Earth Topics
In Search of Water, NASA Spacecraft to Hit the Moon
2006 — April 6, 2011
NASA today announced that a small spacecraft named LCROSS has been selected to travel to The Moonto look for precious water ice at the lunar south pole in October 2008.
Is The MoonStill Alive?
2006 — April 6, 2011
Conventional wisdom says The Moonis dead. Conventional wisdom may be wrong. Today in the journal Nature, a team of scientists announced evidence for fresh geologic activity on the Moon.
A New Paradigm for Lunar Orbits
2006 — Sept. 20, 2011
Orbiting The Moonis tricky. There's a big planet nearby (Earth) that tugs on satellites and destabilizes their orbits. NASA researchers have an idea for a new class of orbits that may solve the problem.
Lunar Swirls
2006 — Sept. 20, 2011
Pale swirls on the surface of The Moonhave been puzzling researchers for decades. Fresh clues are in the offing as NASA prepares a new round of lunar exploration.
SMART-1 to Crash the Moon
2006 — April 6, 2011
A European spaceship is about to crash into the Moon. Amateur astronomers may be able to observe the impact.
True Fakes: Scientists Make Simulated Moondust
2006 — Sept. 20, 2011
NASA is returning to the Moon, but first NASA engineers would like to test designs for lunar landers and rovers on genuine lunar soil. Just one problem: There's not enough real moondust to go around. So scientists are making some "true fakes."
A Growing Intelligence around Earth
2006 — April 6, 2011
A satellite orbiting Earth is learning to think for itself. This artificial intelligence offers a powerful new way to study Earth, and it may prove useful on other planets, too.
Hard-nosed Advice to Lunar Prospectors
2006 — April 6, 2011
A 22-year veteran of prospecting and mining on Earth has some no-nonsense advice for lunar explorers.
Birthplace of Hurricanes
2006 — April 6, 2011
NASA researchers are joining an international campaign to catch hurricanes in the act of being born.
Lunar X Games
2006 — April 6, 2011
The X Games are underway in Los Angeles. One day--who knows?--they might be held on the Moon.