NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Archives

NASA Spacecraft Reactivated to Hunt for Asteroids

By NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Sep 5, 2013 Science/Education

PASADENA, Calif. — A NASA spacecraft that discovered and characterized tens of thousands of asteroids throughout the solar system before being placed in hibernation will return to service for three more years starting in September, assisting the agency in its effort to identify the population of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects, as well as those suitable […]

Asteroid 1998 QE2 to Sail Past Earth Nine Times Larger Than Cruise Ship

By NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory on May 22, 2013 Science/Education

On May 31, 2013, asteroid 1998 QE2 will sail serenely past Earth, getting no closer than about 3.6 million miles, or about 15 times the distance between Earth and the moon.

Dawn Engineers Assess Reaction Wheel

By NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Aug 15, 2012 Science/Education

PASADENA, Calif. — Engineers working on NASA's Dawn spacecraft are assessing the status of a reaction wheel — part of a system that helps the spacecraft point precisely — after onboard software powered it off on Aug. 8.