Space In The News: October 2013

Thursday, October 31, 2013

ScienceDaily: Stars News

How the universe's violent youth seeded cosmos with iron
Lava world baffles astronomers: Planet Kepler-78b 'shouldn't exist'
Earth-like exoplanet in mass and size: While too hot to support life, Kepler 78b is roughly the size of Earth

How the universe's violent youth seeded cosmos with iron

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 12:29 PM PDT

By detecting an even distribution of iron throughout a massive galaxy cluster, astrophysicists can tell the 10-billion-year-old story of how exploding stars and black holes sowed the early cosmos with heavy elements.

Lava world baffles astronomers: Planet Kepler-78b 'shouldn't exist'

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 11:29 AM PDT

Kepler-78b is a planet that shouldn't exist. This scorching lava world circles its star every eight and a half hours at a distance of less than one million miles - one of the tightest known orbits. According to current theories of planet formation, it couldn't have formed so close to its star, nor could it have moved there.

Earth-like exoplanet in mass and size: While too hot to support life, Kepler 78b is roughly the size of Earth

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 11:28 AM PDT

In August, researchers identified an exoplanet with an extremely brief orbital period: The team found that Kepler 78b, a small, intensely hot planet 400 light-years from Earth, circles its star in just 8.5 hours — lightning-quick, compared with our own planet's leisurely 365-day orbit. From starlight data gathered by the Kepler Space Telescope, the scientists also determined that the exoplanet is about 1.2 times Earth's size — making Kepler 78b one of the smallest exoplanets ever measured.

ScienceDaily: Astronomy News

How the universe's violent youth seeded cosmos with iron
Lava world baffles astronomers: Planet Kepler-78b 'shouldn't exist'
Earth-like exoplanet in mass and size: While too hot to support life, Kepler 78b is roughly the size of Earth
First results from LUX dark matter detector: Searching for elusive dark matter

How the universe's violent youth seeded cosmos with iron

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 12:29 PM PDT

Lava world baffles astronomers: Planet Kepler-78b 'shouldn't exist'

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 11:29 AM PDT

Earth-like exoplanet in mass and size: While too hot to support life, Kepler 78b is roughly the size of Earth

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 11:28 AM PDT

First results from LUX dark matter detector: Searching for elusive dark matter

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 09:55 AM PDT

In its first three months of operation, the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment has proven itself to be the most sensitive dark matter detector in the world, scientists with the experiment have announced. Researchers are now preparing the detector, located a mile underground in an old South Dakota gold mine, for a 300-day run next year in hopes of detecting for the first time weakly interacting particles thought to account for most of the matter in the universe. Though dark matter has not yet been detected directly, scientists are fairly certain that it exists.

ScienceDaily: Galaxies News

How the universe's violent youth seeded cosmos with iron

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 12:29 PM PDT

ScienceDaily: Extrasolar Planets News

Lava world baffles astronomers: Planet Kepler-78b 'shouldn't exist'

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 11:29 AM PDT

Earth-like exoplanet in mass and size: While too hot to support life, Kepler 78b is roughly the size of Earth

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 11:28 AM PDT

ScienceDaily: Cosmic Rays News

How the universe's violent youth seeded cosmos with iron

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 12:29 PM PDT

First results from LUX dark matter detector: Searching for elusive dark matter

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 09:55 AM PDT

ScienceDaily: Dark Matter News

First results from LUX dark matter detector: Searching for elusive dark matter

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 09:55 AM PDT

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

ScienceDaily: Astronomy News

Preserving the legacy of the X-ray universe
NASA's Orion spacecraft comes to life
A ghostly trio from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
Historic demonstration proves laser communication possible

Preserving the legacy of the X-ray universe

Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:13 AM PDT

Every year, October is designated as American Archive Month. While many people may think "archive" means only dusty books and letters, there are, in fact, many other types of important archives. This includes the use of archives for major telescopes and observatories like NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

NASA's Orion spacecraft comes to life

Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:11 AM PDT

NASA's first-ever deep space craft, Orion, has been powered on for the first time, marking a major milestone in the final year of preparations for flight.

A ghostly trio from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope

Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:07 AM PDT

In the spirit of Halloween, scientists are releasing a trio of stellar ghosts caught in infrared light by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. All three spooky structures, called planetary nebulas, are in fact material ejected from dying stars. As death beckoned, the stars' wispy bits and pieces were blown into outer space.

Historic demonstration proves laser communication possible

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT

In the early morning hours of Oct. 18, NASA's Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) made history, transmitting data from lunar orbit to Earth at a rate of 622 Megabits-per-second (Mbps). That download rate is more than six times faster than previous state-of-the-art radio systems flown to the moon.

ScienceDaily: Galaxies News

Preserving the legacy of the X-ray universe

Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:13 AM PDT

ScienceDaily: Nebulae News

Preserving the legacy of the X-ray universe

Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:13 AM PDT

A ghostly trio from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope

Posted: 29 Oct 2013 11:07 AM PDT

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

NASA Hosts Earth Science Social Media Event

News release: 2013-315b Oct. 29, 2013

NASA Hosts Earth Science Social Media Event

The full version of this story with accompanying images is at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-315b&cid=release_2013-315b

One-hundred people from 22 U.S. states and some foreign countries will attend a two-day NASA Social on Nov. 4 and 5 at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

The attendees, who follow NASA and JPL on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks, will tour JPL, participate in interactive events and hear from scientists and engineers about current and upcoming space- and Earth-observing missions. Attendees will share their experiences with their followers through the various social media platforms.

The Nov. 4 events will highlight NASA's role in studying Earth and its climate and will preview three Earth-observing missions JPL is preparing for launch in 2014: the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) spacecraft, which will measure soil moisture from space; ISS-RapidScat, which will measure ocean winds from the International Space Station; and the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), which will study atmospheric carbon dioxide from space.

These presentations will air on NASA Television on Nov. 4 starting at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST) at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv and http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2 .

To join and track the conversation online during the NASA Social, follow the hashtag #NASASocial .

NASA Social attendees were selected from more than 475 people who registered online. Participants represent Canada, Croatia, Indonesia, Norway, Peru, the United States and the United Kingdom. Attendees from the U.S. come from 22 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. More information about connecting and collaborating with NASA is at: http://www.nasa.gov/connect .

More information about SMAP is online at: http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/ . More information about ISS-RapidScat is at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/ISSRapidScat.html and http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/RapidScat/ .

More information about OCO-2 is at: http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov/ .

The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.

Courtney O'Connor 818-354-2274
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
oconnor@jpl.nasa.gov

John Yembrick / Jason Townsend 202-358-1584 / 202-358-0359
NASA Headquarters, Washington
john.yembrick@nasa.gov / jason.c.townsend@nasa.gov

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Upcoming Workshops, Giveaway Days at the NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center

This is a feature of the NASA/JPL Education Office Oct. 29, 2013

Educator Workshop: Lunar and Meteorite Sample Certification Program

Date: Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Target Audience: This workshop is for credentialed teachers, teaching grades K-12 in a classroom setting

Location: NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center, Pomona, Calif.

Overview: NASA makes actual lunar samples from the historic Apollo missions available to lend to teachers. You must attend this certification workshop to bring the excitement of real lunar rocks and regolith samples to your students.

Please call 909-397-4420 to reserve your spot. For more information and directions, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=115

*Note: The NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center will be hosting a giveaway day featuring numerous items from its Pomona, Calif., location immediately following this workshop. See below for more information.

Educator Workshop: Marsbound! Mission to the Red Planet

Date: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Target audience: Educators for grades 4 and above

Location: NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center, Pomona, Calif.

Overview: Bring Marsbound! Mission to the Red Planet, an exciting hands-on lesson that addresses Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, to your classroom! Build a mission to Mars using a mat and cards game, design and redesign, facing the same problems that real engineers and scientists face. Compare Earth and Mars geology and explore what it will take to create a Mars colony, socially, historically, physically and vocationally! This workshop is limited to 30 participants.

Please call 909-397-4420 to reserve your spot. For more information and directions, visit: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=115

*Note: The NASA/JPL Educator Resource Center will be hosting a giveaway day featuring numerous items from its Pomona, Calif., location immediately following this workshop. See below for more information.

Giveaway Days:

After 15 years in its Pomona, Calif., location, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Educator Resource Center will be moving. (A new arrangement for the center has not been determined. Continue to check the ERC page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=115 for future updates.)

To facilitate our move, we need your help giving some of our excess material a new home. Up for grabs are items such as historical reference books, posters, historical JPL annual reports, bookmarks, postcards, and other JPL and educational materials.

In the coming months, we will have two free yard-sale-type events during which you can visit the ERC at the Indian Hill Mall in Pomona and take whatever you can use: Saturday, Nov. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 7. The doors will open for each event at 12:30 p.m. and close at 2:30 p.m., no need to RSVP. We recommend arriving with boxes or bags to carry items home. No early birds please.

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ScienceDaily: Astronomy News

Carbon worlds may be waterless, NASA study finds
NASA's great observatories begin deepest-ever probe of the universe
Cassini gets new views of Titan's Land of Lakes
Last command sent to Planck space telescope

Carbon worlds may be waterless, NASA study finds

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT

Planets rich in carbon, including so-called diamond planets, may lack oceans, according to NASA-funded theoretical research.

NASA's great observatories begin deepest-ever probe of the universe

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT

NASA's Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes are teaming up to look deeper into the universe than ever before. With a boost from natural "zoom lenses" found in space, they should be able to uncover galaxies that are as much as 100 times fainter than what these three great observatories typically can see.

Cassini gets new views of Titan's Land of Lakes

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:06 AM PDT

With the sun now shining down over the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan, a little luck with the weather, and trajectories that put the spacecraft into optimal viewing positions, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has obtained new pictures of the liquid methane and ethane seas and lakes that reside near Titan's north pole. The images reveal new clues about how the lakes formed and about Titan's Earth-like "hydrologic" cycle, which involves hydrocarbons rather than water.

Last command sent to Planck space telescope

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:05 AM PDT

The Planck space telescope has been turned off after spending nearly 4.5 years soaking up the relic radiation from the Big Bang and studying the evolution of stars and galaxies throughout the history of the universe.

ScienceDaily: Galaxies News

NASA's great observatories begin deepest-ever probe of the universe

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT

ScienceDaily: Stars News

Carbon worlds may be waterless, NASA study finds

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT

Planets rich in carbon, including so-called diamond planets, may lack oceans, according to NASA-funded theoretical research.

ScienceDaily: Extrasolar Planets News

Carbon worlds may be waterless, NASA study finds

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT

Planets rich in carbon, including so-called diamond planets, may lack oceans, according to NASA-funded theoretical research.

ScienceDaily: Dark Matter News

NASA's great observatories begin deepest-ever probe of the universe

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT

Last command sent to Planck space telescope

Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:05 AM PDT

Friday, October 25, 2013

ScienceDaily: Stars News

Ghostly shape of 'coldest place in the universe' revealed

Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:31 AM PDT

Astronomers have taken a new look at the Boomerang Nebula, the so-called "coldest place in the Universe" to learn more about its frigid properties and determine its true shape, which has an eerily ghost-like appearance.

ScienceDaily: Astronomy News

Scientists solve mystery of odd patterns of oxygen in solar system's earliest rocks
Ghostly shape of 'coldest place in the universe' revealed
Just two weeks in orbit causes changes in eyes
Unique chemical composition surrounding supermassive black holes

Scientists solve mystery of odd patterns of oxygen in solar system's earliest rocks

Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT

By re-creating conditions in the solar nebula, the swirl of gas that coalesced to form our star, the planets and the remnant rocky debris that circles the Sun as asteroids, the researchers demonstrated that a simple chemical reaction, governed by known physical principles, can generate silicate dust with oxygen anomalies that match those found in the oldest rocks in the solar system.

Ghostly shape of 'coldest place in the universe' revealed

Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:31 AM PDT

Just two weeks in orbit causes changes in eyes

Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:11 AM PDT

Just 13 days in space may be enough to cause profound changes in eye structure and gene expression, report researchers. This study is the first to examine eye-related gene expression and cell behavior after spaceflight.

Unique chemical composition surrounding supermassive black holes

Posted: 24 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT

Astronomers have captured a detailed image of high density molecular gas around an active galactic nucleus harboring a supermassive black hole. The observations at the highest ever achieved reveal a unique chemical composition characterized by enhancement of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) around the black hole. An research team thought a high temperature affected by the black hole caused this peculiar chemical properties. The team expect that this unique chemical properties can be used to find black holes hidden behind dust.