close Video NASA Mars Perseverance rover provided valuable data: Former astronaut Mechanical engineering professor Mike Massimino discusses the complex mission to the Red Planet on 'Your World' Amateur puzzle fans delighted this week when NASA revealed it had hidden a secret color-coded message on the parachute for the Perseverance rover that landed on Mars last week. The message, written by systems engineer Ian Clark in binary code through alternating white and orange strips on the 70-foot chute, spelled out the NASA motto "Dare Mighty Things," which comes from a Theodore Roosevelt quote. Clark, the lead developer of the parachute, had an interesting problem in encoding the message – he couldn’t use any colors that had not already been tested for Mars' atmosphere. Different color dyes might weaken its integrity inside its harsh environment. "There’s all kinds of second-guessing questions," Clark said, according to The New York Times. "Like could having more white than orange, or vice versa, mean that the parachute was going to warm up differently and maybe that would change its behavior?" BUZZ ALDRIN REACTS TO NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER LANDING ON MARS Clark said when he asked deputy project manager Matt Wallace if he could put a message in the parachute, his only guidance was to "make sure it was appropriate and couldn’t be misinterpreted." Only about six people knew about the encoded message before last Thursday’s landing, Clark, a crossword puzzle enthusiast, who called creating the message "super fun," said. He said it only took puzzle solvers a few hours to figure out the binary-coded missive after it was teased during Monday’s news conference. "I’ll have to be a little bit more creative" next time, he said. HOW WILL NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER ENGINEERS PILOT FIRST HELICOPTER ON MARS? Clark also included the GPS coordinates of the mission's headquarters at the Jet ...
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NASA honors ‘Hidden Figure’ Mary Jackson during Washington headquarters naming ceremony
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for February 26 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. NASA officially named its Washington, D.C. , headquarters building after pioneering engineer Mary Winston Jackson during a ceremony on Friday. Members of Jackson's family and other prominent guests attended the small ceremony, including NASA Langley Center Director Clayton Turner, retired NASA engineer and "Hidden Figure" Christine Darden, artist Tenbeete Solomon, and Jackson's grandchildren Wanda and Bryan Jackson. NASA LEAVES HIDDEN MESSAGE ON PARACHUTE OF MARS ROVER In addition to unveiling a building sign with Jackson's name, the agency screened video tributes with reflections on her career at NASA, featuring family, friends, colleagues, astronauts, celebrities, elected officials and Hampton University President William R. Harvey. In opening statements, Jurczyk commended Jackson's work and discussed the significance of her role at the agency. "Jackson's story is one of incredible determination," he said. "She personified NASA's spirit of persevering against all odds, providing inspiration, and advancing science and exploration ." "My hope is that when we are safely able to return to work in person, walking through the doors of the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters each morning will inspire us all to push forward and continue to break barriers," added Jurczyk. Wanda Jackson said her grandmother never gloated or bragged about her accomplishments. "She was special to us. She was always our hero. She was always our star. So, I would like to thank NASA ... again for showing the world what the Winston and Jackson family always knew about her," she said. NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER SENDS BACK FIRST HD MARS PANORAMA "There's no words that can explain how I'm feeling right now," Bryan said. "I'm overwhelmed with joy and honor." ...
NASA astronauts ‘very busy’ ahead of International Space Station spacewalk Sunday
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for February 24 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Sometimes the people looking after a building get a little behind on maintenance. Sometimes the same thing happens to the people looking after the International Space Station. Two astronauts are preparing for a spacewalk this weekend to prepare for the upcoming replacement of the solar arrays designed to last 15 years and were installed on the ISS more than 20 years ago, according to NASA. Flight engineers Kate Rubins and Victor Glover will step out of the ISS for the spacewalk. They’ll be assembling and installing equipment for the upcoming upgrades that will both replace the current degrading solar arrays and increase the station’s available power from 160 kW to 215 kW, according to NASA. A SpaceX rocket is scheduled to deliver new arrays later this year. Flight engineers Kate Rubins and Victor Glover will step out of the ISS for the spacewalk on Sunday. HERE’S HOW NASA’S PERSEVERANCE ROVER WILL SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS This will be the third spacewalk for both astronauts. "The on-orbit crew this week has been very busy," Flight Director Marcos Flores said during a news conference Wednesday. "They’ve been working a lot to make sure that they have all their procedures reviewed and all their training completed." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The astronauts are scheduled to step out at about 6 a.m. EST on Sunday. The spacewalk is expected to last about six and a half hours. The spacewalk on Sunday is the first of two upcoming maintenance spacewalks scheduled for the ISS. On March 5, Rubins will venture out again with Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi to vent ammonia, among other tasks. They’ll also install a "stiffener" on the airlock thermal cover. The spacewalk on Sunday is the first of two upcoming maintenance ...
Astrophysicist discusses how Mars rover can lead to human exploration
National Science Foundation astrophysicist Joe Pesce told Hill.TV that the launching of the new rover Perseverance to explore Mars is a necessary step to eventual human exploration. “Mars has a very thin atmosphere – it requires quite extensive technology just to come in and land,” he said. “The technology that we saw demonstrated on Perseverance will be used in the future.” NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars earlier this month to examine the surface and search for any signs that life once existed on the planet. Pesce said studying areas on Mars that appear to have had water will help scientists understand the planet’s surface makeup and geology. “I can’t stress enough just the exploration quality of what’s happening here,” he said. “We as humans want to know what’s going on, and Mars in the past was probably very similar to Earth. So understanding Mars helps us understand Earth better as well.” Pesce added that after researchers test the technology to ensure it is working as intended, the rover can start collecting and storing samples in the coming weeks for future missions to take back to Earth. “It’s always better to be able to study things in a laboratory, even though the robots are really quite capable on the surface of Mars,” Pesce said. ...
