Goddard Space Flight Center

Astrophysics
Galaxies
Goddard Space Flight Center
GUSTO (Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory)
Infrared Light
Missions
NASA Headquarters
Origin & Evolution of the Universe
Science & Research
Scientific Balloons
On a vast ice sheet in Antarctica, scientists and engineers are preparing a NASA experiment called GUSTO to explore the universe on a balloon. GUSTO will launch from the Ross Ice Shelf, near the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station research base, no earlier than Dec. 21.
Posted December 18, 2023
Laser Communications Relay
General
Goddard Space Flight Center
Space Communications & Navigation Program
Technology Demonstration
A NASA technology experiment on the International Space Station completed its first laser link with an in-orbit laser relay system on Dec. 5, 2023. Together, they complete NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system.
Posted December 13, 2023
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Astrophysics
Brown Dwarfs
Exoplanets
Goddard Space Flight Center
Missions
Science & Research
Stars
The Universe
Brown dwarfs are objects that straddle the dividing line between stars and planets. They form like stars, growing dense enough to collapse under their own gravity, but they never become dense and hot enough to begin fusing hydrogen and turn into a star. At the low end of the scale, some brown dwarfs are comparable […]
Posted December 13, 2023
Astrobiology
Goddard Space Flight Center
Outer Planets & Ocean Worlds Program
A NASA study expands the search for life beyond our solar system by indicating that 17 exoplanets (worlds outside our solar system) could have oceans of liquid water, an essential ingredient for life, beneath icy shells. Water from these oceans could occasionally erupt through the ice crust as geysers. The science team calculated the amount […]
Posted December 13, 2023
Earth
Goddard Space Flight Center
PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem)
Some of the same properties of light and optics that make the sky blue and cause rainbows can also help scientists unlock mysteries about cloud formation and the effects of tiny particles in our air. NASA’s upcoming PACE mission will offer important insights on airborne particles of sea salt, smoke, human-made pollutants, and dust – […]
Posted December 12, 2023
MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Heliophysics
Mars
Solar Wind
Space Weather
The Solar System
The Sun
In December 2022, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission observed the dramatic and unexpected “disappearance” of a stream of charged particles constantly emanating off the Sun, known as the solar wind. This was caused by a special type of solar event that was so powerful, it created a void in its wake as […]
Posted December 11, 2023
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Missions
Nebulae
Science Mission Directorate
Stars
Supernovae
The Universe
Mysterious features hide in near-infrared light Like a shiny, round ornament ready to be placed in the perfect spot on a holiday tree, supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) gleams in a new image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. As part of the 2023 Holidays at the White House, First Lady of the United States […]
Posted December 11, 2023
Goddard Space Flight Center
Earth
The best known use of GPS satellites is to help people know their location whether driving a car, navigating a ship or plane, or trekking across remote territory. Another important, but lesser-known, use is to distribute information to other Earth-viewing satellites to help them pinpoint measurements of our planet.
Posted December 8, 2023
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Missions
Science Mission Directorate
Updated, Dec. 8, 2023 NASA restored the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope to science operations Friday, Dec. 8. The telescope had paused science observations Nov. 23 due to an issue with one of its gyros. The spacecraft is in good health and once again operating using all three of its gyros. Hubble’s two main cameras, Wide […]
Posted December 8, 2023
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Missions
Science & Research
Science Mission Directorate
In the pre-dawn hours on Dec. 2, 1993, the space shuttle Endeavour launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a critical mission to repair NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble was designed to be serviced in space with components that astronauts can slide in and out of place. But prior to launch, no one expected […]
Posted December 1, 2023
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