Jan. 4, 2010 J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-5241 j.d.harrington@nasa.gov Michael Mewhinney Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-3937 michael.s.mewhinney@nasa.gov RELEASE: 10-002 NASA'S KEPLER SPACE TELESCOPE DISCOVERS FIVE EXOPLANETS Orbiting Telescope Designed to Find Earth-Like Planets MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA's Kepler space telescope, designed to find Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of sun-like stars, has discovered its first five new exoplanets, o ...Continue Reading

Jan. 4, 2010 Michael Curie Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 michael.curie@nasa.gov Victor Scott Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 victor.j.scott@nasa.gov RELEASE: 10-004 MOON ROCK GAINS TRAVELING COMPANION FOR HISTORIC RETURN TO SPACE HOUSTON -- A moon rock collected during the historic Apollo 11 mission more than 40 years ago will be heading back to space and a new home aboard the International Space Station, sharing quarters with a piece of Mt. Everest. On May 20, 2009, former NASA astr ...Continue Reading

Jan. 4, 2010 J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-5241 j.d.harrington@nasa.gov Michael Mewhinney Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. 650-604-3937 michael.s.mewhinney@nasa.gov RELEASE: 10-002 NASA'S KEPLER SPACE TELESCOPE DISCOVERS FIVE EXOPLANETS Orbiting Telescope Designed to Find Earth-Like Planets MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA's Kepler space telescope, designed to find Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of sun-like stars, has discovered its first five new exoplanets, o ...Continue Reading

Jan. 01, 2010 Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 nicole.cloutier-1@nasa.gov Cheryl Gundy/Ray Villard Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore 410-338-4707/410-338-4514 gundy@stsci.edu villard@stsci.edu RELEASE: 10-001 NASA ASTRONAUT JOHN GRUNSFELD, INSTRUMENTAL TO HUBBLE TELESCOPE REPAIR, WILL HELP OVERSEE ITS SCIENCE OPERATIONS WASHINGTON -- NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld, w ...Continue Reading

Dec. 31, 2009 J.D. Harrington Headquarters, Washington 202-358-5241 j.d.harrington@nasa.gov Janet Anderson Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256.544.6162 janet.l.anderson@nasa.gov CONTRACT RELEASE: C09-060 NASA EXTENDS CHANDRA SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS SUPPORT CONTRACT WASHINGTON -- NASA has extended a contract with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., to provide science and operational support for the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a powerful tool used to better understa ...Continue Reading

Dec. 31, 2009 Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov Guy Webster/Veronica McGregor Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-5011 guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov, veronica.mcgregor@jpl.nasa.gov RELEASE: 09-297 NASA'S MARS ROVER HAS UNCERTAIN FUTURE AS SIXTH ANNIVERSARY NEARS PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars rover Spirit will mark six years of unprecedented science exploration and inspiration for the American public on Sunday. However, the upcoming Martian winter coul ...Continue Reading

The following sections have been updated in the past 1 days. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- VOLCANOES AND EARTHQUAKES (1 updated events, 1 new images) -- MAYON VOLCANO THREATENS MAJOR ERUPTION In late-December 2009, the volcano hazard at Mayon Volcano in the Philippines reached Alert Level 4, which means “a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within days.” ...Continue Reading

Dec. 30, 2009 Stephanie Schierholz Headquarters, Washington 202-358-4997 stephanie.schierholz@nasa.gov Madeline Smith Winter High School, Winter, Wis. 715-266-3301 msmith@winter.k12.wi.us MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-246 WINTER HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNUS IN ORBIT ON SPACE STATION WILL TALK WITH WISCONSIN STUDENTS, STATE REPRESENTATIVE HOUSTON -- Wisconsin Rep. Mary Williams will attend a discussion Jan. 6, 2010, among astronauts orbiting 220 miles above Earth and students from two Wisconsin schools. International Space ...Continue Reading

Jonathan's Space Report No. 620 2009 Dec 30 Somerville, MA ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A happy 2010 to all my readers! Those of you at the American Astronomical Society next week, please stop by the Chandra booth and say hi. Shuttle and Station -------------------- Soyuz TMA-17 was launched on Dec 20 carrying Oleg Kotov, T.J. Creamer and Soichi Noguchi on their way to join Expedition 22 crewmembers Jeff Williams and Ma ...Continue Reading

Dec. 29, 2009 Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov RELEASE: 09-296 NASA CHOOSES THREE FINALISTS FOR FUTURE SPACE SCIENCE MISSION TO VENUS, AN ASTEROID OR THE MOON WASHINGTON -- NASA has selected three proposals as candidates for the agency's next space venture to another celestial body in our solar system. The final project selected in mid-2011 may provide a better understanding of Earth's formation or perhaps the origin of life on our planet. The proposed missions wo ...Continue Reading