http://science.nasa.gov

The Science and Technology Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center sponsors the Science@NASA web sites. The mission of Science@NASA is to help the public understand how exciting NASA research is and to help NASA scientists fulfill their outreach responsibilities.

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Sunset Planet Alert
Posted: March 2010

The solar system's innermost planets are about to put on a beautiful show. Keep an eye on the sunset this weekend for a bright conjunction of Venus and Mercury.






An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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An Avalanche of Dark Asteroids
Posted: March 2010

Every day, a NASA infrared space telescope named "WISE" is discovering hundreds of previously unknown asteroids. The observatory is making a remarkable contribution to the census of dark space rocks that could potentially threaten Earth.






An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Cool Movie: SDO Destroys a Sundog
Posted: February 2010

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory amazed onlookers last week when it flew past a sundog and destroyed it. Must-see videos of the event captured shock waves from the rocket billowing through the sundog, eliciting cries of delight and amazement from the crowd below.






A video podcast in the MOV format.

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3D Sun for the iPhone
Posted: February 2010

Imagine holding the entire sun in the palm of your hand. Now you can. A new iPhone app developed by NASA-supported programmers delivers a live global view of the sun directly to your cell phone.






An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Are TGFs Hazardous to Air Travellers?
Posted: February 2010

Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) surge through thunderstorms at about the same altitude where commercial airliners fly. Do these blasts of gamma-radiation pose a hazard to air travellers?






An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Solar Dynamics Observatory: The 'Variable Sun' Mission
Posted: February 2010

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), slated for liftoff on Feb. 9th, will make IMAX-quality movies of solar explosions, peer beneath the stellar surface to see the sun's inner dynamo, and--researchers hope--unravel the mysteries of solar variability.





An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Firefly Mission to Study Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes
Posted: January 2010

There's a mystery in the skies of Earth: Something is producing bright flashes of gamma radiation in the upper atmosphere of our own planet. A new NASA-NSF mission called Firefly is going to investigate.






An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Spirit is Now a Stationary Science Platform
Posted: January 2010

NASA announced today that Mars rover Spirit cannot be freed from its Martian sandtrap. Now the rover will begin a second career as a stationary science platform.






An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Mystery of the Giant Ribbon, Solved?
Posted: January 2010

Evidence is mounting that a strong magnetic field lurks just beyond the edge of the solar system. This could explain the recent discovery of a "giant ribbon" in space by NASA's IBEX spacecraft.






An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Alien Planet Safari
Posted: January 2010

NASA's next great observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, is designed to study stars and galaxies. Astronomers are beginning to realize, however, that Webb will make a great planet hunter too.





An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Flying Telescope Passes Key Test
Posted: January 2010

Most astronomers wouldn't dream of opening their observatory's doors in 100 mph winds. Yet NASA's new SOFIA telescope recently flew in an airplane at 250 mph with doors wide open.






An audio podcast in MP3 format.

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Why Won't the Supernova Explode?
Posted: January 2010

NASA is building a new space telescope named "NuSTAR" to answer a question that has been vexing astrophysicists for decades: Why won't the supernova explode?





An audio podcast in MP3 format.