DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ NASA had an ambitious $2 billion plan to refuel satellites in orbit using robotic arms. A decade later, it's in shambles.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is giving up its mission to refuel old satellites in orbit, putting an end to an ambitious $2 billion project plagued by delays and technical setbacks. The administration said on Friday that it's discontinuing the effort after an independent review, citing "continued technical, cost, and schedule challenges." NASA said it's working on mitigating the impact of the OSAM-1's cancellation on staff at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA and Maxar did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

Persons: —, wasn't, Maxar, it's Organizations: Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, Business, Technologies, Staff, Goddard Space Flight, CNBC Locations: California, Greenbelt , Maryland

(AP) — A former top prosecutor for the city of Baltimore was convicted Tuesday on one count of mortgage fraud, concluding a lengthy criminal trial in which Marilyn Mosby testified she unwittingly made false statements on loan applications to buy two Florida vacation homes. The jury announced a split verdict Tuesday evening after deliberating most of the day, finding Mosby not guilty on a second mortgage fraud charge, The Baltimore Sun reported. Her mortgage fraud trial, which began in mid-January, was moved from Baltimore to Greenbelt, Maryland, over concerns potential jurors may have been biased by extensive media coverage of the case. Mosby’s failure to disclose that debt on her loan applications contributed to the mortgage fraud charges, according to prosecutors. In the perjury case, a different jury found Mosby lied about suffering financial losses so she could withdraw money from her retirement account.

Persons: —, Marilyn Mosby, Mosby, hasn’t, Freddie Gray, Nick Mosby, didn’t, Prosecutors Organizations: Baltimore Sun, Prosecutors, Baltimore Locations: Md, Baltimore, Florida, Greenbelt , Maryland

☆ Maryland won a tentative victory in the race for a new FBI headquarters, a potential economic boon for a majority Black county near DC
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"And he recognized the importance of the FBI for Maryland and in particular for Prince George's County." Related storiesPrince George's County, the majority-Black county directly to the east of Washington, DC, has for years had one of the most affluent Black populations of any jurisdiction in the country. But compared to Northern Virginia localities like Fairfax County, which has been an economic powerhouse for decades, Prince George's County hasn't enjoyed a similar level of economic development. "We have 4% of leased federal office space in Prince George's County," Hoyer told me, while also pointing out that the county is home to roughly 20% of the Washington region's federal workers. "We're absolutely convinced that everything was done properly," Hoyer told me.

Persons: Wes Moore, Steny Hoyer, —, Edgar Hoover, Ben Cardin, Chris Van Hollen, Hoyer, Robert Mueller, Mueller, Moore's, George's County, Prince, Prince George's County hasn't, ERIC BARADAT, Moore, Christopher Wray, We're, I've Organizations: GSA, FBI, Gov, Virginia, Service, Metro, Maryland Gov, Maryland, Democratic Rep, Democratic, eventual, Prince, Getty, Washington, Marine Corps Base Quantico, General Service Administration Locations: Maryland, Virginia, Greenbelt , Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland Sens, George's, Black, Washington, Northern Virginia, Fairfax County, AFP, Prince George's, Fairfax

☆ Watchdog to Probe FBI Headquarters Selection Process
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray has cited a potential conflict of interest in the site-selection process. Photo: elizabeth frantz/ReutersWASHINGTON—A government watchdog is launching an investigation into how the Biden administration chose a suburban Maryland site for the FBI’s new headquarters after Director Christopher Wray and Virginia lawmakers accused a political appointee of inappropriately interfering with the siting decision. Robert Erickson, acting inspector general for the General Services Administration, told lawmakers Thursday his office would immediately probe the decision to relocate the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s main campus to Greenbelt, Md., after a decadelong drama that engulfed the site-selection process.

Persons: Christopher Wray, elizabeth frantz, Biden, Robert Erickson Organizations: Reuters WASHINGTON, General Services Administration, Federal Bureau Locations: Maryland, Virginia, Investigation’s, Greenbelt, Md

☆ Former top Baltimore prosecutor convicted of federal perjury charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 9 (Reuters) - Baltimore's former top prosecutor Marilyn Mosby was found guilty of perjury on Thursday for falsely claiming financial duress to withdraw funds from a retirement plan. A U.S. District Court jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, convicted Mosby, 42, on both federal perjury counts she faced after hours of deliberation. Mosby, a Democrat, lost her bid for a third term after she was indicted on federal charges in January 2022. Mosby's defense team argued in court that she did not lie in stating financial hardship because her private travel business took a hit during the pandemic. None of the six officers charged in his death was convicted.

Persons: Marilyn Mosby, Mosby, Freddie Gray, Prosecutors, Gray, Steve Gorman, Michael Perry Organizations: Maryland, Baltimore, Democrat, Maryland U.S, Attorney's, Prosecutors, Internal Revenue Service, Thomson Locations: U.S, Greenbelt , Maryland, Maryland, COVID, Florida, Los Angeles

☆ Maryland Wins Bid for New FBI Headquarters Over Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The J. Edgar Hoover Building has been home to the FBI for nearly 50 years. Photo: Ting Shen for The Wall Street JournalThe Federal Bureau of Investigation will move from its crumbling home in downtown Washington to the Maryland suburbs, opening a new chapter in the tortured saga of the future of the bureau’s headquarters. The agency’s new main offices are set to be built in Greenbelt, Md., about 15 miles from the hulking, brutalist J. Edgar Hoover Building that has been its iconic home for nearly 50 years.

Persons: Edgar Hoover, Ting Shen, brutalist J Organizations: FBI, Wall Street, Federal Bureau, Investigation Locations: Washington, Maryland, Greenbelt, Md

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has chosen a location for a new FBI headquarters in Maryland, people familiar with the selection said Wednesday as the suburban Washington location was selected over nearby Virginia following a sharp competition between the two states. Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore argued in recent months that building it there would be fast and save taxpayers $1 billion. He said a headquarters in the majority-Black Prince George’s County would meet equity goals raised by President Joe Biden. In recent months, the two other finalists were Springfield, Virginia, and Landover, Maryland.

Persons: —, Biden, Wes Moore, George’s, Joe Biden, Glenn Youngkin, J, Edgar Hoover, Donald Trump Organizations: WASHINGTON, FBI, Associated Press, Democratic Maryland Gov, FBI Academy, Republican Gov, Edgar Hoover Building, Momentum Locations: Maryland, Washington, Virginia, Greenbelt, Quantico, Springfield , Virginia, Landover , Maryland

(AP) — A federal jury is expected to hear attorneys' closing arguments on Wednesday in the perjury trial of a former top prosecutor for the city of Baltimore. Marilyn Mosby, who served two terms as state's attorney for Baltimore, declined to testify before her attorneys rested their case on the third day of her trial. Mosby's attorneys said she legally obtained and spent the money. Mosby told the truth when she certified on paperwork that the pandemic devastated her business, said the defense attorney, Maggie Grace. U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby agreed to move Mosby’s trial from Baltimore to Greenbelt, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.Mosby’s attorneys argued that she couldn’t get a fair trial in Baltimore after years of negative media coverage.

Persons: Marilyn Mosby, Prosecutors, Mosby, Freddie Gray, Mosby’s, Sean Delaney, Maggie Grace, “, Marilyn Mosby’s, ” Grace, Scott Bolden, Lydia Kay Griggsby, couldn’t, Lea Skene Organizations: —, Baltimore, Democratic, Prosecutors, Economic, Mahogany Elite Enterprises, U.S, Washington , D.C, Associated Press Locations: Md, Baltimore, Florida, Kissimmee , Florida, , Florida, Greenbelt , Maryland, Washington ,

☆ NASA mission captures image of surprising asteroid pair
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —When NASA’s Lucy mission flew by its first asteroid this week, its cameras captured a surprise. The Lucy spacecraft zoomed by the small asteroid Dinkinesh, located in our solar system’s main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. (Lockheed Martin is a NASA partner on the Lucy mission.) Preparing for future flybysThe data collected during the Lucy mission flyby will continue to return to Earth over the next week. There are about 7,000 Trojan asteroids, and the largest is 160 miles (257 kilometers) across.

Persons: Lucy, Hal Levison, “, ” Levison, we’ve, ”, Tom Kennedy, Lockheed Martin, ” Kennedy, Keith Noll, NASA’s, Lucy’s, NASA Lucy Organizations: CNN, Southwest Research Institute, ”, Lockheed, NASA, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Locations: Ethiopia, Greenbelt , Maryland, Jupiter

☆ We moved to Austin for the tech jobs, but finding a home was defeating. We kept getting outbid by people making cash offers sight-unseen.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sarah Hollingsworth, 35, about her experience moving from San Antonio to Austin in 2019. My six-month-old daughter, Amelia; my husband, Scott; and I moved to Austin in August 2019 from San Antonio — literally an hour and a half away. There really just aren't that many high-paying tech jobs in San Antonio and we both loved that industry and wanted to stay in it. Austin, being the next-closest tech city, had an abundant amount of high-paying tech jobs. I enrolled in the Entrepreneur Center of Austin, which San Antonio doesn't have.

Persons: Sarah Hollingsworth, —, Austin, Hollingsworth, Poppylist, Amelia, Scott, San Antonio —, Hollingsworth's, Zoey, Antonio doesn't, Techstars Austin, Sarah Hollingsworth San, it's Organizations: Service, Entrepreneur Center of Austin, Capital Factory Locations: Austin, San Antonio, Scott's, West Austin, Lake Austin, Sarah Hollingsworth San Antonio, There's

☆ Webb spots a building block of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A building block of life may exist inside the global ocean on Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons. Scientists have long questioned whether Europa’s ocean contained carbon and other chemicals necessary for life. Astronomers used the Webb telescope to observe Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Carbon dioxide appears to be concentrated in a region of “chaos terrain” on Europa called Tara Regio. Future observations of Europa with the Webb Telescope could help astronomers determine whether there are other concentrated regions of carbon dioxide on the surface, Trumbo said.

Persons: James Webb, ”, Geronimo Villanueva, Tara Regio, Samantha Trumbo, ” Trumbo, ” Villanueva, Webb, Heidi Hammel, Trumbo, “ Organizations: CNN, Goddard Space Flight, NASA, ESA, CSA, Webb, Cornell University, Hubble, Webb's, Association of Universities for Research, Astronomy, NASA’s, Clipper, Europa Clipper Locations: Europa, Greenbelt , Maryland

☆ OSIRIS-REx: A long-awaited asteroid sample has landed in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seven years after launching to space, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft flew by Earth Sunday to deliver the pristine sample from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The sample capsule, about the size of a large truck tire, and its main parachute can be seen after landing in the Utah desert. What the sample may revealDetails about the sample will be revealed through a NASA broadcast from Johnson Space Center on October 11. If a government shutdown occurs, “it will not endanger the curation and safe handling of the asteroid sample,” said Lori Glaze, director for NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division. “Scientists believe that the asteroid Bennu is representative of the solar system’s own oldest materials forged in large dying stars and supernova explosions,” Glaze said.

Persons: REx, Rich Burns, OSIRIS, Sandra Freund, Burns, ”, Dante Lauretta, Nicole Lunning, REx curation, NASA’s, Lauretta, Lori Glaze, ” Glaze Organizations: CNN, NASA, Earth Sunday, Goddard, University of Arizona, Defense Department’s Utah, Goddard Space Flight, Lockheed, Space Center, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Monday, Johnson Space Center, Canadian Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA’s Planetary Sciences Locations: Bennu, Greenbelt , Maryland, Tucson, Utah, Houston

☆ Millions of parents to face child care dilemma if federal assistance ends this month
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Emily Wilkins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Proctor is one of millions of families that have had help paying for child care thanks to $24 billion in pandemic-era funding Congress passed in 2021. Without the scholarship, I don't think he will be in day care. While most business affected by the pandemic have bounced back, child care hasn't. An estimated 65,000 child care jobs have been lost between February 2020 and August 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Century Foundation estimates 70,000 day care centers will close without the funding, leading to a subsequent $10.6 billion in lost tax and business revenue.

Persons: — It's, Ashleigh Proctor, Ahmad, who's, Proctor, she's, that's, hasn't Organizations: Greenway Learning, Century Foundation, CNBC, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Century Locations: Md, U.S

☆ How NASA has prepared to scoop up an asteroid sample landing in the desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An asteroid sample stowed inside a NASA spacecraft is about to reach Earth after traveling for nearly 2½ years across space. It’s NASA’s first time collecting and returning an asteroid sample from space. Teams have been rehearsing how to retrieve the sample, originally collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, when it drops down into the Utah desert on September 24. Keegan Barber/NASAThe mission’s original goal was to retrieve a pristine asteroid sample. The team has also prepared for different landing scenarios, such as a hard landing where the capsule containing the sample opens unexpectedly.

Persons: NASA’s, REx, ”, Nicola Fox, ” It’s, Keegan Barber, Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS, “, Rich Burns, ” Burns, Burns, Sandra Freund, Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Freund, Molly Wasser, Kevin Righter, curation, Christopher Snead, ” Snead, ” Lauretta Organizations: CNN, NASA, Goddard, University of Arizona, Department of Defense's Utah, Department of Defense’s Utah, Goddard Space Flight, Lockheed, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Space, Apollo, Space Center, Canadian Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency Locations: Utah, Bennu, Tucson, Salt Lake City, Greenbelt , Maryland, Houston, Johnson

☆ Japan launches X-ray satellite, ‘Moon Sniper’ lunar lander
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A revolutionary satellite that will reveal celestial objects in a new light and the “Moon Sniper” lunar lander lifted off Wednesday night. The XRISM satellite (pronounced “crism”), also called the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, is a joint mission between JAXA and NASA, along with participation from the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency. NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterAlong for the ride is JAXA’s SLIM, or Smart Lander for Investigating Moon. Previously, Japanese company Ispace’s Hakuto-R lunar lander fell 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) before crashing into the moon during a landing attempt in April. If SLIM is successful, JAXA contends, it will transform missions from “landing where we can to landing where we want.”

Persons: Ray, SLIM, Smart Lander, ”, Richard Kelley, James Webb, XRISM, Taylor Mickal, ” Kelley, “, Xtend, Brian Williams, NASA’s, Goddard, Ispace’s Organizations: CNN, Japanese Space Agency, YouTube, Ray Imaging, JAXA, NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, NASA Goddard Space Flight, Goddard Space Flight, Space Center, Soviet Locations: Japan, Greenbelt , Maryland, XRISM, United States, Soviet Union, China, India

☆ A company that counts billionaires Marc Andreessen and Laurene Powell Jobs as investors says it's bought 50,000 acres of land to build a new 'walkable' city in northern California. Here's everything w
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

California Forever says it wants to build a "walkable" city with new jobs, surrounded by an agricultural greenbelt. The company, Flannery Associates, has been quiet until now, but its parent company California Forever just launched a new website detailing its master plan. Solano County sits between Sacramento, San Francisco, and Napa Valley, and has a population of around 450,000 across just over 900 square miles. Sramek founded California Forever in 2017 and recently bought a family home there. "Now that we're no longer limited by confidentiality, we are eager to begin a conversation about the future of Solano County," it says.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Marc Andreessen, Laurene Powell Jobs, Flannery, Jan Sramek, he'd, Jan, Sramek, it's, Who's, Chris Dixon, John Doerr, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Reid Hoffman, Michael Moritz, Andreessen Horowitz, Patrick, John Collison Organizations: Goldman, Service, Flannery Associates, California Forever, Travis Air Force Base, California Forever's, California Delta, California Locations: San Francisco, California, Wall, Silicon, Solano County, Sacramento, Napa Valley, Solano, Fairfield, Rio Vista, walkable

☆ Japan’s X-ray satellite, ‘Moon Sniper’ lunar lander are ready to launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A revolutionary satellite that will reveal celestial objects in a new light and the “Moon Sniper” lunar lander are expected to lift off Sunday night. The XRISM satellite (pronounced “crism”), also called the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, is a joint mission between JAXA and NASA, along with participation from the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency. Along for the ride is JAXA’s SLIM, or Smart Lander for Investigating Moon. Previously, Japanese company Ispace’s Hakuto-R lunar lander fell 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) before crashing into the moon during a landing attempt in April. If SLIM is successful, JAXA contends, it will transform missions from “landing where we can to landing where we want.”

Persons: Ray, SLIM, Smart Lander, ”, Richard Kelley, James Webb, XRISM, Taylor Mickal, ” Kelley, “, Xtend, Brian Williams, NASA’s, Goddard, Ispace’s Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, YouTube, Ray Imaging, JAXA, NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Goddard Space Flight, NASA Goddard Space Flight, Space Center, Soviet Locations: Japan, Greenbelt , Maryland, United States, Soviet Union, China, India

☆ Japan prepares to launch X-ray satellite, ‘Moon Sniper’ lunar lander
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A revolutionary satellite that will reveal celestial objects in a new light and the “Moon Sniper” lunar lander are preparing for launch. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, is expected to launch its XRISM mission, pronounced “crism,” from Japan on Sunday evening. Along for the ride is JAXA’s SLIM, or Smart Lander for Investigating Moon. Moon Sniper sets its sights on a craterMeanwhile, SLIM will use its own propulsion system to head toward the moon. Previously, Japanese company Ispace’s Hakuto-R lunar lander fell 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) before crashing into the moon during a landing attempt in April.

Persons: Ray, SLIM, Smart Lander, ”, Richard Kelley, James Webb, Taylor Mickal, XRISM, Ispace’s Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Ray Imaging, NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, YouTube, Goddard Space Flight, Center, Soviet Locations: ”, Japan, Greenbelt , Maryland, United States, Soviet Union, China, India

☆ Earth just had its hottest July 'by a long shot,' NASA and NOAA say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Denise Chow | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

NASA and NOAA together found that last month's average global surface temperature was 2.02 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average. Last month was also the fourth consecutive month that global ocean surface temperatures hit a record high, the scientists said. This trend in ocean warming carries far-reaching consequences, he said. Changes in ocean temperatures can also have enormous impacts on marine species and their broader ecosystems, he said. This phenomenon is characterized by warm ocean surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific Ocean and tends to boost global temperatures and influence weather conditions around the world.

Persons: Sarah Kapnick, Carlos Del Castillo, Del Castillo, El, Gavin Schmidt, El Niño, Kapnick Organizations: NASA, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Ecology Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight, Northern, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 533rd, El Locations: Greenbelt , Maryland, New York, El

☆ NASA’s new telescope could spot thousands of exoplanets and hundreds of Earth-size rogue planets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When NASA’s next-generation space observatory launches in a few years, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will expand the search for exoplanets as well as rogue planets, or worlds that travel through space without orbiting stars. Understanding these rogue planets could shed more light on the formation, evolution and disruption of planetary systems. This illustration shows what the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will look like in orbit. But rogue planets are likely much smaller. Telescopes like Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope have enabled astronomers to observe large, glowing gas giant exoplanets called hot Jupiters.

Persons: NASA’s, Nancy Grace, Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's, —, ”, David Bennett, Microlensing, Takahiro Sumi, “, Naoki Koshimoto, ” Sumi, Hubble, Vanessa Bailey, Roman’s, James Webb, Bailey, coronagraph, “ It’s, ” Bailey Organizations: CNN, Hubble, NASA's Goddard Space, Mount John University Observatory, Goddard Space Flight, Osaka University, Engineers, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Locations: New, Greenbelt , Maryland, Pasadena , California, Webb

☆ The sun’s activity is peaking sooner than expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Every 11 years or so, the sun experiences periods of low and high solar activity, which is associated with the amount of sunspots on its surface. Over the course of a solar cycle, the sun will transition from a calm to an intense and active period. During the peak of activity, called solar maximum, the sun’s magnetic poles flip. A solar activity spikeThe current solar cycle, known as Solar Cycle 25, has been full of activity, more so than expected. The solar storms generated by the sun can affect electric power grids, GPS and aviation, and satellites in low-Earth orbit.

Persons: ”, Mark Miesch, “, Alex Young, ” Miesch, Scott McIntosh, Robert Leamon, Leamon, Miesch, Young, auroras, Bill Murtagh, ” Murtagh, NASA’s Parker, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Prediction, NASA's Solar Dynamics, NASA, SpaceX, Heliophysics, Goddard Space Flight, GPS, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Goddard Planetary Heliophysics, University of Maryland, College Park, American University, Dynamics, Geological Survey, Probe Locations: Boulder , Colorado, Greenbelt , Maryland, Baltimore County, New Mexico , Missouri, North Carolina, California, United States, England, United Kingdom, Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Scandinavia, Michigan, Upper Midwest, Pacific, Quebec

☆ Webb telescope’s first anniversary image reveals the birth of sunlike stars
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the closest star-forming region to Earth, located 390 light-years away. The release of the image marks the first anniversary since the space observatory began observing the universe. “Webb’s image of Rho Ophiuchi allows us to witness a very brief period in the stellar lifecycle with new clarity. The most powerful telescope ever sent to space, Webb launched on December 25, 2021, and NASA shared its first set of scintillating images on July 12, 2022. Both have served as the targets of other telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope in the past.

Persons: James Webb, another’s, ”, Klaus Pontoppidan, Webb, “, Bill Nelson, “ Webb, Nicola Fox, Eric Smith, “ Webb’s, Jane Rigby, NASA’s, “ We’ve, we’ve, — Organizations: CNN, Telescope, Telescope Science, NASA, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters, Hubble, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Locations: Baltimore , Maryland, Greenbelt , Maryland

☆ Webb telescope spies giant plume on Saturn’s moon Enceladus
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A record-breaking water plume erupted from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, and the James Webb Space Telescope was watching when it occurred. The geyser-like plumes release water vapor, organic chemicals and ice particles into space. But the plume witnessed by the Webb telescope spanned more than 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers), which is nearly the distance between Los Angeles and Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to a NASA release. The James Webb Space Telescope captured a a water vapor plume jetting from the south pole of Enceladus. The inset image, taken by the Cassini orbiter, shows how small Enceladus appears compared with the water plume.

Persons: James Webb, Cassini, —, Webb, . Villanueva, ”, Geronimo Villanueva, ” Villanueva, “, NASA’s, Stefanie Milam, we’ve Organizations: CNN, NASA, James Webb Space, Cassini, ESA, CSA, Goddard Space Flight, Saturn, Clipper, NASA Goddard Space Flight Locations: Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Greenbelt , Maryland

☆ Webb telescope spots water in rare comet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe a rare comet in our solar system, making a long-awaited scientific breakthrough and stumbling across another mystery at the same time. For the first time, water was detected in a main belt comet, or a comet located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The space observatory detected water vapor around Comet Read, which suggests that water ice can be preserved in a warmer part of the solar system. It’s possible that the warmer temperatures of the main asteroid belt cause Comet Read to lose its carbon dioxide over time, the researchers said. Comet Read might have also formed in a warmer pocket of the solar system without carbon dioxide, Kelley said.

☆ Lasers on Artemis II will share high-definition video of the moon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —When the crewed Artemis II mission makes its lunar flyby in late 2024, we’ll be able to see video of the moon like never before — and it’s all thanks to lasers. Along for the historic journey to the moon will be the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System, or O2O — making Artemis II the first crewed lunar flight to demonstrate laser communications technology. This illustration depicts the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System sending a laser signal from the Orion spacecraft to Earth. Lasers will be able to send back more data at a quicker rate across longer distances, such as when Orion is flying by the moon during Artemis II. “We are thrilled by the promise laser communications will offer in the coming years,” says Badri Younes, deputy associate administrator and program manager for space communications and navigation at NASA headquarters in a statement.

Search resuls for: "Greenbelt"

25 mentions found