NASA

An answer to a lunar mystery: Why is the moon’s gravity so uneven?Simulations based on GRAIL data show how gravitational anomalies developed early in lunar history.

Dust in the cloudsCirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic particles, study finds.

Shedding light on the search for dark matterPhysicists and astronaut discuss cosmic ray detector’s findings of possible signs of dark matter.

NASA selects MIT-led TESS project for 2017 mission$200 million project will launch telescopes to perform full-sky search for transiting exoplanets.

CERN announces measurement of antimatter excess in spaceMIT physicist and AMS spokesman Samuel Ting presents results via webcast.

Mapping the early history of the moonIn 41st annual Killian Lecture, Maria Zuber describes looking deep into the moon’s interior to chart its early history.

Mercury may have harbored an ancient magma oceanMassive lava flows may have given rise to two distinct rock types on Mercury’s surface.

Students take control of satellites on the International Space Station200 high-school students participate in MIT’s annual Zero Robotics competition.

GRAIL reveals a battered lunar historyTwin spacecraft create a highly detailed gravity map of the moon, finding an interior pulverized by early impacts.

Scientists discover water ice on MercuryIce and organic material may have been carried to the planet by passing comets.

A burst of activity in the middle of the Milky WayResearchers detect the brightest flare ever observed in our galaxy’s black hole.

Paintballs may deflect an incoming asteroidWith 20 years’ notice, paint pellets could cause an asteroid to veer off course.

MIT alums recount their Martian experiencesSeveral AeroAstro alumni return to campus to describe landing the Curiosity rover on Mars.

Department snapshot: Aeronautics and AstronauticsAeroAstro takes off in new directions — prompting a 50 percent spike in new undergraduate enrollments.

NASA-JPL director Charles Elachi talks about latest Mars missionCuriosity is the most ambitious planetary rover mission ever, but it’s just one of the many exploratory projects JPL is undertaking.

Lincoln Laboratory-discovered asteroid needs a new nameNASA, in partnership with the lab and others, opens naming content to students.

River networks on Titan point to a puzzling geologic historyFindings suggest the surface of Saturn’s largest moon may have undergone a recent transformation.

Said and Done for June/July 2012Digest of MIT humanities, arts and social sciences

Explained: Near-miss asteroidsWhat to do in the event of an asteroid streaking toward Earth? Activate the asteroid ‘fire drill.’

Newfound exoplanet may turn to dustA planet’s dust cloud may explain strange patterns of light from its star.

First light from a super-Earth spottedDetection reveals a searing planet.

A close-up view of MercuryResearchers find the planet may have had a dynamic past.

X-ray monitoring mission comes to an endThe RXTE satellite retires after 16 years.

Mysterious electron acceleration explainedComputer simulation identifies source of aurora-causing high-speed electrons in space

What drove the lunar dynamo?Research supports theory that the moon’s molten core was likely sustained by an alternative power source.

Robots go head to head, 250 miles above EarthThird annual Zero Robotics competition pits robots against each other on the International Space Station.