Week in images: 24-28 July 2023

Discover our week through the lens

Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission takes us over the Río de la Plata estuary between Argentina and Uruguay.

Hanover, NH (SPX) Jul 28, 2023
Trillions of miles from Earth, the violent and erratic shedding of a young planet's atmosphere could provide a rare glimpse into the tumultuous early life that besets most of the planets in our galaxy. A new study led by PhD candidate Keighley Rockcliffe, Guarini, and Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Elisabeth Newton found that a Neptune-sized gas planet known as AU Mic b exhib

Columbus OH (SPX) Jul 28, 2023
As the next generation of giant, high-powered observatories begin to come online, a new study suggests that their instruments may offer scientists an unparalleled opportunity to discern what weather may be like on far-away exoplanets. Dubbed the extremely large telescopes (ELTs), these observatories, which include the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), and

Berkeley CA (SPX) Jul 28, 2023
With its sensitive infrared cameras and high-resolution spectrometer, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revealing new secrets of Jupiter's Galilean satellites, in particular Ganymede, the largest moon, and Io, the most volcanically active. In two separate publications, astronomers who are part of JWST's Early Release Science program report the first detection of hydrogen peroxide on

Houston TX (SPX) Jul 28, 2023
Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR, LUNRW) reports that NASA's Space Technology and Mission Directorate (STMD) has awarded a $15 million Tipping Point initiative award to the Zeno Power-led team, including Intuitive Machines. The award is for the development of a Radioisotope Power System (RPS) that may enable lunar assets to survive and operate during the lunar night and in permanently shad

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 28, 2023
Earth planning date: Tuesday July 25, 2023: The rover engineers yet again did a fantastic job navigating Curiosity through this tricky terrain of fractured blocks and sand. Our parking spot is on the rim of one of the larger craters within a cluster of craters that we have been driving towards for the last few weeks. A number of people on our science team advocated for visiting these craters to

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 28, 2023
Earth planning date: Wednesday July 26, 2023: As in many recent MSL plans, power limited what we could fit into today's 2-sol plan. Why is power so limited? As expected, MSL's plutonium power source continues to slowly decay, so it takes longer to recharge the batteries than it used to. But the engineering team has done a great job over the years finding ways to conserve power, and the power lim

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 28, 2023
NASA is elevating its digital platforms for the benefit of all by revamping its flagship and science websites, adding its first on-demand streaming service, and upgrading the NASA app. With these changes, everyone will have access to a new world of content from the space agency. "Our vision is to inspire humanity through a unified, world-class NASA web experience," said Jeff Seaton, chief

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 28, 2023
NASA is one of America's Best Employers for Women 2023, according to Forbes and Statista. Statista surveyed more than 60,000 United States employees - including a sample of more than 40,000 women - working for companies with a minimum of 1,000 employees. Participants were asked to rate their employer based on factors such as working conditions, representation of women in upper management, discri