coondoggie writes “NASA’s long-running Mars rover Opportunity is getting ready for the harsh Martian winter, but this year for the first time in its nearly eight-year history it needs a sunnier location to continue its work. NASA said the rover, which depends on solar power for energy, is sitting just south of Mars’ equator and has worked through four Martian southern hemisphere winters. Being closer to the equator than its now defunct (more…)

sighted writes “The twin lunar Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral this morning. GRAIL-A is scheduled to reach the moon on New Year’s Eve 2011, while GRAIL-B will arrive New Year’s Day 2012. The two solar-powered spacecraft will fly in tandem orbits around the moon to measure its gravity field. Lunar explorers hope the mission will answer longstanding questions about the moon ‘from crust to core.’”

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With the release of Moonbase Alpha, NASA has taken its first steps into the world of gaming. Ars speaks with the project manager of NASA’s Learning Technologies program to learn more about the game and the organization’s future plans, which include a MMO.

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astroengine writes “Flying above the Australian Outback, NASA’s converted DC-8 jet videoed the violent re-entry of the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft. Flying in front of the disintegrating probe, the mission’s sample return capsule can be seen speeding though the atmosphere. According to reports, the capsule landed safely and will be collected by helicopter in the morning.” “Bad Astronomer” Phil Plait posts about the successful return as well.

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krou writes “Talking to the BBC at a private function held at the Royal Society in London, former astronauts Jim Lovell and Eugene Cernan both spoke out about Obama’s decision to postpone further moon missions. Lovell claimed that ‘it will have catastrophic consequences in our ability to explore space and the spin-offs we get from space technology,’ while Cernan noted he was ‘disappointed’ to have been the last person to land on the moon. Said Cernan: (more…)

The final numbers are in and, as expected, 2009 was a hot one, joining a handful of other years just behind 2005 at the top of the pack.

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tedlistens writes “NASA is asking the public to suggest subjects for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE, its super powerful camera currently orbiting Mars. Since it arrived there in 2006, the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has seen more success than that lost lander, recording nearly 13,000 observations of Martian terrain, with each image covering dozens of square miles and revealing details as small as (more…)

It is the perfect gift for the man, or woman, who has everything, and it has been heavily discounted.

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coondoggie writes “NASA is looking to reduce the deadly impact of helicopter crashes on their pilots and passengers with what the agency calls a high-tech honeycomb airbag known as a deployable energy absorber. So in order to test out its technology NASA dropped a small helicopter from a height of 35 feet to see whether its deployable energy absorber, made up of an expandable honeycomb cushion, could handle the stress. The test crash hit the ground (more…)

eldavojohn writes “2009 has been an interesting year for NASA — from a new strategy to even closer ties with an old enemy. So it’s perhaps no surprise that NASA has publicly stated that they are ready to team up with China. NASA Chief Charles Bolden said, ‘I am perfectly willing, if that’s the direction that comes to me, to engage the Chinese in trying to make them a partner in any space endeavor. I think they’re a very capable nation. They (more…)