NASA

Along with the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, or KASI, we’re getting ready to test a new way to see the Sun, high over the New Mexico desert. A balloon — which looks a translucent white pumpkin, but large enough to hug a football field — will soon take flight, carrying a solar scope called BITSE. BITSE is a coronagraph, a special kind of telescope that blocks the bright face of the Sun to reveal its dimmer atmosphere, called the corona. BITSE stands for Balloon-borne Investigation of Temperature and Speed of Electrons in the corona. Its goal? Explaining how the Sun spits out the solar wind, the stream of charged particles that blows constantly from the Sun. Scientists generally know it forms in the corona, but exactly how it does so is a mystery. The solar wind is important b...

TAMPA, Fla. — European space consultancy firms Euroconsult and SpaceTec Partners announced merger plans April 5 to expand their services globally. The combined group will be called Novaspace, marrying Euroconsult’s market intelligence expertise with SpaceTec Partners’ management consulting strengths and closer ties with European Union agencies. Pacôme Revillon, CEO of Euroconsult, said the deal is essentially complete and is just waiting for final paperwork and financial transfers.  40-year-old Euroconsult, which also runs industry events including the annual World Space Business Week in Paris, has offices in France, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and the United States. SpaceTec Partners was set up two decades ago and has offices in Germany and Belgium. Revil...

Spring Break Celebration at Space Center Houston March 13 – 16, 2024 HOUSTON, TX (March 5, 2024) – The Moon 2 Mars Festival at Space Center Houston returns for its third year this Spring Break with Wellby Financial returning as presenting sponsor. Moon 2 Mars will be held Wednesday, March 13 through Saturday, March 16, at Space Center Houston. This year’s festival combines high-energy performances by popular rock band The All-American Rejects (“Dirty Little Secret,” Move Along,” Gives You Hell”) with innovative and fun activities from commercial space companies in the region. The Moon 2 Mars Festival will bring a celebratory atmosphere showcasing the wonders of space exploration, special offers for Wellby Financial members, and live musical performances.  Guests attending the...

by Lance D. Davis Did you know our planet has two types of seasons? They are meteorological and astronomical. What’s the difference? “Meteorological seasons” follow the changing of the calendar, month to month, and are based on the annual temperature cycle – seasonal temperature variations modified by fluctuations in the amount of solar radiation received by Earth’s surface over the course of a year. For instance, the meteorological season of spring begins each year on March 1 and will end on May 31. However, “astronomical” seasons happen because of the tilt of Earth’s axis (with respect to the Sun-Earth plane), and our planet’s position during its orbit around the Sun. An illustration of the March (spring) and September (fall or autumn) equinoxes. During the equinoxes, both hemispheres...

October 3 is National Techies Day…and here at NASA we have quite a few people who get REALLY excited about technology. Without techies and the technology they develop, we wouldn’t be able to do the amazing things we do at NASA, or on Earth and in space. Our TechiesWe love our techies! The passionate engineers, researchers and scientists who work on our technology efforts enable us to make a difference in the world around us. They are responsible for developing the pioneering, new technologies and capabilities needed to achieve our current and future missions.Research and technology development take place within our centers, in academia and industry, and leverage partnerships with other government agencies and international partners. We work to engage and inspire thousands of technologists ...