Johns Hopkins University

NASA's DART Mission Hits Asteroid in First-Ever Planetary Defense Test

After 10 months flying in space, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) - the world's first planetary defense technology demonstration - successfully impacted its asteroid target on Monday, the agency's first attempt to move an asteroid in space.

NASA's Webb Detects Carbon Dioxide in Exoplanet Atmosphere

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. This observation of a gas giant planet orbiting a Sun-like star 700 light-years away provides important insights into the composition and formation of the planet.

NASA-Supported Solar Sail Could Take Science to New Heights

As NASA's exploration continues to push boundaries, a new solar sail concept selected by the agency for development toward a demonstration mission could carry science to new destinations.

Hubble Reaches New Milestone in Mystery of Universe's Expansion Rate

Pursuit of the universe's expansion rate began in the 1920s with measurements by astronomers Edwin P. Hubble and Georges Lemaître. In 1998, this led to the discovery of "dark energy," a mysterious repulsive force accelerating the universe's expansion. In recent years, thanks to data from Hubble and other telescopes, astronomers found another twist: a discrepancy between the expansion rate as measured in the local universe compared to independent observations from right after the big bang, which predict a different expansion value.

Drones Can Help Dairy Farms Manage Methane Emissions

About 50% of the methane that California emits comes from dairy farms. In order to meet strict climate goals, the state has proposed ways to regulate dairy methane emissions. But these efforts run up against a big problem: There isn't currently a reliable way for dairy farmers to measure the amount of methane produced on their farm.

Discovery of the One-Way Superconductor, Thought to be Impossible

Researchers have discovered one-way superconductivity without magnetic fields, something that was thought to be impossible ever since its discovery in 1911 - up till now. The discovery makes use of 2D quantum materials and paves the way towards superconducting computing. Superconductors can make electronics hundreds of times faster, all with zero energy loss.

Kennedy Scientists Develop New Way to Plant, Nourish Seeds in Space

What started five years ago as a casual conversation among a small group at NASA's Kennedy Space Center recently showed results that one day may help feed astronauts on long-duration space missions. Plant researchers at the Florida spaceport had been chatting about new ways to plant crops in microgravity when they came up with the idea of a seed film.

A Record Broken: Hubble Finds the Most Distant Star Ever Seen

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has established an extraordinary new benchmark: detecting the light of a star that existed within the first billion years after the Universe's birth in the Big Bang — the most distant individual star ever seen. This sets up a major target for the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in its first year

Using 3D Printed Tissues to Explore Causes of Neural Diseases

By using the most innovative 3D printing technologies to precisely control the architecture of these systems, an attempt can be made to reproduce the structural complexity of the cerebral cortex. The objective is to integrate the neural circuits with their intricate support system. This is a crucial aspect of the study, as it would allow to collect important biological data in a longer timeframe compared to the models available today.

Successful Implantation of Wireless Visual Prosthesis Brain Implant

The Intracortical Visual Prosthesis, an implant that bypasses the retina and optic nerves to connect directly to the brain's visual cortex, has been successfully surgically implanted in the study's first participant. This surgery is part of a Phase I Feasibility Study of an Intracortical Visual Prosthesis for People With Blindness.

Polaris Program Aims to Advance Human Spaceflight

The Polaris Program is a first-of-its-kind effort to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities, while continuing to raise funds and awareness for important causes here on Earth. The program will consist of up to three human spaceflight missions that will demonstrate new technologies, conduct extensive research, and ultimately culminate in the first flight of SpaceX's Starship with humans on board.

Parker Solar Probe Captures its First Images of Venus' Surface

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has taken its first visible light images of the surface of Venus from space. Smothered in thick clouds, Venus' surface is usually shrouded from sight. But in two recent flybys of the planet, Parker used its Wide-Field Imager, or WISPR, to image the entire nightside in wavelengths of the visible spectrum - the type of light that the human eye can see - and extending into the near-infrared.