“Here’s some of the stories trending This
Week at NASA!”
“When we explore we make discoveries – and
that’s really the human element.
Discovery is why we do the science.”
A major scientific discovery was announced
by NASA at a Sept. 28 news conference.
From its vantage point high above the Martian
surface, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
(MRO) spacecraft has found the strongest evidence
yet …
“… That under certain circumstances, liquid
water has been found on Mars.”
Researchers say an imaging spectrometer on
MRO detected signatures of hydrated minerals
on slopes where downhill streaks, known as
recurring slope lineae (RSL) are seen.
“These are dark streaks that form in late
spring, grow through the summer and then disappear
by fall.”
In the past, RSL flows have been described
as possibly related to liquid water.
But the new findings of hydrated minerals
is key evidence.
Hydrated salts can lower the freezing point
of liquid brine – and produce liquid water.
“The existence of liquid water, even if
it’s super salty, briny water gives the
possibility that if there’s life on Mars,
that we have a way to describe how it might
survive.”
NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan testified
during a Sept. 29 hearing before the House
Committee on Science, Space and Technology,
about astrobiology and the prospects for finding
life beyond Earth in the next decade.
With NASA’s fleet of robotic spacecraft,
space-based observatories and technology being
developed, it is very possible that we could
indeed discover some form of life, in the
next 10 to 20 years, somewhere else in our
solar system.
A special VIP screening event of the 21st
Century Fox movie, “The Martian” took
place Oct. 29 at National Geographic’s Grosvenor
Auditorium, in Washington, D.C.
Real NASA data was used to make the movie
– a fictional story about a stranded astronaut’s
fight to survive on Mars in the 2030s.
The event featured remarks by NASA Administrator
Charlie Bolden and other dignitaries, and
a panel discussion with agency officials and
some of the film’s cast members, about how
accurately the movie reflects the challenges
NASA faces, as we prepare for real human exploration
of the Red Planet in the 2030s.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s
unpiloted HTV-5 cargo craft left the International
Space Station on Sept. 28, five weeks after
delivering about five tons of supplies and
experiments to the station.
That delivery included materials for the Twins
Study, a suite of investigations being conducted
on the station with NASA astronaut Mark Kelly
and on Earth, at the same time with his identical
twin Mark Kelly; a retired astronaut.
A few days later, a Russian Progress resupply
ship launched to the space station from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
About six-hours later, the Progress automatically
docked to the Zvezda Service Module – delivering
more than three tons of food, fuel and
The Sept. 27 supermoon – visible in the
U.S. and much of the world, was the first
in more than 30 years to occur at the same
time as a lunar eclipse.
NASA television aired live coverage of the
event during which Earth’s shadow dimmed
the “larger-than-life” face of the moon
for more than an hour.
This rare double-celestial treat doesn’t
happen again until 2033.
In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage
Month, NASA’s weekly web series, “Space
to Ground” will be available in Spanish
through Oct. 12.
“Espacio a Tierra”, like the English-language
version, will update viewers about activities
aboard the International Space Station.
The effort is part of NASA’s Commitment
to Action for the White House Initiative on
Educational Excellence for Hispanics, which
is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
And that’s what’s up this week @NASA …
 For more on these and other stories follow
us on social media and visit www.nasa.gov/twan.
