Early this morning at 5:32 UTC, NASA’s Curiosity rover has successfully landed on Mars, only one minute later than scheduled. The spectacular landing went without a hitch. “The Seven Minutes of Terror has turned into the Seven Minutes of Triumph,” said NASA Associate Administrator for Science John Grunsfeld. Continue reading
This month will be very eventful when it comes to astronomy and space exploration. First off on August 6 the Curiosity Rover, also known as Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), is scheduled to land on the red planet at 5:31 AM UTC. Continue reading
If you have missed the latest Monthly Stargazing Calendar, then this is a reminder that on the night of July 28 and 29, the Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower will peak. The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. Continue reading
Active Region 1515 has now spit out 12 M-class flares since July 3. Early in the morning of July 5, 2012 there was an M6.1 flare. It peaked at 7:44 AM EDT. This caused a moderate — classified as R2 on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s space weather scale — radio blackout that has since subsided. Continue reading
Most of this month will be rather uneventful when it comes to astronomical events, but at the end of the month, on July 28 and 29 we will witness the Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. Continue reading
A maneuver on Tuesday (June 26, 2012) adjusted the flight path of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft for delivering the rover Curiosity to a landing target beside a Martian mountain. The car-size, one-ton rover is bound for arrival the evening of Aug. 5, 2012, PDT. Continue reading
The United States’ space exploration program is taking a critical step forward with a successful major technical review of the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS), the rocket that will take astronauts farther into space than ever before. Continue reading
After successfully completing nearly five months scrutinizing the giant asteroid Vesta at its lowest orbit altitude, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft will begin its final major science data-gathering phase at Vesta on June 15, at an average altitude of 680 kilometers above the surface. Continue reading
The private spaceflight company SpaceX has signed its first launch customer for its new mega-rocket, the Falcon Heavy, even as the firm’s first commercial spaceship prepares to return home from the International Space Station. Continue reading
Today on June 5 we will have the chance to witness the transit of Venus across the Sun. This extremely rare event will be entirely visible throughout most of eastern Asia, eastern Australia, and Alaska. Continue reading
