space, astronomy and planetary science archive

MIT instrument studies edge of sun's bubble - The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have now traveled beyond the edge of the sun's outflow of particles and radiation. Some of the data that reveals this boundary region comes from a set of magnetic field sensors developed and built at MIT back in the 1970s. July 7, 2008

Solar system's biggest impact scar discovered - A new analysis of Mars by researchers at MIT and NASA has solved one of the biggest remaining mysteries in the solar system -- why the planet Mars has two completely different kinds of terrain, in its northern and southern hemispheres. June 25, 2008

MIT team develops better X-ray nanomirrors - A new way of bending X-ray beams developed by MIT researchers could lead to greatly improved space telescopes, as well as new tools for biology and for the manufacture of semiconductor chips. June 9, 2008

Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences awards - Awards given in MIT Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences for the academic year 2007-2008. June 6, 2008

NASA selects MIT-led team for search satellite - A planet-searching satellite planned by scientists from MIT, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and NASA-Ames is one of six proposed spacecraft concepts that NASA has picked for further study as part of its Small Explorer satellite program. June 3, 2008

The Earth below, the sky above - Twenty-five years ago, MIT decided to bring together the Earth and the sky. In the years that followed, many others did the same. June 3, 2008

Measuring a pulsar's smoothness - The team operating the Laser Interferometer Gravity-wave Observatory, including a group from MIT, is reporting this week that the pulsar at the center of the Crab Nebula must have an extremely smooth surface. June 3, 2008

MIT class asks: Fly me to the moon? - An MIT graduate class, aimed at figuring out whether MIT could, or should, mount an entry into the $20-million Google Lunar X-Prize competition announced last fall, has arrived at the bottom line: Yes, we can (technically)! May 21, 2008

Catching planets in the making - It took a real oddball of a star--or rather, pair of stars--to provide the exceptional conditions that made detection possible of the intermediate stage of planet formation by a team of astronomers, including an MIT physicist, in March. April 2, 2008

MIT aims to search for Earth-like planets - MIT scientists, with Google's help, are designing a satellite-based observatory that could for the first time provide a sensitive survey of the entire sky to search for planets outside the solar system that appear to cross in front of bright stars. March 19, 2008

Eyes on the stars, even under cloudy skies - MIT student Cristina Thomas has been making observations of asteroids using a large NASA telescope in Hawaii, at least once a month for more than three years now. But to get to the telescope, she needs only to walk down the hall. March 19, 2008

Experts available to discuss space travel and human exploration of Mars - MIT faculty with expertise in space travel and human exploration of Mars are available for comment to members of the media. March 18, 2008

The next-best thing to being on Mars - Two MIT students are currently living, working and communicating with the outside world as if they were on a mission to Mars. Whenever they go outside their small, round habitat, they don spacesuits and pass through an airlock. February 25, 2008

Down to earth: Alumnus returns from space station - Daniel Tani SB '84, SM '88 returned to the Kennedy Space Center aboard space shuttle Atlantis on Feb. 20. Tani spent 120 days in orbit aboard the International Space Station as a member of the Expedition 16 crew. February 22, 2008

Physicist describes strange world of quarks, gluons - MIT physics professor John Negele will talk about the theory that governs interactions of quarks and gluons, known as quantum chromodynamics, during a Feb. 17 presentation to the AAAS annual meeting in Boston. February 17, 2008

MIT to lead development of new moon telescopes - NASA has selected a proposal by an MIT-led team to develop plans for an array of radio telescopes on the far side of the moon that would probe the so-called "Dark Ages," the earliest formation of the basic structures of the universe. February 15, 2008

Mercury rising: New images draw interest - Professor Maria Zuber, head of MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, addresses a Jan. 30 NASA press conference in which results from the first mission to visit the planet Mercury in 30 years were unveiled. February 1, 2008

MIT research among Nature magazine's best of 2007 - Nature's editors have picked their favorite 18 research papers of 2007, including three studies involving MIT scientists. Topics of the MIT papers include the search for extrasolar planets, a new technique for weighing single cells and the future of irregular verbs. January 14, 2008

MIT, Harvard offer solution to Mars enigma - An analysis by MIT and Harvard scientists suggests a possible answer to a Mars puzzle: Why the lack of widespread carbonate rocks, despite plenty of evidence that points to an early warm, wet climate on the planet that would promote the rocks' formation? December 27, 2007

MIT, others ask 'What would E.T. see?' - As astronomers become more adept at searching for, and finding, planets orbiting other stars, it's natural to wonder if anybody is looking back. Now, a team of astronomers has figured out just what those alien eyes might see. December 20, 2007

MIT to lead ambitious lunar mission - MIT will lead a $375 million mission to map the moon's interior and reconstruct its thermal history, NASA announced this week. The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission will be led by MIT professor Maria Zuber and will be launched in 2011. December 14, 2007

MIT instrument surprises at solar system's edge - The Voyager 2 spacecraft's Plasma Science instrument, developed at MIT in the 1970s, has turned up surprising revelations about the the temperature and magnetic field in the boundary zone that marks the edge of the sun's influence in space. December 10, 2007

'New Space' leaders and ex-astronauts to speak at MIT Nov. 9-12 - Anousheh Ansari, who became the world's first privately financed female space explorer when she traveled to the International Space Station last year, will give the kickoff keynote speech Friday, Nov. 9, for the SpaceVision 2007 conference at MIT. November 8, 2007

Team models a cornucopia of Earth-sized planets - In movies, fictional planets are covered with forests, oceans, deserts and volcanoes. But new models from a team of scientists begin to describe an even wider range of Earth-size planets that astronomers might actually be able to find. October 31, 2007

MIT alumna commands space shuttle mission - Astronaut Pamela Melroy (S.M. 1984) became the first MIT alumna to command a space mission when the space shuttle Discovery lifted off Tuesday, Oct. 23, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. October 24, 2007

Asteroid is 'practice case' for potential hazards - In research that could aid decisions about future asteroids on a collision course with Earth, MIT scientists have for the first time determined the composition of a near-Earth asteroid that has a very slight possibility of someday hitting our planet. October 13, 2007

MIT tether could aid asteroid missions - Using a tether system devised by MIT researchers, astronauts could one day stroll across the surface of small asteroids, collecting samples and otherwise exploring these rocks in space without floating away. September 26, 2007

Observations give precise estimate of Mars ice - An MIT-led team of scientists has found that the southern pole of Mars contains the largest deposit of frozen water in the inner solar system, outside of Earth. The work shows that water, not carbon dioxide, is the predominant frozen liquid in that area. September 21, 2007

Stars caught in bizarre death-dance - MIT astronomers played a key role in discovering what NASA calls one of the most bizarre objects in space: a star "skeleton" of very low mass that is orbiting and being slowly consumed by a pulsar, that is itself spinning faster than a kitchen blender. September 13, 2007

Team discovers 'throttle' for solar wind - Helium may modulate the speed of solar wind, according to researchers from MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics. The new findings could lead to better understanding of what factors make the solar wind blow, and have impacts on plasma research. May 17, 2007

Team discovers hottest planet - A team of scientists including Sara Seager from MIT has measured the hottest planet ever at 3,700 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2,300 Kelvin. Using NASA's infrared space telescope, the team observed the planet disappear behind its star and reappear. May 10, 2007

Engineers create SpaceNet--the supply chain - MIT researchers Olivier L. de Weck and David Simchi-Levi created SpaceNet, a software tool for modeling interplanetary supply chains. The tool is meant to help NASA establish a long-term human presence on the moon. March 19, 2007

Extrasolars' light guides atmosphere research - So far, astronomers have discovered about 200 planets outside our solar system, known as "extrasolar" planets. Very little is known about most of them, but for the first time, scientists have obtained new information about the atmospheres of two such planets. February 21, 2007

Seager honored for extrasolar planet research - Sara Seager, the Ellen Swallow Richards Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, has won the 2007 Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society. February 5, 2007

Cosmic rays discerned in supernova remnants - MIT astronomers and a colleague have created an extraordinarily detailed image of the remains of an exploded star that provides new clues about the origins of cosmic rays, mysterious high-energy particles that bombard the Earth. November 20, 2006

Stephen Madden, retired professor, dies at 70 - Stephen J. Madden, Jr., a retired professor who taught in several MIT departments, died Oct. 7. He was 70. November 17, 2006

Astronomer develops youth apprenticeship program - An interdisciplinary field with room for creativity, astronomy is the perfect subject to spark a lifelong love of science, says Irene Porro, who has just secured a grant from the NSF to develop a youth astronomy apprenticeship program at MIT. November 7, 2006

Mars group launches high-flying fundraiser - Those who cannot afford the million-dollar price tag attached to space tourism will be happy to learn that at least their names--and their logos--will be able to travel into space for a much smaller fee, thanks to a group of MIT students. November 3, 2006

High-flying flag - NASA astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper (S.B. 1985), the first alumna to fly in space, took this photo during her September mission aboard the Atlantis space shuttle. November 1, 2006

1st alumna walks in space - NASA astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper became the first MIT alumna to walk in space during the recent STS-115 space shuttle mission. October 4, 2006

MIT logs 40 years of flight - NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin (Sc.D. in aeronautics and astronautics, 1963) became the first MIT graduate to walk in space during the Gemini 12 mission in 1966. October 4, 2006

MIT alumna to command space shuttle mission - NASA recently announced that astronaut Pamela Melroy (S.M. 1984) will command the STS-120 space shuttle mission currently planned for August 2007, making her the second woman to command a U.S. space mission. September 27, 2006

Astronomers revise planet definition - The "United Nations" of astronomers has announced a new definition of what a planet is, slightly revising the description preferred by an international panel including an MIT professor that was tasked with the challenge. August 24, 2006

Astronomers proclaim Pluto is a planet - Yes, Virginia, Pluto is a planet. And it's about to be joined by several more, thanks to a new definition of the word "planet" announced today by world astronomers, including Richard Binzel, an MIT professor of planetary science. August 16, 2006

Team envisions exploring Mars with mini probes - MIT engineers and scientist colleagues have a new vision for the future of Mars exploration: a swarm of probes, each the size of a baseball, spreading out across the planet in every direction. July 17, 2006

Telescope to probe early universe, more - A novel telescope that will aid the understanding of the early universe is moving closer to full-scale construction thanks to a $4.9 million award from the National Science Foundation to a U.S. consortium led by MIT. July 5, 2006

Mini MIT satellites rocketing to space station - A Russian rocket launched Monday, April 24, is carrying the first of three small, spherical satellites developed at MIT to the International Space Station -- a major step toward building space-based robotic telescopes and other systems. April 25, 2006

Fiery debris linked to strange new planets - Citing the first direct evidence that the fiery debris of a dying star may swirl around long after the star is obliterated, MIT astrophysicists report that this orbiting disk could also lead to the birth of planets. April 5, 2006

MIT device may speed up space communications - MIT researchers have developed a tiny light detector that may allow for super-fast broadband communications over interplanetary distances. Currently, even still images from other planets are difficult to retrieve. March 20, 2006

IAP: Series explores faith of scientists - Astronomer Johannes Kepler was a man for whom science and faith were not mutually exclusive, an expert on the 17th century German told a standing-room-only audience at a Jan. 12 Independent Activities Period event. January 19, 2006

Star research earns physicist share of Bruno Rossi Prize - MIT physicist Deepto Chakrabarty will share this year's Bruno Rossi Prize for pioneering work on understanding the environment around fast-spinning neutron stars, where matter can whirl about at nearly light speed and where space itself is warped. January 18, 2006

Scientists find black hole's 'point of no return' - A team from MIT and Harvard has found that a certain type of X-ray explosion common on neutron stars is never seen around their black hole cousins, as if the gas that fuels these explosions has vanished into a void. January 9, 2006

Spinning black hole leaves dent in space-time - MIT scientists and colleagues have found a black hole that has chiseled a remarkably stable indentation in the fabric of space and time, like a dimple in one's favorite spot on the sofa. January 9, 2006

Pluto's moon Charon found to lack atmosphere - Based on their earlier observations, MIT and Williams College astronomers have measured the size of Pluto's moon Charon to an unprecedented accuracy and have determined that it has no significant atmosphere. January 4, 2006

Examples of Nature-al selection - Research by MIT scientists and colleagues has graced the cover of Nature four times over the last month and a half with coverage on short gamma-ray bursts, Z-DNA, the HapMap project, and how certain insects navigate water surfaces. November 16, 2005

MIT space cameras take first pictures - X-ray cameras designed by MIT astrophysicists are a key component of a new instrument aboard an orbiting Japanese observatory that will probe the secrets of such phenomena as exploding stars and galaxy clusters. October 14, 2005

HETE satellite solves gamma ray burst mystery - An international team of astronomers led by MIT announced Oct. 5 that it has solved the mystery of the origin of short gamma-ray bursts, violent cosmic events marking the explosive collision of two compact stars. October 6, 2005

Forum set to bring space down to earth - Space exploration calls for developing bold new concepts, which is just what entrepreneurial businesses need, according to the organizers of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge's broadcast event slated for Thursday, Sept. 22. September 21, 2005

Neon study resolves sun dilemma - A new survey of the sun's neighboring stars suggests there is nearly three times more neon in the sun than previously believed, thus solving a theoretical conundrum about the way the sun transfers heat and light from its core to its surface. July 29, 2005

So cool: Study shows Mars in 4-billion-year freeze - Scientists have long thought that the Red Planet was once temperate enough for water to have existed on the surface and perhaps for life to have evolved there. But a new study by MIT and Caltech scientists gives this idea the cold shoulder. July 21, 2005

MIT-Williams team catches rare light show - On a clear summer night, the stars aligned for researchers watching and waiting for one small light in the heavens to be extinguished, just briefly. A group of scientists from MIT and Williams College succeeded in observing distant Pluto's tiny moon, Charon, hide a star. July 20, 2005

Revised asteroid scale clarifies impact risk - Astronomers led by an MIT professor have revised the scale used to assess the threat of asteroids and comets colliding with Earth to better communicate those risks with the public. April 12, 2005

MIT undergrad IDs supersized stars - MIT junior Emily Levesque is lead author of an upcoming paper announcing the discovery of three stars that have the largest diameters of any normal stars known, more than a billion miles across. February 3, 2005

Spacetime wave orbits black hole - Astronomers from MIT and Harvard have seen evidence of hot iron gas riding a ripple in spacetime around a black hole. If confirmed, this wave would represent a phenomenon that goes beyond Einstein's general relativity. January 10, 2005

Giant telescope will keep an eye on solar systems - MIT astrophysicists and their colleagues are excited about the latest milestone toward developing a giant telescope that will allow direct observations of planets orbiting stars in solar systems beyond ours. December 17, 2004

Haystack Observatory turns 40 - MIT's Haystack Observatory and Lincoln Laboratory are celebrating four decades of radio astronomy and radar studies made possible by a collection of large radio telescopes and high-power radars at their research site in Westford, Mass. October 27, 2004

Scientists say supernova is imminent - Three recent powerful blasts from three wholly different regions in space have left scientists scrambling. The blasts, which were detected by an MIT team, might be early-alert systems for star explosions called supernovae. October 1, 2004

Gift brightens study of dark energy - MIT research on the most exciting questions in astrophysics and space science has been recognized by a $7.5 million gift from the Kavli Foundation that will jumpstart new studies of the cosmos. August 3, 2004

Fincke phones home for reunion - A smiling ambassador of goodwill with a message of international cooperation, Lt. Col. Mike Fincke appeared from outer space on an enormous video screen to greet his MIT classmates at their 15th reunion. June 9, 2004

Venus transit - MIT researcher Steve Slivan captured the rare celestial event of a "Venus transit" on film during a viewing session for the MIT community on June 8. June 8, 2004

Alumnus blasts off - Spending six months away from the family is a challenge for any family man, but spending that time away from the planet is tougher yet. April 16, 2004

Mars gets a lift - John Grotzinger and other NASA scientists reached the conclusion that Mars had once been a watery place with a flowing saltwater sea. April 14, 2004

Mini satellites readied - Three MIT satellites resembling brightly colored volleyballs await a trip May 19 to the International Space Station as part of a student research project. March 31, 2004

Evidence of Mars water - MIT's Professor John Grotzinger, a member of NASA's science team for the Mars robotic investigations, led reporters on a "geologic field trip" at a press conference. March 3, 2004

Zuber joins commission - Professor Maria Zuber, head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, has been appointed to the Presidential Commission on Implementation of US Space Exploration Policy. February 11, 2004

Grotzinger oversees rover - Grotzinger, MIT professor, is leader of the long-term planning group of NASA's science team overseeing the work of the Mars rover Spirit. January 28, 2004

Response to Bush Mars plan - President Bush's Jan. 14 announcement of a new NASA initiative for sending humans to Mars via a moon base sent reporters scurrying for experts who could comment on the feasibility of such a plan. January 28, 2004

Experts comment on Mars - President Bush's announcement of a new NASA initiative for sending humans to Mars via a moon base sent reporters scurrying for experts for comment. January 22, 2004

Climate data gathered - NASA has approved an MIT-led project that will measure soil moisture from space. January 14, 2004

Of Mars and men - Students and researchers at MIT are designing a space mission to learn about the effects of Mars-level gravity using pint-sized astronauts. January 14, 2004

Measurement within grasp - NASA has approved an MIT-led project that will measure soil moisture from space, providing data needed to assess the impacts of global change. January 12, 2004

Of Mars and men - Students and researchers at MIT are designing a space mission to learn about the effects of Mars-level gravity using pint-sized astronauts. January 9, 2004

Spout close to black hole - MIT scientists have found that the jets may be originating five times closer to the black hole than previously thought. January 6, 2004

'Perfect storms' - Scientists at MIT's Haystack Observatory watched as a surprisingly violent solar flare lashed out from the sun and sent an intense burst of energy and matter racing into space. December 3, 2003

Solar outbursts - These outbursts were the perfect storms: strong, fast-moving solar winds and streams of plasma interacting with Earth's magnetic field, creating magnetic disturbances and circulating electrical currents in the upper atmosphere. November 14, 2003

LINEAR asteroid named - An asteroid discovered by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) Project has been named for a man widely known in Japan as "Dr. Rocket." October 1, 2003

MIT's LINEAR asteroid - At the request of Japanese scientists, an asteroid discovered by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) Project has been named for a man widely known in Japan as "Dr. Rocket." September 29, 2003

Gamma-ray bursts flighty - Astronomers have solved the mystery of why nearly two-thirds of all gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, seem to leave no trace or afterglow. September 17, 2003

Dark gamma-ray bursts - Scientists will announce these results today at a press conference at the 2003 Gamma-Ray Burst Conference in Santa Fe, N.M., a culmination of a year's worth of HETE data. September 12, 2003

Asteroid that strikes Earth - Of the approximately 1,000 near-Earth asteroids larger than 1 kilometer in diameter, one strikes the Earth on average once every 600,000 years. September 10, 2003

Asteroid hazards - Of the approximately 1,000 near-Earth asteroids larger than 1 kilometer in diameter, one strikes the Earth on average once every 600,000 years September 5, 2003

Mars-gazing - Mars, our closest neighbor planet, will be closer to Earth than it has been in nearly 60,000 years. But 35 million or 37 million miles away--what's a few million miles among friends? August 26, 2003

Amateur astronomer - Berto Monard of South Africa became the first amateur astronomer to discover an afterglow of a gamma-ray burst, the most powerful explosion known in the universe. August 12, 2003

Many gamma-ray bursts go undetected - An MIT researcher estimates that there are roughly 450 gamma-ray bursts or X-ray flashes occurring in the observable universe for every 1 detectable by orbiting satellites. August 12, 2003

Close stellar encounters - NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has confirmed that close encounters between stars form X-ray emitting, double-star systems in dense globular star clusters. July 30, 2003

Pluto's atmosphere is expanding - Pluto's atmosphere is expanding even as it continues on its long orbit away from the sun, a team of astronomers report. July 9, 2003

Einstein's gravitational waves - Gravitational radiation may serve as a cosmic traffic enforcer, protecting reckless pulsars from spinning too fast and blowing apart. July 3, 2003

Orbiter watches frosty Mars - An MIT researcher is part of an international team using data from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft to analyze new details about the dynamic character of the frozen layers that dominate the high northern latitudes of Mars. June 27, 2003

Maria Zuber heads EAPS - Maria T. Zuber, the E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics, will take over as head of the Department of EAPS. June 12, 2003

Earth-based tools image weather in space - Using ground-based instruments, MIT researchers can now provide real-time images of space weather, a new view of the same information NASA gets from space-based sensors looking back at the Earth. May 6, 2003

Pluto mission moves ahead - NASA has authorized the New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission to go forward with spacecraft and ground system construction. April 16, 2003

Weekend gamma-ray burst - The universe clearly works weekends, delivering the closest, and one of the brightest, gamma-ray bursts yet on Saturday, March 29, at 6:37 a.m. EST. April 3, 2003

Gamma-ray burst - At around an hour past dawn Saturday, the MIT-built High-Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) spotted a massive gamma-ray burst that briefly outshone the entire universe in gamma rays. April 2, 2003

Gamma-ray burst - MIT scientists and others arriving on the scene of a gamma-ray burst witnessed the death of a gigantic star and the birth of something monstrous in its place. March 19, 2003

Gamma-ray burst seen - Scientists have snapped a photo of a gamma-ray burst event one minute after the explosion, capturing for the first time a particularly fast-fading type of "dark" burst. January 8, 2003

Milky Way monster - New data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals that our galaxy's central black hole is a temperamental actor, prone to frequent outbursts and occasional large explosions. January 8, 2003

Milky Way monster stars - The new data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals that our galaxy's central black hole is a tempermental actor, prone to frequent outbursts and occasional large explosions. January 7, 2003

'Dark' gamma-ray burst - Scientists have snapped a photo of a gamma-ray burst event one minute after the explosion, capturing for the first time a particularly fast-fading type of "dark" burst. December 24, 2002

Gravity-wave search produces initial data - The MIT team heading the search for gravitational waves reaching Earth from space expects to have some numbers early next month from its analysis of its observatory's first scientific run. October 30, 2002

Asteroids named for top kids - The asteroids zinging around our solar system have largely been named for their discoverers, or for famous people. 40 middle-school science students and their teachers were honored as well. October 22, 2002

Pluto is undergoing global warming, researchers find - The team, led by James Elliot, professor of planetary astronomy at MIT and director of MIT's Wallace Observatory, made this finding by watching the dimming of a star when Pluto passed in front. October 9, 2002

Fading burst - Scientists have captured the optical afterglow of a gamma-ray burst just nine minutes after the explosion. October 9, 2002

Mars travel explored - Nearly 80 students and professionals interested in learning the latest in Mars-related research attended the fourth annualMIT Mars Week. October 9, 2002

Fading gamma-ray burst observed - Scientists have captured the optical afterglow of a gamma-ray burst just nine minutes after the explosion, by the High-Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) satellite developed by an MIT-led international team. October 8, 2002

Virtual telescope - An international collaboration of astronomers including those at MIT's Haystack Observatory have created an Earth-sized virtual radio telescope capable of detecting never-before-seen features of the universe. October 2, 2002

New virtual telescope created - The virtual device can detect features 3,000 times smaller than the finest detail observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. September 30, 2002

Slivan studies asteroids - This story is reprinted with permission from SPACE.com, written by senior science writer Robert Roy Britt and posted Sept. 4. September 25, 2002

MIT astronomers ID object - Astronomers at MIT played a key role this week in identifying a near-Earth object as most likely the third stage of an Apollo-era moon rocket. September 19, 2002

Asteroid siblings spin differently - In family of more than 200 asteroids siblings are mysteriously grouped into two categories defined by sharply different rotation orientations. September 19, 2002

Clues of hidden dark matter found - WHIM (warm-hot intergalactic medium), this million-plus-degree gas may enable astronomers to map the distribution of dark matter in the universe and perhaps understand its origin. August 14, 2002

Tribute for Ingrams - Ashdown House housemasters Vernon and Beth Ingram had a giant asteroid drifting between Mars and Jupiter has been named after them. July 17, 2002

Near-miss asteroid discovered - Lincoln Laboratory researchers discovered an asteroid that passed just 75,000 miles from Earth last month. July 17, 2002

Alum walks in space - Astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz (Sc.D. 1977) finally realized his dream of walking in space during last month's STS-111 mission on the space shuttle Endeavour. July 17, 2002

Ingrams receive tribute - A giant asteroid drifting between Mars and Jupiter has been named after longtime Ashdown House housemasters Vernon and Beth Ingram. July 17, 2002

Pulsar whittles away companion - MIT scientists have found a pulsar in a binary star system that has all but completely whittled away its companion star, leaving this companion only about 10 times more massive than Jupiter. June 5, 2002

Going, going, almost gone - Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a pulsar in a binary star system that has all but completely whittled away its companion star. May 24, 2002

NASA science modeling set for change - NASA is working with an MIT researcher and others to develop software frameworks that will enable more realistic simulations of natural phenomena. May 22, 2002

Hoffman describes space flight - Jeffrey A. Hoffman, a former astronaut, described the experience of space flight to an MIT audience at last week's annual Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium lecture. May 8, 2002

'Local' black hole found - MIT scientists have more evidence that black holes can spin, creating a whirlpool in the fabric of space that pumps energy out of the black hole. May 1, 2002

Launch planned for 2004 - Several students recently vied for and won the opportunity to design and carry out a small space mission using pint-sized astronauts at a proposed price tag of $10 million. April 10, 2002

Haystack to host data transfer meeting - The real-time, high-speed transmission of very large quantities of scientific data is the subject of an April 8-9 conference at MIT's Haystack Observatory. April 3, 2002

Alumni service Hubble telescope - Two MIT-trained astronauts walked in space last week during the space shuttle Columbia's high-profile mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. March 13, 2002

Pulsar's age contradicts theories - MIT and Harvard astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array radio telescope have found a pulsar that is apparently much younger than previously thought. March 13, 2002

Hubble improvements aid researchers - The Hubble was upgraded recently by astronauts on the space shuttle Columbia. March 13, 2002

Pulsar's age contradicts theories - Astronomers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope, have found a pulsar. March 12, 2002

Black hole/star tangos - Gamma-ray bursts may be the energetic offspring of a cosmic dance between black holes and their dance-partner stars, said scientists from MIT and Tel Aviv University in the Feb. 21 issue of Science. February 27, 2002

Heart problems tied to space flight - Dr. Richard Cohen told researchers at MIT's Center for Space Research on Feb. 12 about the health problems that astronauts experience. February 27, 2002

Clues on origin of gamma-ray bursts found - Gamma-ray bursts, may be the energetic offspring of a cosmic dance between black holes and their dance-partner stars, said scientists from MIT and Tel Aviv University. February 21, 2002

Hewitt is new director of the CSR - Professor of Physics Jacqueline N. Hewitt is taking over the Center for Space Research at a time when our picture of the early history of the universe is changing dramatically. February 6, 2002

Life after Hubble discussed - The space observatories slated to replace the Hubble Space Telescope were the focus of an IAP talk January 17 by Assistant Professor Olivier L. de Weck. February 1, 2002

Hewitt takes over at CSR - Jacqueline N. Hewitt , professor of physics, is taking over the Center for Space Research. January 23, 2002

Mars snow depth measured - MIT and NASA researchers provide first-time measurements of the density and thickness of seasonal snow and frost on Mars in the Dec. 7 issue of Science. December 12, 2001

Measurements of snow on Mars - MIT and NASA researchers provide first-time measurements of the density and thickness of seasonal snow and frost on Mars in Dec. 7 issue of Science. December 7, 2001

2006 Pluto mission team - NASA has chosen a research team that includes an MIT scientist to pursue a possible 2006 mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. December 5, 2001

MIT researcher on Pluto mission - NASA has chosen a research team that includes an MIT scientist to pursue a possible 2006 mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. December 4, 2001

HETE discovers gamma-ray burst - A rare optical afterglow of a gamma-ray burst was recently discovered by the High-Energy Transient Explorer satellite, MIT researchers reported last week. November 14, 2001

Optical counterpart found for gamma-ray burst - A rare optical afterglow of a gamma-ray burst, the most powerful type of explosion in the universe, was recently discovered by HETE-2, MIT researchers report. November 7, 2001

Asteroid namesakes for kids - The asteroids zinging around our solar system have largely been named for their discoverers, or for famous people like Ella Fitzgerald, Vincent Van Gogh and the Beatles. October 31, 2001

Haystack dedicates office - The MIT Haystack Observatory in Westford dedicated a new wing, a 4,500-square-foot office complex, on Oct. 26. October 31, 2001

Lincoln Lab names asteroids - Asteroids have largely been named for their discoverers. Tonight, 40 middle-school science students and their teachers can claim the honor as well, thanks to MIT Lincoln Laboratory. October 23, 2001

Chandra sheds light on jet - NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has given astronomers their most detailed look to date at the X-ray jet blasting out of the nucleus of M87. October 17, 2001

Haystack, CSR developing new telescope - The development of a powerful new radio telescope for radio astronomy and for probing the solar terrestrial environment is the focus of a meeting at MIT's Haystack Observatory. October 17, 2001

Chandra catches Milky Way monster - For the first time, astronomers have detected material being consumed by the supermassive black hole in our own back yard. September 12, 2001

Star in deep freeze - A strange star near the center of the Milky Way is surprising MIT experts and colleagues with its remarkably low temperature. September 12, 2001

Star in deep freeze chills theory - A star near center of Milky Way is surprising MIT experts with its low temperature. The odd behavior is chilling current theories of stellar physics. September 6, 2001

Asteroid named after 'Doc' - An amateur astronomer in Nebraska last month officially named an asteroid after fellow Nebraskan and MIT legend Harold "Doc" Edgerton. August 15, 2001

Kuiper object moon sized - Astronomers have discovered an icy planetary body in the Kuiper Belt roughly equal in size to Pluto's moon, Charon. July 18, 2001

MIT and NASA - NASA administrator Daniel Goldin's speech to the newest group of MIT graduates on Friday will be yet another point in a long line of collaborations. June 6, 2001

31 NASA astronauts from MIT - The 31 NASA astronauts educated at MIT are listed below, in order of their selection by NASA. June 6, 2001

MIT produces more astronauts - MIT-trained astronauts have participated in some of the most challenging and historically significant US space missions. June 6, 2001

MIT and NASA photos - Here is a collection of photos that illustrates MIT's relationship with NASA. June 6, 2001

MIT, NASA Photo Gallery - Here is a collection of photos that illustrates MIT's relationship with NASA. June 6, 2001

World's fastest computer - A Hubble Fellow in MIT's Center for Space Research (CSR) has received the small prototype of the fastest computer on the planet. June 6, 2001

Scientists seek Europa ocean - Acoustic techniques used by MIT researchers to explore the Arctic Ocean may help determine whether there is a vast liquid ocean under the ice blanketing Europa. June 6, 2001

MIT researchers seek ocean on Jupiter's moon - Acoustic techniques used by MIT researchers to explore the Arctic may help determine whether there is a vast liquid ocean under the ice blanketing Jupiter's moon, Europa. June 4, 2001

Videoconference looks at Mars - "From Earth to Mars" was videocast to MIT students in Rm 9-057 and five French universities. May 23, 2001

MIT catches MagIC - The combination of optimized scheduling and a highly efficient, instantly accessible camera is allowing the twin Magellan telescopes to pursue science programs not possible or practical elsewhere. May 16, 2001

Alum completes space expedition - US Navy Captain and MIT alumnus William M. Shepherd recently completed his historical role as commander of the first International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 1 crew. May 2, 2001

Gas cloud holds clues - By spinning ultracold sodium gas in a laboratory, scientists at MIT have created a gas cloud that resembles round Swiss cheese and is riddled with tiny whirlpools. April 11, 2001

Mars features not shorelines - What scientists suspect might be ancient ocean shorelines on the northern plains of Mars is actually a network of tectonic ridges related to dramatic Martian volcanism. April 11, 2001

Students celebrate 1st flight - Forty years ago tomorrow -- on April 12, 1961 -- Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted off in Vostok 1 on a mission that would change the world. April 11, 2001

Lincoln Lab's view of Earth - Thanks in part to an instrument created by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) spacecraft is sending back stunningly detailed images of the planet. March 14, 2001

Mars magmas contained water - Evidence from a Martian volcanic rock indicates that Mars magmas contained significant amounts of water before eruption on the planet's surface. January 31, 2001

Mars magmas contained water - Evidence from a Martian volcanic rock indicates that Mars magmas contained significant amounts of water before eruption on the planet's surface. January 24, 2001

Supernova remnant found - Scientists from MIT and other institutions using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered an apparent supernova remnant in the center of our galaxy. January 10, 2001