Satellites

First-light images from NASA’s soil moisture satellite revealed

Professor of civil and environmental engineering Dara Entekhabi, science team leader of NASA's SMAP satellite, marvels at the project's first snapshot of Earth.

March 10, 2015

Analysis of data from the Kepler space telescope has shown that roughly half of the dayside of the exoplanet Kepler-7b is covered by a large cloud mass. Statistical comparison of more than 1,000 atmospheric models show that these clouds are most likely made of Enstatite, a common Earth mineral that is in vapor form at the extreme temperature on Kepler-7b. These models varied the altitude, condensa...

New technique allows analysis of clouds around exoplanets

Team describes use of method to determine properties of clouds surrounding the exoplanet Kepler-7b.

March 3, 2015

Earth’s magnetosphere is depicted with the high-energy particles of the Van Allen radiation belts (shown in red) and various processes responsible for accelerating these particles to relativistic energies indicated.

For the first time, spacecraft catch a solar shockwave in the act

Solar storm found to produce “ultrarelativistic, killer electrons” in 60 seconds.

February 19, 2015

This image shows a color-coded geographic representation of ultra-relativistic electron fluxes, based on orbital tracks of the Van Allen Probe B spacecraft projected onto the geographical equatorial plane. As the spacecraft precesses in its elliptical orbit around the Earth, it forms a “spirograph” pattern in the Earth-centered coordinate system. Inside of this radial distance is an almost com...

Plasma shield

Researchers find that Earth’s “plasmaspheric hiss” protects against a harmful radiation belt.

November 26, 2014

TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

NASA’s TESS mission cleared for next development phase

November 10, 2014

Researchers detect brightest pulsar ever recorded

The pulsar, about as large as the city of Boston, is 10 million times brighter than the sun.

October 8, 2014

MIT AeroAstro students on a reduced-gravity aircraft

With NASA’s help, AeroAstro students work in a spacelike environment

October 1, 2014

Image of the International Space Station

Where to grab space debris

Algorithm tested aboard the International Space Station analyzes the rotation of objects in space.

September 10, 2014

MicroMAS: small is beautiful

Professor Kerri Cahoy and her group recently delivered MicroMAS, the weather nanosatellite they built in collaboration with MIT Lincoln Laboratory, to a launch provider.

March 27, 2014