NASA News

Scientists Research Midwest’s Nighttime Thunderstorms

The radar screens in the jetliner show massive storm systems around Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas, growing and beginning to merge. Any commercial aircraft in the area have already diverted. But this DC-8 heads right between the storms. Then it …

Another SpaceX Rocket Blows Up, Adding Snag to Musk’s Space-Taxi Vision

Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s aim to transport astronauts aboard commercial spacecraft was set back Sunday when one of his unmanned cargo rockets exploded in a fireball minutes after launch. The disintegration of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket – the latest reminder that …

NASA Sets up Earthquake Monitoring System on Alaska High School

It’s not quite rocket science, but close enough, and closer to home – students in the Tribal Scholars Program began cutting-edge earthquake monitoring research in a partnership with NASA this past week. It’s part of a new project called the …

NASA Evacuates its Side of Space Station, Finds No Leak

NASA evacuated astronauts from its side of the International Space Station on Wednesday after an alarm indicated a possible toxic leak. Officials later said a false sensor reading or computer problem likely set off the alarm, rather than an actual …

Nissan, NASA to Partner on Self-Driving Technology

Japanese automaker Nissan and NASA are teaming up to advance the technology behind cars that drive themselves. Yokohama-based Nissan Motor Co. and NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, announced Thursday a five-year research-and-development partnership for autonomous vehicle systems …

NASA Says Recently Spotted Asteroid No Risk for Earth

NASA says a newly spotted 1,300-foot (400-meter) wide asteroid is not a threat to hit Earth, despite recent media reports. NASA’s Near Earth Object program manager Donald Yeomans said the asteroid, discovered in October by Russian scientists, won’t even get …

NASA and Texas Hospital Working on Spacesuit Issue

NASA is hoping some earthbound technology can help make it easier to pinpoint problems with spacesuits. The space agency reached out to Houston Methodist Hospital to help with its efforts after an Italian astronaut nearly drowned in his helmet during …

Bad Valve Suspected in Space Station Trouble

The astronauts aboard the International Space Station dimmed the lights, turned off unnecessary equipment and put off science work Thursday as NASA scrambled to figure out what’s wrong with a key cooling unit. One of two identical cooling loops shut …

NASA to Conduct Helicopter Crash Test at Langley

NASA researchers are organizing a crash test this week at its Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. NASA says a 45-foot-long helicopter fuselage will be dropped from a height of about 30 feet on Wednesday. Researchers want to test improved …

NASA Still Perplexed by Astronaut’s Flooded Helmet

The astronaut who came close to drowning in a flooded helmet is searching for clues in his spacesuit. So far, neither Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano nor engineers in Houston have uncovered the cause of Tuesday’s close call outside the International …