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XJPL News
News and features from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena
JPL begins work on two new missions to Mars
The NASA facility is leading two upcoming missions: A lander that will explore Mars' core in 2016 and a rover, modeled after Curiosity, that will launch in 2020.
NASA's JPL to 'lasso' an asteroid
A proposed mission to capture an asteroid and bring it into orbit in the Earth-moon system is a stepping stone to sending humans to Mars, NASA administrator Charles Bolden said Thursday at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
NASA's planet-hunting Kepler telescope disabled
Planet-hunting scientists were dealt a major blow Wednesday when NASA officials announced...
Judge rules in favor of JPL scientists disciplined for emails sent from work accounts
Scientists and engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory were unfairly disciplined for sending emails about a U.S. Supreme Court decision involving background checks at the agency, a judge has ruled.
NASA's next rover target after Mars? Greenland
NASA is sending a rover to a remote frontier on harsh terrain that's unfriendly to humans....
Airborne laboratory being used to measure California's snowpack
Teams will fan out across the Sierra Nevada on Thursday to perform their final snow survey of the season, a closely watched rite of spring that helps determine how much water will flow to farms and cities in coming months.
No E-ticket for JPL
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's annual open house allows space geeks and budding young scientists a rare peek inside the missions behind the La Cañada Flintridge facility.
Obituary: Alan Wood, 90, former JPL official
Alan Wood, a former official at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died at his Sierra Madre home on April 18. He was 90.
JPL open house, felled by sequestration, costs about $400,000
Bracing for “significant impacts” to funding for public outreach programs next year, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory decided...
Congress members urge NASA to spare planetary science funding
Don't cut planetary science funding, members of Congress
Schiff: JPL open house suspension result of "extremely poor" federal fiscal policy
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) on Thursday expressed just as much disappointment regarding the suspension of the annual open house at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as just about everyone else in the science community.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory inventory check shows stolen NASA laptop
A laptop belonging to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge was allegedly stolen from a contract employee last summer, but the agency didn't realize it was missing until an inventory was conducted in January, officials said.
Space budget takes a hit
President Obama's budget proposal, unveiled on Wednesday, would cut funding for planetary exploration at NASA by roughly $200 million, although it still funds several high profile missions being planned out of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Ca&...
Curiosity takes summer break
For the first time since it landed on Mars last year, scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory can’t send commands to the rover Curiosity.
NASA's planetary science division gets budget boost
NASA's planetary science division — responsible for sending the rover Curiosity to Mars — will get an unexpected budget hike of $123 million for the rest of 2013. These additional funds will be used to continue planetary...
JPL scientist: Jupiter's moon Europa may hold ingredients for life
Hydrogen peroxide is used to clean counter tops here on Earth, but Jupiter’s moon Europa may use it for a more important endeavor — to supply energy to simple life forms.
Future space explorers tour JPL
Thirty-two students in aerospace, engineering and science programs in 11 different countries descended on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory last week as part of a Caltech competition to design a mission to one of Mars' two moons, Phobos or Deimos.
Wind shakes up NASA rover Curiosity's landing parachute
The supersonic parachute that helped the NASA rover Curiosity land safely on Mars eight months ago has become part of an accidental science experiment.
La Cañada History: Margaret Thatcher visited the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Ten Years Ago: Stan Kaull, Brian Hull, Tiffany Neumeier Bennett and Lindsay Parker were inducted into the La Cañada High School Athletic Department’s Hall of Fame.
NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has left the solar system — almost
It was welcome news to Earthlings: The Voyager 1 spacecraft had seemingly crossed a momentous threshold and become the first man-made object to enter interstellar space.
Curiosity uncovers clues suggesting Mars was once habitable
NASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence that Mars could have once held life, scientists said Tuesday.
NASA rover Curiosity scoops up first Martian rock sample
NASA’s Curiosity rover has collected the first sample from inside a rock on another planet.
Meteor in Russia not part of asteroid flyby, JPL says
The meteor that created a shock wave when it entered Earth’s atmosphere early Friday is not connected to the asteroid that is slated to pass by the planet today, according to scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Asteroid flyby: Watch JPL coverage on Friday morning
The largest asteroid to come in close contact with Earth is set to fly by our planet Friday morning.
NASA 'Mohawk Guy' arrives for State of the Union with new 'do
NASA's Twitter celebrity "Mohawk Guy" helped send a rover to Mars, but now he's landing at...
Mars rover Curiosity drills into bedrock
For the first time, a robot has drilled into a rock on Mars and collected a sample, and scientists are patting themselves on the back. The likelihood of high-fives also is extremely high.
Aging rover Opportunity still exploring new terrain on Mars
Nine years after landing on Mars for a three-month mission, the aging NASA rover Opportunity may be poised to find more evidence that water once flowed on the Red Planet.
Study: Mars could have held watery underground oases for life
If Mars once contained life, it might have existed in watery oases far beneath the surface, according to a new study analyzing a deep Martian crater holding signs of an ancient lake.
Documentary captures early Mars missions' red-letter days
The car-sized rover Curiosity had a clean landing on Mars five months ago. But planetary missions didn’t always run so smoothly at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Judge confirms earlier ruling, sides with JPL in 'intelligent design' case
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Wednesday confirmed an earlier ruling that found Jet Propulsion Laboratory administrators did not discriminate against a longtime staffer when they laid him off in 2011.
Mars rover Curiosity eyes first drilling site where water may have once flowed
The NASA rover Curiosity is set to use its drill for the first time on Mars in a region where water once possibly flowed, scientists said Tuesday. Boring into a rock would be one of the 1-ton rover’s most difficult...
NuSTAR captures unprecedented images of black holes, supernova
NASA's NuSTAR X-ray telescope is providing fresh views of oddly bright black holes and breathtaking supernovae, scientists said Monday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Long Beach.
Dec. 21, 2012: Fearful 'end of world' callers flood NASA
If there's one government agency really looking forward to Dec. 22, it's NASA.
JPL's Dr. Richard P. O'Toole speaks at Kiwanis Club
Dr. Richard P. O'Toole, chairman of Government Relations at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was the featured speaker when the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada held a recent luncheon meeting at Van de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens.
GRAIL moon mission ends with a bang
After dancing around the moon for months, the twin satellites nicknamed Ebb and Flow performed their final number, crashing into the same peak near the lunar north pole and bringing the GRAIL mission to a close.
Bill Nye, the (planetary) science guy, on NASA's future
What should the future of our space program be?
At JPL, teens learn rocket science by crafting toilet paper catapults
High school students have been known to sling a roll or two of toilet paper — but not many use catapults or compete with rocket scientists for the longest heave.
GRAIL mission delivers a hi-fi map of the moon
A pair of NASA orbiters has given scientists their highest-fidelity look at the moon, a leap...
NASA on verge of losing its edge, report says
As other countries -- including some potential adversaries -- are investing heavily in space, federal funding for NASA is essentially flat and under constant threat of being cut.
NASA to launch Mars rover in 2020, use Curiosity's spare parts
NASA will send another rover to Mars in 2020, using spare parts from Curiosity and the infamous “seven minutes of terror” landing sequence developed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers for Curiosity’s August arrival on the Red...
Testing, testing: JPL's Curiosity sends back first soil sample results from Mars
The rover Curiosity detected substances containing water, sulfur and other materials familiar to earthlings during its first full set of chemical tests of Martian soil, NASA officials announced Monday.
Mars rover Curiosity's other mission: PR
Just as Curiosity is equipped with an array of high-tech instruments to fulfill its scientific goals, the rover has many tools at its disposal to press its public relations agenda.
Stolen NASA laptop contained workers' personal information
Workers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are asking for a congressional investigation into the agency's data security efforts after learning the theft of a laptop and documents last month may have compromised information for 10,000 NASA employees.
JPL workers call for congressional probe into NASA security breach
Workers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge are calling for a Congressional investigation into a NASA data breach that compromised the personal information of thousands of NASA workers.
NASA has unprecedented view of Mars dust storm
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and two planet-based explorers are tracking a...
NASA Mars Curiosity rover may have caught dust devils in action
NASA’s Curiosity rover has felt what appear to be dust devils pass by as it samples the Martian atmosphere.
Astronauts could survive radiation on Mars, scientists say
Astronauts on a future mission to Mars could survive radiation levels on the Red Planet's surface, according to a NASA expert.
San Marino students' chat with astronauts is out of this world
Students who helped design a science experiment conducted in space chatted with astronauts aboard the ISS.
Herman Bank dies at 96; engineer designed collapsible surfboard
As one of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory "rocket boys," engineer Herman Bank had already helped launch the Space Age when wobbly surfboards strapped atop his station wagon in the early 1960s led him to another design frontier.
Chamlian plays host to Curiosity scientists
Several Armenian engineers who helped launch the Curiosity rover to Mars this past summer were celebrated during a visit Monday afternoon at Chamlian Armenian School, where they shared stories about their work.
Curiosity rover gulps Mars air, finds hint of vanished atmosphere
NASA’s Curiosity rover has gulped in Martian air but failed to find methane – a gas...
JPL wins tentative ruling in 'intelligent design' case
Jet Propulsion Laboratory did not improperly fire a longtime staffer because he discussed his religious beliefs in the workplace, a Los Angeles judge tentatively ruled Thursday.
Judge leans JPL's way in 'intelligent design' suit
A Los Angeles judge has tentatively determined that Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge did not improperly fire a longtime employee because he espoused the theory of intelligent design in the workplace, according to the...
Cassini records Saturn mega-storm, and incredible burp, for history
It was an alien storm to dim memories of all others, wrapping all the way around a vast northern portion of Saturn, a planet that could hold about 750 Earths. And it brought with it a spike in temperature never observed before anywhere in the...
Visiting Curiosity scientists set to leave JPL, head home
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is about to get a little quieter.
Rock on Mars may have been formed 'like applejack liquor'
The rock was named "Jake Matijevic" by the researchers, after a former chief engineer on the Curiosity rover project who died in August.
NASA Curiosity rover wiggles toes in Mars sand
Having driven 484 meters from its landing site in Gale Crater, the Mars Science Laboratory rover has made a pit stop to sample dunes at a spot called Rocknest.
JPL co-founder Frank Malina remembered on family's blog
Frank Malina, the ambitious Caltech student who co-founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the 1930s, would have been 100 on Oct. 2.
NASA: Mars Curiosity rover finds rocky signs of once-gushing stream
NASA's Curiosity rover has found evidence of strong streams that once gushed across the Martian surface, mission scientists said.
Students take the robot challenge
Engineering club utilizes Lego toys to compete and hone problem-solving skills.
Rover? Astronaut? NASA officials probe future of Mars exploration
With budget cuts looming and no clear flagship mission on the horizon, the Mars program has been looking to rechart its course in the coming years. Sending a spacecraft to the Red Planet to return a sample of rock may be the way to go, according to a...
An Endeavour to remember
Friday marked the end of an era at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, as dozens of scientists, engineers and others gathered to catch one last glimpse of the Endeavour, the shuttle that carried many of their experiments and...
An Endeavour to remember
As the space shuttle Endeavour flew by the Hollywood sign around 12:10 p.m., onlookers at the Griffith Observatory — some of whom had been waiting since 6 a.m. — whooped and hollered.
Onlookers get their Endeavour flyby: 'For me, this is like a bucket list thing'
As the space shuttle Endeavor flew by the Hollywood sign around 12:10 p.m., onlookers at the Griffith Observatory -- some of whom had been waiting since 6 a.m. -- hooped and hollered.
JPL's favorite shuttle heads home
Jet Propulsion Laboratory research scientist John Trauger helped prepare the space shuttle Endeavour for one of its critical missions in 1993. He will be looking on with a sense of nostalgia as the craft makes its last pass over Jet Propulsion...
Endeavour to pass over JPL, Disneyland, Griffith Observatory
Space shuttle Endeavour will take a scenic route through Los Angeles on Friday, passing over some of the region's most popular landmarks.
Curiosity rover to head to mystery spot, touch first Martian rock
The Mars Curiosity rover is just a day away from hitting the road for its first Martian rock, once it wraps up a suite of tests on its 7-foot-long robotic arm.
Schiff: Astronaut Armstrong 'a reluctant hero'
Pioneering astronaut Neil Armstrong’s public memorial was held today in Washington, D.C., and the first man to walk on the moon was also honored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank).
Curiosity tests new camera, has nowhere to spend its penny
When Curiosity went to Mars, it took a penny along with it. The coin -- a 1909 Lincoln penny -- was a nod to geologists' habit of using a penny in photos of rocks to provide an idea of the object's size.
If Curiosity finds water on Mars, it could be trouble
For all the hopes NASA has pinned on the rover it deposited on Mars last month, one wish has gone unspoken: Please don't find water.
Man's case against JPL drags on
Four-and-a-half months have passed since lawyers last argued in a courtroom whether Jet Propulsion Laboratory discriminated against a former worker on religious grounds, but lawyers for both sides continue to argue the case.
NASA's Dawn probe departs giant asteroid Vesta, headed for Ceres
After orbiting the giant asteroid Vesta for slightly more than 13 months, NASA'sDawn spacecraft...
Life on Mars time for JPL scientist and his family
David Oh's eldest son taped aluminum foil over his windows. His daughter painted a sign warning visitors away from the front door. His wife pulled the phone cord out of the wall and turned the couple's cellphones off.
Voyager 1 set to burst solar system bubble, move to parts unknown
How long does it take to fly to the edge of the solar system? At least 35 years. Voyager 1 is there now, carrying 1970s-era technology that might make your jaw sag -- computers with 8,000 words of memory and eight-track-tape recorders.
Curiosity rover broadcasts message from Mars
The Curiosity rover has tested its nose and cleared its throat, and is set to start its journey toward its first potential drilling target over the coming days.
Neil Armstrong 'opened a frontier' for all humanity, JPL head says
The director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said he doesn't know whether Neil Armstrong watched the Curiosity rover land on Mars this month. But he¿s sure the world¿s most famous astronaut would have liked what he saw.
Feinstein meets 'Mohawk Guy,' tells JPL workers of budget uncertainty
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) toured NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Thursday afternoon, one day after Gov. Jerry Brown visited the La Cañada Flintridge campus.
Curiosity is new Mars star, but Opportunity's still knocking
For more than eight years, an elite team of drivers has been maneuvering the most unusual of vehicles across treacherous and distant terrain.
Governor visits JPL campus, calls Curiosity mission 'important for California'
Gov. Jerry Brown got a glance at the life of a Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist during an afternoon tour of the La Cañada Flintridge campus on Wednesday.
JPL names Curiosity's landing site after Ray Bradbury
Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury passed away on June 5, two months before the NASA rover Curiosity landed on Mars.
Mars rover takes first drive
After two weeks of taking stock of its surroundings, the Mars Curiosity rover has taken its first "baby steps" and sent back images of its first tracks, NASA officials said Wednesday.
Curiosity's weather instrument appears damaged, says JPL
The NASA rover Curiosity had a good weekend. It zapped its first rock with a laser, wiggled its robotic arm and shifted its wheels.
JPL to guide new vehicle to Mars in 2016
The 2016 mission, dubbed InSight, will explore the interior of the planet, investigating Mars’ core, tracking seismic activity, monitoring the gravitational pull of Mars’ two moons and assessing why Mars does not have tectonic plates like...
Mars rover shoots rock with laser, set to drive to Glenelg soon
The Mars rover known as Curiosity zapped its first target with its laser eye this weekend, NASA officials announced.
JPL plans out Curiosity's first trip on Mars
The NASA rover Curiosity has a trip planned to Glenelg.
Curiosity to get rolling in a few days
The rover Curiosity survived a digital 'brain transplant' this weekend and is now preparing to take its first steps on the Red Planet, Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists said Tuesday.
President Obama congratulates Curiosity team
President Barack Obama congratulated NASA's Curiosity team Monday on their "successful" Mars landing.
Army of JPL interns helped Curiosity get to Mars
A few months ago, Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers ran into a problem as they prepared to land the Mars Science Laboratory — nicknamed Curiosity — on the Red Planet.
Mars engineers laud rover's landing, prep for 'brain transplant'
The Curiosity rover's landing wasn¿t quite perfect -- but if the Martian robot were an Olympic gymnast, it could earn a gold medal for its gymnastic contortions, according to NASA engineers.
Mars Curiosity rover snaps self-portrait and color panorama image
Just as teens hold up their cellphones to snap a Myspace-worthy photo, the Mars Science Laboratory rover has taken its own self-portrait: a mosaic of images taken as the rover looks down from its navigation cameras, located high up in the robot&...
NASA drivers await chance to operate biggest, baddest Mars rover
The San Gabriel Mountains rise over a rough patch of sun-baked volcanic boulders, dusty flagstones and earthen slopes.
Former JPL exec Frank Colella passes away at 91
Frank J. Colella, principal spokesman for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for nearly a quarter of a century, died peacefully at his La Cañada Flintridge home on July 29.
Curiosity sends back its first color photo from Mars' Gale Crater
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, a.k.a. Curiosity, has sent back its first color image...
One Curiosity photo of Mars piques a lot of curiosity
Did Curiosity capture the galactic equivalent of the Zapruder film when it landed on Mars?
JPL basks in the glory of successful Mars landing
At 10:32 p.m. Sunday, the news was called out: "Touchdown confirmed. We're safe on Mars."
Live blog: Curiosity's descent on Mars
Thanks for following along! View the latest Curiosity stories here.
JPL: Curiosity rover has a 'clean' landing on Mars
Curiosity, NASA's most ambitious rover yet, made it to Mars safely Sunday night and is ready to begin a two-year exploration that scientists hope will tell the story of how the planet began.
Mars rover draws on nuclear power for trek around Red Planet
Now that Curiosity is safe on Martian soil, the largest and most advanced machine NASA's ever sent to another planet needs power to get its 2,000-pound frame moving.
Mars exploration to go on even if mission fails, space officials say
Two top space officials pledged Sunday afternoon to continue the exploration of Mars in years to come -- regardless of whether NASA's Curiosity rover survives its dramatic landing later tonight.
Curiosity flight team sticks to traditions
For a group of people who claim that their job requires them to be the opposite of superstitious, there were a lot of traditions flying around Sunday among the engineers who were attempting to deposit the Curiosity rover on Mars.
Engineers pass up chance to direct Curiosity one last time
Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers will forgo an opportunity to tell the spacecraft carrying the rover Curiosity how to get to Mars two hours before it lands.
NASA rover Curiosity on course for Sunday night landing on Mars
Scientists at JPL said Sunday morning that they had passed up a final opportunity to correct the spacecraft¿s trajectory.
JPL scientists, engineers adjust to Mars time
If all goes well, NASA will know around 10:31 p.m. tonight if their latest rover, the one-ton Curiosity, successfully landed on Mars’ Gale Crater.
NASA rover Curiosity readies itself for Sunday night landing
Curiosity has begun a series of steps to ready itself to land on Mars, engineers said Saturday afternoon.
All eyes are on the rover Curiosity
The rover Curiosity is expected to transmit a huge scientific payload from Mars, and the mission may also heavily influence how lawmakers in Washington, D.C., decide to spend money on the space race.
JPL engineers test out their rovers on a fake Red Planet
Two weeks before the rover Curiosity's scheduled landing on Mars, NASA engineers stood on a hill overlooking the Jet Propulsion Laboratory campus, punching commands on their iPhones to test model rovers' ability to navigate over bulky red rocks.
Follow the Curiosity landing with Pasadena Sun at JPL
Good afternoon, readers! Are you ready for the latest NASA rover Curiosity to (hopefully) land on Mars?
NASA rover Curiosity closing in on Mars
The NASA rover Curiosity is closing in fast and is now less than 3 million miles from Mars – close enough that Mars’ gravity is beginning to pull on the spacecraft and increase its speed, officials said Saturday at the Jet Propulsion...
Mars engineer did his best to trip up Curiosity rover
His purpose: To make sure the rover team was prepared to deal with space junk, lost signals and any other challenges he could think up.
Mars landing: Do-or-die time for Curiosity rover; it's on its own
With just over 24 hours till the "seven minutes of terror" -- when Mars rover Curiosity makes its unprecedented, hellbent-for-leather descent to the surface of Mars -- the NASA rover team sits and waits.
Mars dust storm, minor wobble give Curiosity scientists pause
A dust storm on Mars and a wobble in Curiosity's trajectory give scientists something to think about, but mission leaders say they're on track for a Sunday landing.
Where to watch the Mars landing around Los Angeles
A look at how you can observe Curiosity's arrival on the Red Planet.
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