Latest Discovery program Stories

PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The second of NASA's two Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft has successfully completed its planned main engine burn and is now in lunar orbit. Working together, GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B will study the moon as never before. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO ) "NASA greets the new year with a new mission of exploration," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The twin...

The second of NASA's two Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft has successfully completed its planned main engine burn and is now in lunar orbit. Working together, GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B will study the moon as never before. "NASA greets the new year with a new mission of exploration," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The twin GRAIL spacecraft will vastly expand our knowledge of our moon and the evolution of our own planet. We begin this year reminding people...

PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first of two NASA spacecraft to study the moon in unprecedented detail has entered lunar orbit. (Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO ) NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)-A spacecraft successfully completed its planned main engine burn at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST) today. As of 3 p.m. PST (6 p.m. EST), GRAIL-A is in a 56-mile (90-kilometer) by 5,197-mile...

NASA's twin GRAIL satellites are expected to enter tandem orbits around the moon this weekend, beginning their mission to map its gravitational field and solve some of its mysteries. The first of the GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) vehicles, GRAIL-A, is currently scheduled to be put into orbit starting at 4:21pm EST on December 31, according to the official mission website. The second, GRAIL-B, will follow suit at 5:05pm EST on New Year's Day. "Our team may not get to...

NASA's twin spacecraft to study the moon from crust to core are nearing their New Year's Eve and New Year's Day main-engine burns to place the duo in lunar orbit. Named Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), the spacecraft are scheduled to be placed in orbit beginning at 1:21 p.m. PST (4:21 p.m. EST) for GRAIL-A on Dec. 31, and 2:05 p.m. PST (5:05 p.m. EST) on Jan. 1 for GRAIL-B. "Our team may not get to partake in a traditional New Year's celebration, but I expect seeing our...

PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's twin spacecraft to study the moon from crust to core are nearing their New Year's Eve and New Year's Day main-engine burns to place the duo in lunar orbit. (Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) Named Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), the spacecraft are scheduled to be placed in orbit beginning at 1:21 p.m. PST (4:21 p.m. EST) for GRAIL-A on Dec. 31, and 2:05 p.m. PST (5:05 p.m....

Two spacecraft set to study the moon will enter our celestial neighbor's orbit over New Year's weekend. NASA's twin lunar Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) probes have been independently traveling to their destination since launching in September and will arrive 24 hours apart from each other. The paths of the spacecrafts are right on target, making it unnecessary for engineers to move them into position. "Both spacecraft have performed essentially flawlessly since...

NASA will hold a media teleconference at 11 a.m. PST on Wednesday, Dec. 28, to preview twin spacecraft being placed in orbit around the moon on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. NASA's twin lunar Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) probes were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Sept. 10, 2011. GRAIL-A is scheduled to arrive in lunar orbit beginning at 1:21 p.m. PST on Saturday, Dec. 31, and GRAIL-B on Sunday, Jan. 1, beginning at 2:05 p.m. PST. After...

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has sent back the first images of the giant asteroid Vesta from its low-altitude mapping orbit. The images, obtained by the framing camera, show the stippled and lumpy surface in detail never seen before, piquing the curiosity of scientists who are studying Vesta for clues about the solar system's early history. At this detailed resolution, the surface shows abundant small craters, and textures such as small grooves and lineaments that are reminiscent of the...

[ Watch the Video ] NASA announced on Tuesday that its Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a star like our sun outside our solar system. Planets Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f are too close to their star to be in the habitable zone where liquid water could exist, but NASA said they are the smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our sun. The space agency said that the discovery marks the next important milestone in the search for Earth-like...