As solar max approaches, new tech is on call.
spacecraft
Posted inFeatures
Shake, Rattle, and Probe
Helioseismology allows scientists to study the interior of the Sun, solve some basic physics mysteries, and forecast space weather.
Posted inScience Updates
A Time Capsule from the Early Solar System Is En Route to Earth
After an exciting encounter with asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx mission team looks forward to hitting pay dirt when a hefty sample of ancient planetesimal material is delivered to Earth next year.
Posted inNews
Zhurong Rover Spots Evidence of Recent Liquid Water on Mars
The Chinese rover identified hydrated minerals—likely associated with groundwater—in sediments dating to the Red Planet’s most recent geologic period.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Solar Wind a Major Driver of Atmospheric Sodium at Mercury
MESSENGER observations show a 50% rise in atmospheric sodium-group ions during periods of high solar wind activity.
Posted inNews
Chinese-Led Solar Research Is Looking Bright
With new missions underway and planned, China is stepping up to observe our nearest stellar neighbor.
Posted inNews
Pluto’s Surface Was Recently Sculpted by Icy Volcanism
Geologically young regions of Pluto’s southern hemisphere were likely resurfaced by cryovolcanism, data from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal.
Posted inNews
Saturn’s Powerful Winds Explain Changes in the Length of Its Day
Atmospheric winds moving at more than 7,000 kilometers per hour distort Saturn’s magnetic field, revealing why spacecraft have measured changes in the length of a day on the ringed world.
Posted inNews
Lipids from Europa’s Ocean Could Be Detectable on the Surface
A super salty spring in the Canadian Arctic provides insights key to detecting life on a distant ocean world.
Posted inScience Updates
A New Journey Around (and Around) the Sun
The Solar Orbiter just completed its commissioning phase while en route to the Sun. It has already provided valuable looks at solar campfires and Venus’s magnetic fields, and it promises much more.