Space Math in the News!
NASA press releases are a great source of topics that highlight how mathematics is used in the process of discovery. Here are the titles and links to recent news announcements in chronological order, together with their related math problems. The press releases appear on the front page of the NASA Home Page, and are frequently covered the same day by news organzations such as CNN.com or Space.com. This collection does not include numerous other discoveries made by NASA missions, which are published in technical journals.
.August 1, 2011: NASA's Dawn Spacecraft Begins Science Orbits of Vesta
(Press Release).- Problem 434: Dawn Spacecraft Sees Asteroid Vesta Up Close!(PDF)
July 8, 2011: Space Shuttle Atlantis - The last shuttle flight launches
(Press Release).- Problem 430: Space Shuttle Atlantis - Ascent to Orbit(PDF)
- Problem 431: Space Shuttle Atlantis - Launch Speed (PDF)
- Problem 432: Space Shuttle Atlantis - Exhaust Speed(PDF)
- Problem 433: Space Shuttle Atlantis - Plume Speed(PDF)
May 16, 2011: NASAs Shuttle Endeavor Heads to Space Station on its Final Mission
(Press Release).- Problem 419: The Space Shuttle: Fly me to the moon?(PDF)
May 4, 2011: NASAs Gravity Probe B Confirms two Einstein Space-Time Theories
(Press Release).- Problem 420: Gravity Probe B : Testing Einstein again!(PDF)
- Problem 421: Lense-Thirring Effect Near the Sun and a Neutron Star(PDF)
April 7, 2011: Breakthrough Study Confirms Cause of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts
(Press Release).- Problem 418: Supercomputers: Modeling colliding neutron stars!(PDF)
April 7, 2011: NASA Telescopes Join Forces to Observe Unprecedented Explosion
(Press Release).- Problem 427: A Black Hole - Up Close!(PDF)
- Problem 426: Black Holes - Hot Stuff!(PDF)
- Problem 425: Exploring a Full-sized Black Hole(PDF)
- Problem 424: Exploring Black Holes(PDF)
- Problem 423: The Moon as a Black Hole(PDF)
- Problem 417: Estimating the Size and Mass of a Black Hole(PDF)
March 31, 2011: NASAs Kepler Mission Helps Reveal the Inner Secrets of Giant Stars for the First Time
(Press Release).- Problem 416: Kepler probes the interior of red giant stars(PDF)
March 29, 2011:MESSENGER-First Image Ever Obtained from Mercury Orbit
(Press Release).- Problem 415: Mercury and the Moon: Similar but different(PDF)
March 14, 2011: Japan Quake May Have Shortened Earth Days, Moved Axis
(Press Release).- Problem 409: The 2011 Japan Earthquake Rocks the Earth(PDF)
- Problem 408: Estimating the Speed of a Tsunami(PDF)
March 8, 2011: James Webb Space Telescope's "Chassis" Gets Taken Out for a Spin
(Press Release).- Problem 407: Cryo-testing the Webb Space Telescope ISIM(PDF)
February 18, 2011: Using Planet Colors to Search for Alien Earths
(Press Release).- Problem 405: Discovering Earth-like Worlds by their Color(PDF)
February 6, 2011: First Ever STEREO Images of the Entire Sun
(Press Release).- Problem 404: STEREO Spacecraft give 360-degree Solar View(PDF)
February 2, 2011: NASA Finds Earth-size Planet Candidates in the Habitable Zone
(Press Release).- Problem 403: The Goldilocks Planets - Not too hot or cold I(PDF)
- Problem 402: Earth-like Planets by the Score! II(PDF)
- Problem 401: Earth-like Planets by the Score! I(PDF)
January 12, 2011: NASA Telescopes Help Find Most Distant Galaxy Cluster
(Press Release).- Problem 399: A Galactic City in the Far Reaches of our Universe(PDF)
January 12, 2011: NASA Satellites Find High-Energy Surprises in Constant Crab Nebula
(Press Release).- Problem 398: The Crab Nebula - Exploring a pulsar up close!(PDF)
January 12, 2011: NASA Research finds 2010 Tied for Warmest Year on Record
(Press Release).- Problem 397: The Changing Pace of Global Warming(PDF)
January 10, 2011: NASA'S Kepler Mission Discovers Its First Rocky Planet
(Press Release).- Problem 396: Kepler 10b - A matter of gravity(PDF)
January 10, 2011: NASA's Hubble Finds that Puny Stars Pack a Big Punch
(Press Release).- Problem 395: Death Stars(PDF)
January 6, 2011: NASA Research Team Reveals Moon Has Earth-Like Core
(Press Release).- Problem 394: Probing the Lunar Core using Seismology(PDF)
January 4, 2011: Rover Will Spend 7th Birthday at Stadium-Size Crater
(Press Release).- Problem 393: Taking a stroll around a martian crater(PDF)
December 2, 2010: NASA-funded research discovers life built with toxic chemical
(Press Release).- Problem 389: Exploring the DNA of an organism based on arsenic and not phosporus(PDF)
December 1, 2010: NASA Aids in Characterizing Super-Earth Atmosphere
(Press Release).- Problem 391: Investigating the atmosphere of Super-Earth GJ-1214b(PDF)
November 15, 2010: Chandra Spies the Youngest Nearby Black Hole
(Press Release).- Problem 390: X-rays from the hot gasses near the SN1979C black hole(PDF)
- Problem 389: Estimating the Diameter of the SN1979c Black Hole(PDF)
November 12, 2010: Detailed Dark Matter Map Yields Clues to Galaxy Cluster Growth
(Press Release).- Problem 388: Hubble Detects More Dark Matter!(PDF)
November 9, 2010: NASAs Fermi Telescope Finds Giant Structure in Our Galaxy
(Press Release).- Problem 385: Gamma Ray Bubbles in the Milky Way(PDF)
November 4, 2010: NASA EPOXI flyby reveals new insights into comets features
(Press Release).- Problem 383: Estimating the Mass and Volume of Comet Hartley 2 using calculus(PDF)
- Problem 382: Estimating the Mass and Volume of Comet Hartley 2 (PDF)
November 3, 2010: What will Webb see? Supercomputer models yield sneak previews
(Press Release).- Problem 422: Supercomputer Math - Getting the job done fast!(PDF)
- Problem 418: Supercomputers: Modeling colliding neutron stars!(PDF)
- Problem 381: The Cosmological Redshift; Changing the light from a distant galaxy (PDF)
- Problem 380: The Webb Space Telescope: Seeing the distant universe clearly (PDF)
- Problem 379: Exploring the Cosmos with Supercomputers (PDF)
October 21, 2010: LRO Supports Historic Lunar Impact Mission
(Press Release).- Problem 378: LRO Makes a Temperature Map of the Lunar South Pole (PDF)
October 21, 2010: New Cometary Phenomenon Greets Approaching Spacecraft
(Press Release).- Problem 377: Deep Impact: Approaching Comet Hartley 2 (PDF)
September 29, 2010: NASA and NSF-Funded Research Finds First Potentially Habitable Exoplanet
(Press Release).- Problem 376: The Earth-like Planet Gliese 518g (PDF)
September 8, 2010: New Map Offers a Global View of Health-Sapping Air Pollution
(Press Release).- Problem 375: Terra Satellite Measures Dangerous Dust (PDF)
September 17, 2010: LRO Exposes Moon's Complex and Turbulent Youth.
(Press Release).- Problem 372: LRO Discovers Cratering History(PDF)
September 8, 2010: Tally Ho! Deep Impact Spacecraft Eyes Comet Target
(Press Release).- Problem 374: Deep Impact - Closing In on Comet 103P/Hartley 2 (PDF)
September 8, 2010: Two Asteroids to Pass By Earth Wednesday
(Press Release).- Problem 371: Close Encounters of the Asteroid Kind!(PDF)
September 2, 2010: NASA Selects Solar Probe Plus Instruments
(Press Release).- Problem 373: Solar Probe Plus - Having a hot time near the sun!(PDF)
- Problem 366: Solar Probe Plus - Working with angular diameter(PDF)
August 9, 2010: Ice Island Calves Off Petermann Glacier
(Press Release).- Problem 365: Terra Spies a Major Glacial Break-up(PDF)
July 15, 2010: Hubble Finds Super Hot Planet with Unique Comet-like Tail
(Press Release).- Problem 364: The Cometary Planet: HD 209458b(PDF)
July 15, 2010: A Puzzling Collapse of Earth's Upper Atmosphere
(Press Release).- Problem 361: The Sky is Falling? Well...not quite!(PDF)
July 6, 2010: Starburst Cluster Shows Celestial Fireworks
(Press Release).- Problem 363: Celestial Fireworks Near Cluster NGC-3603(PDF)
June 15, 2010: NASA Releases Kepler Data on Potential Extrasolar Planets
(Press Release).- Problem 360:Kepler's First Look at Transiting Planets (PDF)
May 20, 2010: Hinode Discovers the Origin of White Light Flares
(Press Release).- Problem 362:Hinode Discovers the Origin of White Light Flares (PDF)
May 3, 2010: NASA Satellite Imagery keeping an Eye on the Gulf Oil Spill
(Press Release).- Problem 342: The Rate of Oil Leakage in the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010(PDF)
- Problem 341: Recent Events: A Perspective on Carbon Dioxide (PDF)
- Problem 339: Terra Satellite Spies The Great Gulf Oil Catastrophe of 2010 (PDF)
April 28, 2010: Scientists Say Ice Lurks in Asteroid's Cold Heart
(Press Release).- Problem 338: Asteroids and Ice (PDF)
April 22, 2010: NASA's New Eye on the Sun Delivers Stunning First Images
(Press Release).- Problem 337: SDO Reveals Details on the Surface of the Sun (PDF)
- Problem 336: SDO: Measuring the Speed of an Eruptive Prominence (PDF)
February 13, 2010: Titan's surface organics surpass oil reserves on Earth
(Press Release).- Problem 335: Methane Lakes on Titan (PDF)
February 11, 2010: Solar Dynamics Observatory Launches!
(Press Release).- Problem 334: Solar Dynamics Observatory: Working with Giga, Tera, Peta and Exabytes' (PDF)
- Problem 235: Scientific Data: The gift that keeps on giving' (PDF)
February 4, 2010: New Hubble Maps of Pluto Show Surface Changes
(Press Release).- Problem 332: Hubble: The Changing Atmosphere of Pluto (PDF)
- Problem 333: Hubble: Hubble: Seeing a Dwarf Planet Clearly (PDF)
February 2, 2010: Suspected Asteroid Collision Leaves Trailing Debris
(Press Release).- Problem 326: Hubble Spies Colliding Asteroids(PDF)
January 5, 2010: NASA's Kepler Space Telescope Discovers Five Exoplanets
(Press Release).- Problem 325: Kepler Spies Five New Planets(PDF)
January 6, 2010: WISE 'First Light' Image
(Press Release).- Problem 327: Exploring Power-law Functions Using WISE Data (PDF)
- Problem 328: F(x)G(x): A Tale of Two Functions (PDF)
- Problem 329: Power Functions: A question of magnitude (PDF)
December 9, 2009: Spring Reveals Saturn's Hexagon Jet Stream
(Press Release).- Problem 292: The Mysterious Hexagon on Saturn(PDF)
December 10, 2009: Galaxy Collision Switches on Black Hole
(Press Release).- Problem 291: Calculating Black Hole Power(PDF)
November 19, 2009: Mystery of the Solar Tsunami - Solved!
(Press Release).- Problem 286: STEREO Watches the Sun Kick up a Storm(PDF)
- Problem 248: Seeing Solar Storms in STEREO(PDF)
- Problem 118: STEREO-An Application of the Parallax Effect(PDF)
- Problem 85 SOHO Spies a Solar Tsunami!(PDF)
November 13, 2009: LCROSS Impact Data Reveals Water on the Moon
(Press Release).November 9, 2009: LRO Gets Additional View of Apollo-11 Landing Site
(Press Release).- Problem 290: The Apollo-11 Landing Area at High Resolution(PDF)
November 4, 2009: Carbon Atmosphere Discovered on a Neutron Star
(Press Release).- Problem 283: Chandra Sees the Atmosphere of a Neutron Star(PDF)
- Problem 284: Calculating the Thickness of a Neutron Star Atmosphere(PDF)
October 28, 2009: Fermi Telescope Caps First Year with Glimpse of Space-Time
(Press Release).- Problem 288: FERMI Observatory Measures Lumps in Space(PDF)
>October 28, 2009: Ares 1X Completes a Successful Test Flight
(Press Release).- Problem 282: Exploring the Ares 1X Launch: The Hard Climb to Orbit(PDF)
- Problem 281: Exploring the Ares 1X Launch: Energy Changes(PDF)
- Problem 280: Exploring the Ares 1X Launch: Parametrics(PDF)
- Problem 279: Exploring the Ares 1X Launch: Downrange Distance(PDF)
- Problem 276: Solid ROcket Boosters and Thrust(PDF)
- Problem 66: The Ares-V Cargo Rocket(PDF)
October 22, 2009: Galaxy Cluster Smashes Distance Record!
(Press Release).- Problem 285: Chandra Sees the Most Distanct Cluster in the Universe(PDF)
October 15, 2009: NASA Spacecraft Provides First View of Our Place in the Galaxy
(Press Release).- Problem 274: IBEX Uses Fast-moving Particles to Map the Sky!(PDF)
- Problem 273: IBEX Creates an Unusual Image of the Sky! (PDF)
October 6, 2009: NASA Space Telescope Discovers Largest Ring Around Saturn
(Press Release).- Problem 272: Spitzer Telescope Discovers New Ring of Saturn! (PDF)
July 17, 2009: LRO Sees the Apollo Landing Sites
(Press Release).- Problem 290: The Apollo-11 Landing Area at High Resolution(PDF)
- Problem 262: LRO Explores Lunar Surface Cratering(PDF)
- Problem 261: LRO Searches for Lunar Boulders(PDF)
- Problem 259: LRO's First Image of Mare Nubium in HiRes(PDF)
- Problem 257: LRO and the Apollo-11 Landing Site(PDF)
- Problem 236: LRO Sees Apollo-11 Lander on the Moon(PDF)
February 19, 2009: NASA's Kepler Mission to Seak Other Earths
(Press Release).- Problem 213: The Hunt for Earth-like Planets (PDF)
November 13, 2008: Hubble Directly Observes a Planet Orbiting Another Star
(Press Release).- Problem 197: Hubble Sees a Distant Planet (PDF)
July 28, 2008: THEMIS Satellites Discover What Triggers Eruptions of the Northern Lights
(Press Release).- Problem 194: A Magnetic Case for 'What Came First?' (PDF)
March 3, 2008: NASA Spacecraft Photographs Avalanches on Mars
(Press Release).- Problem 126: A Martian Avalanche from Space; How big is it?(PDF)
- Problem 133: The Mars Rover Landing Site (PDF)
- Problem 139: Water on Mars! (PDF)
October 1, 2007: NASA Satellite Sees Solar Hurricane Tear Comet Tail Off
(Press Release).- Problem 116: STEREO - The Comet Encke Tail Disruption Event (PDF)
August 15, 2007: Speeding-Bullet Star Leaves Enormous Streak Across Sky
(Press Release).- Problem 119: GALEX - A Star Sheds a Comet Tail!(PDF)
March 1, 2007: Two Eclipses: One Observed Only by NASA
(Press Release).- Problem 92: STEREO Spies a Lunar Transit of the Sun from Space(PDF)
December 22, 2006: First Images from Hinode Offer New Clues About Our Violent Sun
(Press Release).- Problem 78: Moving Magnetic Filaments Near Sunspots (PDF)
- Problem 99: The Hinode Satellite Views the X-ray Sun (PDF)
- Problem 103: Mysterious Solar Micro-Flares! (PDF)
September 9, 2003: Chandra Hears a Black Hole
(Press Release).- Problem 289: Chandra Spies the Longest Sound Wave in the Universe!(PDF)
October 26, 2000: A Close Encounter with Asteroid Eros
(Press Release).- Problem 143: NEAR Mission observes the Surface of Asteroid Eros(URL)
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