NASA is assisting humanitarian groups in Haiti by using satellite images to identify areas of landslide risk.
Venus, asteroid or the Moon?
So which will be the next celestial body that NASA will explore?
The space agency has announced that it has chosen three finalists among the eight proposals sent for its next space probe. Depending on which finalist will be ultimately selected by mid-2011, the next space mission will be to Venus, an asteroid, or the Moon.
Here’s an excerpt from the NASA announcement.
NASA will select one proposal for full development after detailed mission concept studies are completed and reviewed. The studies begin during 2010, and the selected mission must be ready for launch no later than Dec. 30, 2018. Mission cost, excluding the launch vehicle, is limited to $650 million.
“These are projects that inspire and excite young scientists, engineers and the public,” said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These three proposals provide the best science value among eight submitted to NASA this year.”
Want more info on NASA’s New Frontiers Program? Check out the site. You can also become a fan of the NASA Discovery & New Frontiers page on Facebook.
Photo courtesy of NASA.
Astronaut Mike Massimino sends first Twitter update from space
Check out my latest CNET Asia blog post.
Here’s an excerpt:
NASA astronaut Mike Massimino has made history as the first person to tweet from space while in orbit on board the space shuttle Atlantis for the STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Massimino, who opened a Twitter account on April 4 to start tweeting updates on the preparations for the launch, has 234,075 followers as of this writing.
Congratulations Mike and all the best to you and your crew!
