NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour Sparks Early Monday Sunrise

Space shuttle Endeavor lifts off from the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Feb. 8. Image Credit: NASA

Space shuttle Endeavour launched at 3:14 a.m. CST Monday from the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., creating a spectacular early sunrise as it rocketed toward the International Space Station. It was the final scheduled night launch for the space shuttle and begins the final year of space shuttle operations. Endeavour's 13-day STS-130 mission will include three spacewalks and the delivery of the Tranquility node, the final major U.S. portion of the station.

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ET-134 Featured on 'Sailing with NASA' Blog, Lifted Shuttle Endeavour to Orbit Feb. 8

Space shuttle External Tank ET 134 travels to the Michoud docks. Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

The "Sailing with NASA" blog tells the story of space shuttle external tank ET-134 and its journey from New Orleans to the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., in October 2009. ET-134 launched space shuttle Endeavour from the launch pad at Kennedy Feb. 8 on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station. For more information about the 900-mile sea journey of ET-134, visit Marshall Center public affairs officer Steve Roy's blog at http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/sailing_with_nasa.

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Improved External Tank Launched with Space Shuttle Endeavour Feb. 8

Space shuttle Endeavour awaits liftoff at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Image Credit: ASA/KSC

When space shuttle Endeavour lifted off Feb. 8, it was the first flight of a shuttle external tank manufactured using innovative friction stir welds on all four liquid hydrogen tank barrels and the single liquid oxygen tank barrel.

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Marshall Center Engineering Facility Attains LEED® Gold Certification

The U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design has awarded its LEED® Gold certification to a state-of-the-art Marshall Center engineering facility -- recognizing the standard of excellence set by the environmentally friendly building.

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Quasar Pair Captured in Galaxy Collision

Composite image shows the effects of two galaxies caught in the act of merging. Image Credit: X-ray: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/P. Green et al. Optical: Carnegie Obs./Magellan/W. Baade Telescope/J.S. Mulchaey et al.

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has caught galaxies in the act of merging. These two bright blue quasars -- collectively known as SDSS J1254+0846 -- are located about 4.6 billion light years away. In cosmic terms they're close neighbors, separated from each other by only about 70 thousand light years. Quasars are the most luminous compact objects in the universe. The Marshall Center manages the Chandra program.

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Newborn Black Holes May Add Power to Many Exploding Stars

Initial e-VLBI detection of SN 2007gr with the EVN on 6-7 September 2007 (colors). The EVN and Green Bank Telescope VLBI image obtained on 5-6 November 2007 is overlaid (contour representation). Image Credit: Z. Paragi, Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE).

Astronomers studying two exploding stars, or supernovae, have found evidence the blasts received an extra boost from newborn black holes. The supernovae were found to emit jets of particles traveling at more than half the speed of light. Previously, the only catastrophic events known to produce such high-speed jets were gamma-ray bursts, the universe's most luminous explosions. Supernovae and the most common type of gamma-ray bursts occur when massive stars run out of nuclear fuel and collapse. A neutron star or black hole forms at the star's core, triggering a massive explosion that destroys the rest of the star.

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The 'Nose' Knows

The ENose experiment aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA Some might say it's as plain as the nose on your face. But detecting toxic or dangerous chemicals in the microgravity environment of space takes a little extra "sniffing." That's why ENose, or Electronic Nose, spent 10 months on the International Space Station testing whether the technology was useful to detect possible hazardous vapors. ENose returned to Earth from the space station on space shuttle mission STS-128 in September 2009, and early results have proven surprising to investigators.

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Mirror Testing at NASA Breaks Superstitious Myths

Six of the 18 James Webb Space Telescope mirror segments are being prepped to move into the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility for testing. Image Credit: NASA/MSFC/Emmett Given

In ancient mythological times reflective surfaces like shiny metals and mirrors were thought to be magical and credited with the ability to look into the future. NASA is using mirrors to do just the opposite -- look into the past.

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NASA Challenges 350 Rocketeers Nationwide to Aim a Mile High

2008-2009 NASA Student Launch Projects participants head to the launch site. Image credit: NASA/MSFC

NASA has invited more than 350 student rocketeers from middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities -- 37 teams nationwide -- to take part in the 2009-2010 NASA Student Launch Projects. Their challenge is to build powerful rockets of their own design and launch them to an altitude of 1 mile. The annual challenge will conclude April 15-18, 2010, with a "launchfest" organized and hosted by the Marshall Center.

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