STATUS REPORT Date Released: Friday, July 4, 2008 Source: TRW, Inc. Read more…

PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Friday, July 4, 2008 Source: Brown University Volcanic Activity Shaped Mercury After All Image: Volcanic Clue Scientists led by Brown planetary geologist Jim Head zeroed in on this kidney-shaped volcanic vent (at right and center), surrounded by a halo-like ring and a... Read more…

PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Friday, July 4, 2008 Source: Johns Hopkins University MESSENGER Settles old Debates and Makes new Discoveries at Mercury Scientists have argued about the origins of Mercury's smooth plains and the source of its magnetic field for over 30 years. Read more…

PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Friday, July 4, 2008 Source: University of Michigan U-M instrument shows what planet Mercury is made of ANN ARBOR, Mich. Read more…

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STATUS REPORT Date Released: Friday, June 20, 2008 Source: Alliant Techsystems ATK Propulsion and Composite Technologies Key to Successful Delta II Launch MINNEAPOLIS, June 20 Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) played a key role in the successful launch of United Launch Alliance's Delta II rocket... Read more…

PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Friday, May 30, 2008 Source: Johns Hopkins University The Mastermind behind MESSENGER’s Trajectory Honored for Efforts Jim McAdams, the MESSENGER mission design lead engineer, was named the 2008 Engineer of the Year by the Baltimore Section, American Institute of... Read more…

PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Monday, April 28, 2008 Source: Johns Hopkins University Mercury Features Receive New Names The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved new names for features on Mercury and agreed on a new theme for fossae on the planet. Read more…

PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Source: Kennedy Space Center NASA Awards Launch Services Contract to SpaceX WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, a NASA Launch Services contract for the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles. Read more…

SPACE.com - NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is one step closer to analyzing a sample of the rock-hard layer of ice underneath the Martian dirt where the spacecraft touched down two months ago. Read more…

AP - The proposed merger of the Sirius and XM satellite radio companies appeared close to final approval Wednesday, with the sole undecided member of the Federal Communications Commission poised to support the deal if the companies settle past rules violations. Read more…

SPACE.com - NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander might be digging up the surface of the red planet for longer than expected. Mission controllers have requested an extension to the spacecraft's work on the planet's surface, SPACE.com has learned. Read more…

SPACE.com - A European spacecraft is making its closest ever pass by the Martian moon Phobos today to scan never-before-seen regions of the small, rocky satellite. Read more…

SPACE.com - A tiny Canadian satellite is gearing up for a mission to hunt wayward space rocks that may pose a threat to Earth. Read more…

AP - Pennsylvania's auditor general wants his state to join the estimated two dozen others that track some released sex offenders with global positioning satellite technology. Read more…

SPACE.com - As humans look farther into the universe and discover more and more planets beyond the sun, many wonder how typical our own solar system is. Often astronomers in the planet-hunting business say discoveries of Earth-like worlds are just around the corner. Read more…

SPACE.com - With wildfires raging on the West Coast of the United States and hurricane season approaching its busiest months, emergency workers should be checking their mobile satellite communications equipment to make sure they have adequate coverage, warns a Futron Corp. white paper. Read more…

SPACE.com - A dwarf planet circling the sun out beyond the orbit of Neptune has been rechristened Makemake after a Polynesian god and designated the third of the solar system's new class of plutoids, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced Saturday. Read more…

Reuters - A dwarf planet orbiting beyond Neptune has been designated the third plutoid in the solar system and given the name Makemake, the International Astronomical Union said on Saturday. Read more…

SPACE.com - NASA scientists planned to instruct the Phoenix Mars Lander to test out its method for shaving and collecting ice for a second time Friday. Read more…

SPACE.com - NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has made a movie of the moon passing in front of the Earth from the probe's vantage point millions of miles away. Read more…

AFP - The heads of five agencies building the International Space Station staged talks here Thursday on tackling a looming transport problem for the ISS and gave positive signals for extending the orbital outpost's life beyond 2015. Read more…

AP - Money problems will likely force NASA to abandon its ambitious internal goal of having a new moon spaceship ready by 2013, a top space agency official told The Associated Press Wednesday. Read more…

SPACE.com - NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has successfully drilled into the rock-hard ice layer below the Martian surface and collected the frozen shavings in its robotic arm scoop, NASA said on Wednesday. Read more…

AFP - The European spacecraft Mars Express is to make a daring flyby of the Martian moon Phobos in the hope of gaining insights into its enigmatic surface, temperature and geological past, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Wednesday. Read more…