Dawn Spacecraft Snaps Close-up Image of Asteroid Vesta

Source - NASA Science News for July 18, 2011

NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which over the weekend became the first spacecraft to orbit a main-belt asteroid, has just returned a close-up image of Vesta.
FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/18jul_dawn4/

"Latest Image of Vesta Captured by Dawn on July 17, 2011

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on July 17, 2011. It was taken from a distance of about 9,500 miles (15,000 kilometers) away from the protoplanet Vesta. Each pixel in the image corresponds to roughly 0.88 miles (1.4 kilometers)."

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA (Image copyright NASA)

Dawn Set to Orbit Giant Asteroid Vesta on July 15th

Source - NASA Science News for July 14, 2011

On July 15, NASA's ion-propelled Dawn spacecraft will become the first mission to enter orbit around a main-belt asteroid.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/15jul_dawn2/

Secret Space Plane Flares

Source - Space Weather News for April 1, 2011: http://spaceweather.com

SPACE PLANE FLARES: The US Air Force X-37B space plane is circling Earth on a classified mission. Although its orbit is officially unpublished, amateur sky watchers have spotted it and are monitoring its progress. This week, a veteran observer witnessed a spectacular flare from the X-37B, exceeding the brightness of Venus. Details may be found on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

Bonus: You can turn your cell phone into a space plane tracker by downloading our field-tested Simple Flybys app: http://simpleflybys.com.

SATURN'S RINGS SURGE IN BRIGHTNESS: This weekend, Saturn will be at opposition--that is, opposite the sun in the skies of Earth. Whenever this happens, Saturn's rings surge in brightness due to backscattering of sunlight. Even a small telescope will show the effect. Visit http://spaceweather.com for observing tips and a sky map.

Historic First: A Spacecraft Orbits Mercury

Source - NASA Science News for March 18, 2011

NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft successfully achieved orbit around Mercury at approximately 9 p.m. EDT on March 17th. This marks the first time a spacecraft has orbited the solar system's innermost planet.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/18mar_orbitmercury/

(Image copyright NASA)

Finally! NASA Prepares to Orbit Mercury

Source - NASA Science News for March 15, 2011

It's not easy to visit Mercury, but NASA is about to settle in for a long stay. The MESSENGER probe enters orbit around the innermost planet on March 17th.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/15mar_messenger/

(Image copyright NASA)