reference book on lunar exploration in 2007 entitled, "The International Atlas of Lunar Exploration." Yesterday, images and data from Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) were posted. The LRO, scheduled for a one year exploration mission about 31 miles above the lunar surface, will produce a comprehensive map, search for resources...

An astronomer at the University of Western Ontario has found a Soviet moon rover in recently released images from a NASA satellite. Phil Stooke combed through data and images of the moon's surface from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter that NASA released Monday. Stooke compared the images to his own recently published reference book on moon geography, The International Atlas of Lunar Exploration, and pinpointed the location of the Soviet rover Lunokhod 2. "The tracks were visible at once," said Stooke, in a statement. The location of the rover was already known through laser ranging experiments, but there's no telescope on...

It's blurrier than old MySpace snapshots, but it's there as expected. The Apollo Lunar Modules and the US flag left behind at the Apollo 17 landing site has been caught in a close-up image by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The lander as well as the flag, or rather the remaining flag pole, seen in the image above are exactly where they should be based on this shot by the Ascent Module "right after Apollo 17 lifted off the Moon": Going a step further, the location can be compared to more recent images of the landing site and everything still...

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has completed its primary, two-year science phase. The spacecraft has found signs of a complex Martian history of climate change that produced a diversity of past watery environments.

Camera On Mars Orbiter Snaps Phoenix During LandingNASA's Mars Phoenix Lander can be seen parachuting down to Mars, in this image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Calech/University of Arizona) ScienceDaily (May 27, 2008) — A telescopic camera in orbit around Mars caught a view of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander suspended from its parachute during the lander's successful arrival at Mars Sunday evening, May 25. The image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter marks the first time ever one spacecraft has photographed another one...

A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars has taken the first ever image of active avalanches near the Red Planet's north pole. The image shows tan clouds billowing away from the foot of a towering slope, where ice and dust have just cascaded down. The High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took the photograph Feb. 19. It is one of approximately 2,400 HiRISE images being released today. Ingrid Daubar Spitale of the University of Arizona, Tucson, who works on targeting the camera and has studied hundreds of HiRISE images, was the first person to notice the...

Chinese lunar orbiter to begin observations 11:33 20 November 2007 NewScientist.com news service David Shiga China's Chang'e 1 spacecraft entered lunar orbit on 7 November and is now ready to begin studying the Moon Chang'e 1, China National Space Administration China National Space Administration Chang'e 1 information, NASA China's lunar orbiter is set to begin switching on its science instruments. The spacecraft should help determine the thickness of the lunar soil and shed new light on the Moon's internal composition, which could help in understanding its origins. The China National Space Administration launched the Chang'e 1 spacecraft on 24 October...

LOS ANGELES The newest spacecraft circling Mars has spotted the landing site of the 1997 Pathfinder probe including what appears to be its discarded protective backshell and parachute lying on the surface, and possibly its little rover Sojourner. The bird's-eye view beamed back by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter should give scientists a better idea of the Pathfinder lander's descent and the mission's last days. In one of the high-resolution images taken last month, Pathfinder's mobile sidekick Sojourner appeared to have rolled closer to the stationary lander, which sent its last transmission 12 weeks after landing. Scientists were able to discern...

PASADENA, Calif. - The most powerful spacecraft ever sent to Mars has settled into a nearly circular orbit, a move that allows scientists to begin studying the planet in unprecedented detail, NASA said Tuesday. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter fired its thrusters for 12 minutes Monday to adjust to its final position six months after it arrived at the planet. Its altitude ranges between 155 to 196 miles above the surface. "Getting to this point is a great achievement," said Dan Johnston, deputy mission manager at the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $720 million mission. Over the next...

Mars orbiter reaches Red Planet It will take six months for the MRO to attain its final orbit Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has survived a critical phase in its mission by parking itself in an elliptical orbit around the Red Planet. News of its success followed a tense period of radio silence while the spacecraft passed behind Mars. Over the next six months, the probe will steadily reduce the size of its orbit until it reaches an optimal position to start scientific studies. MRO will examine the Martian surface and atmosphere in unprecedented detail. At 2124 GMT (1334 PST),...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - NASA scientists were nervous as an orbiter neared Mars after a seven-month voyage carrying the most expensive equipment ever sent to another planet. "We have a tremendous amount of anxiety and concern at this particular point in time," said Jim Graf, project manager for the Mars Reconnaissance Observer (MRO). "At the same time we feel confident, we have a very good spacecraft ... (and an) excellent well trained team," he said in a press conference from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "We are about 325,000 miles (523,036 kilometers) from Mars. We're traveling at about 6,400...

LOS ANGELES - A NASA spacecraft bound for Mars is nearing the end of its seven-month journey but still faces a white-knuckle arrival at a planet known for swallowing scientific probes, mission managers said Friday. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO, is on course to enter orbit around the Red Planet on March 10. If successful, it will spend the next two years photographing the surface and scouting for future landing sites. The spacecraft is performing so well that engineers have canceled two final maneuvers to adjust its course in the last leg of the trip, said James Graf, project...

As plans are announced for the possible successor to the space shuttle, area supporters are stepping up efforts to ensure that this spacecraft shares the same birthplace as the soon-to-be-retired orbiters. NASA has announced plans for a new system for manned space travel to take the place of the space shuttles, set to end their service in 2010. The same criteria that brought development of the space shuttles to the Antelope Valley - all five space orbiters and their prototype were built at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale - remain viable reasons for that craft's successor to be built...

"This view of the shock wave condensation collars backlit by the sun occurred during the launch of Atlantis on STS-106 and was captured on an engineering 35mm motion picture film. One frame was digitized to make this still image. Although the primary effect is created by the Orbiter forward fuselage, secondary effects can be seen on the SRB forward skirt, Orbiter vertical stabilizer and wing trailing edges (behind SSME's)" Source: NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Media Gallery, Photo No.: KSC-00PP-1416, September 8, 2000, http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=4720 Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-106) launch video, September 8, 2000 http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/video/shuttle/sts-106/html/fd1.htmlhttp://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/video/shuttle/sts-106/net56/sts106launch_56.asf (video) http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/video/shuttle/sts-106/real56/sts106launch_56.rm (video) FreeRepublic.com: "Boing...

NASA is preparing to launch the largest spacecraft ever sent to Mars. The behemoth will skim relatively close to the Red Planet's surface - beaming back more data than all previous missions combined - and scout out landing sites for future Mars missions. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is scheduled to begin its six-month journey to Mars on 10 August 2005. It will blast off on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. "MRO is really the gateway to the future of Mars," says Jim Garvin, NASA's chief scientist. "It is a reconnaissance engine...

Ophir Chasma, part of Valles Marineris (images) Specific image: Desktop perspective view

LUFKIN, Texas (AP) - A large piece of space shuttle Columbia debris was found recently in southeast Texas, a NASA official said. The 6-foot-long piece of the crew compartment was discovered two weeks ago in Newton County by a wildlife biologist, sheriffs officials said. Bruce Buckingham, a Kennedy Space Center spokesman, confirmed Wednesday that the piece discovered two weeks ago was from the shuttle's crew compartment area and contains a hinged window. NASA had not yet picked up the piece, which had bright green moss growing over one section of the window. The biologist, Jason Sebesta, said he found it...

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - NASA has extended the mission of the Mars Odyssey orbiter which has been studying and mapping the Red Planet since early 2002 as well as serving as a relay for data from the surface rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Odyssey's primary mission, which cost $297 million, ended Tuesday. The $35 million extension will fund operations through September 2006, and NASA noted that the spacecraft has enough fuel left to operate through the rest of the decade and the following decade at the current rate of consumption. "Odyssey has accomplished all of its mission-success criteria," said Philip Varghese,...